Tonight | Australian Story on ABC: Katie Noonan makes a Second Start – Singer-songwriter Katie Noonan turns to music after the end of her marriage in Australian Story: Second Start, airing at 8pm tonight on ABC TV.
The episode follows an established Australian artist at a point of personal change. Noonan’s new songs are rooted in grief, while an unexpected connection with writer Trent Dalton opens another path through the experience.
Why Katie Noonan turned to music again
Noonan’s marriage ended in November 2024. Her life on the Sunshine Coast with her husband and sons had seemed settled from the outside. She had built a long independent career and recorded 30 albums, but COVID-era restrictions on live performance had put strain on the relationship.
As she faced the separation, Noonan returned to songwriting. She tells Australian Story that she never planned to make this album. Its songs emerged from sadness and the uncertainty of working out who she was after the marriage ended.
How Trent Dalton became part of the story
A chance meeting with writer Trent Dalton brought a different kind of inspiration. Dalton shared passages from diaries he wrote in the early 2000s while falling in love with Fiona, now his wife. He describes the old entries as revealing and sometimes embarrassing, but their words became a small flame for Noonan.
That exchange gives Second Start another perspective on love and change. The episode does not present music as a simple cure. It follows how Noonan used it to work through loss and begin to imagine a new chapter.
Watch the Australian Story promo
ABC’s 30-second preview of the Katie Noonan episode can be played below.
Australian Story: Second Start airs tonight, Monday 12 October 2026, at 8pm on ABC TV. ABC iview is also named in the official promo; check the service for streaming availability.
For more TV Central ABC coverage, visit the Australian Story page on ABC iview for programme information.
