Back Roads on ABC and ABC iview S10E7 – Presenter Lisa Millar journeys down memory lane revisiting the town she grew up in, as she sets out to explore the Kilkivan to Kingaroy Rail Trail in the South Burnett region of Queensland.
She discovers the dying town she left as a teenager is showing signs of revival, with more kids at her old school, and new businesses opening. Towns right down the old rail corridor are feeling it too. It’s like the old train line, which originally helped bring prosperity to the region has become a lifeline once again, bringing valuable visitors, tourists, cyclists and runners to the district.
And some of them are staying, building new lives in the area, and developing new passions.
Dave Earle and his business partner and wife Tania set up a saddlery in Wondai two years ago. Dave was a mining driller for 20 years but now takes pride in working with leather, holding workshops and making saddles.
It was a risky venture as they both gave up 6-figure salaries, but the new life is paying them back in spades as they find community and life-satisfaction they’ve never known before.
Lisa also joins in the Park Run at Wondai that runs on the rail trail every Saturday. It’s a free international event run in thousands of locations around the world. Lisa is an ambassador in Australia and finds in Wondai, the event brings the community together with laughs, exercise and socialising.
She meets the organisers Ros Heit and Claire Kapernick who say the Park Run is only possible because of the safe, sealed course provided by the Rail Trail.
Production credit: Executive Producer, Brigid Donovan.
Back Roads on ABC and ABC iview – Tuesday 1 October, 2024 at 8.00pm
TV Central ABC content HERE
Back Roads on ABC and ABC iview S10E7
