When your favourite radio station is out of range and you’re over listening to music, playing games and looking out the window, Podcasts and Audio Books are a great way to pass the time on long car trips for both adults and kids.  

We’ve put together a list of some of our favourites and we hope you enjoy them too!

The Flying Doctor – A collection of true stories from The Royal Flying Doctor Service and the role it plays in servicing outback communities. With 6 seasons currently available, this one is sure to keep you occupied for a while!

Conversations – Brought to you by ABC Radio and covers a broad range of topics from anything to everything. Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski are really easy to listen to and introduce us to some amazing real-life characters with some incredible stories to share. Some are child friendly; some are not. Each episode is accompanied by a brief description which gives you a pretty good idea as to whether it’s suitable for impressionable ears. As a family, we all enjoyed the episode of The Hunt for the Deadly Coastal Taipan.

Ghost Files – Real Australian Stories of Spooky Encounters. Suitable for older kids who like hearing creepy tales around the campfire.

Yarns with Outdoor Aussies – Chats with Aussies who do amazing things outdoors whether it be hiking, climbing, biking, 4wdriving or other adventures. It’s an inspirational podcast to get you excited about incredible things you can do in the outdoors.

Stuff you Should Know – Topics covering just about anything from champagne to true crime to theories, historic events, animals and El Nino, there’s sure to be an episode that will interest you.

Travelling Friends of Australia – Chats with other Aussies travelling Australia. Hear about their life on the road, destinations they visit and tips they’ve learnt along the way.

Off Track – Another family favourite that combines stories of wildlife and environmental science. Recorded in the outdoors and accompanied by sounds of nature. We find this podcast so interesting and educational, learning so many things about our native flora and fauna.

The Feel Good Family – Family Travel Podcast – Weekly episodes from a full-time travelling family exploring Australia.

The Outback Way Podcast – The Outback Way is Australia’s longest shortcut spanning a distance of 2700km from Winton, Queensland to Laverton, Western Australia. A travel guide and documentary series about people and places along the way as well as updates to attractions and towns and stories of both the locals and visitors while journeying through the heart of Australia.

Short & Curly – A child friendly podcast from ABC Radio discussing interesting topics such as why the sky is blue, banning homework, winning an argument with your parents, emotions and ethical dilemmas. This will interest and entertain the whole family.

Wow in the World – An American podcast full of energy and fun, featuring amazing stories in science, technology and history. Suitable for kids from 6yrs to Grown-ups!

Finally, if you’re looking for audio books that can be enjoyed by the whole family, we love the David Walliams series. Touted as a modern-day Roald Dahl, the way he tells his stories are funny, endearing and very clever. We usually download via iTunes but you can also listen via Audible .

There are also apps like Borrow Box which allow you to listen to classic tales like Enid Blyton’s ‘Faraway Tree’ for free (you’ll need a library card to join). If you have Audible membership, there is also a huge range of kids titles that you can also listen to for free.

Tip – Be sure to download episodes that interest you ahead of time, as quite often you might not have reception where you’re travelling. The same goes for Audio Books which sometimes need a wi-fi connection to download.

Have you got any Podcast recommendations we should add to this list? Or any Audio Books you know the whole family would love? If so, be sure to leave a comment below!

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