A podcast

about the history of unique places in Sydney’s inner west.

 

Why this podcast?

Sydney is famous all over the world for its glittering harbour, the Opera House, the Bridge, its stunning beaches …

You get the picture.

When I moved to inner west Sydney from Melbourne three years ago, I wasn’t anywhere near the famous stuff or the beaches.

But it was super clear that I was in a place that locals adore and are fiercely proud of.

I have to say, it wasn’t immediately obvious to me why the inner west is so well loved!! And so, I started a podcast to find out, and to get to know my new home as well 💜

Jane Curtis, Inner West Icons producer

  • Jane Curtis

    Jane Curtis

    PRODUCER

    Jane is a podcast and documentary producer who is drawn to stories about community, history, creativity and activism. After 10 years at the ABC doing community storytelling, audience content and podcasts, she produces the Australian Design Centre podcast Object and is a Senior Audio Producer at UTS Impact Studios.

    http://janecurtis.net

  • John Jacobs

    John Jacobs

    SOUND ENGINEER

    John works at ABC Radio National, where he co-founded the experimental arts and culture audio adventure The Night Air. His work has won international radio awards at the Prix Italia, Prix Futura and the Third Coast International Audio Festival.

    John co-produced the popular Triple J news theme, was at the birth of doof, code-jammed the indymedia citizen journalism movement and kicked off the wheelie bin sound system.

    He makes music with Non Bosse Posse.

  • Bernie Hobbs

    Bernie Hobbs

    HOST

    Best known as a judge from The New Inventors and her many years with ABC Science, Bernie Hobbs is an award-winning science writer and broadcaster.

    Originally hailing from Brisbane, Bernie's been an inner westie for 20 years, and as a keen cyclist, kayaker, birdwatcher and live music fan, she couldn't be happier.

    As long as Marrickville stays daggy enough it'll remain her spiritual home for another 20 years to life.

    Bernie lives with her partner and various idiosyncratic hairy dependents.

Credits

Podcast development, research, interviews, and editing by Jane Curtis.
Sound engineering by John Jacobs.
Hosted by Bernie Hobbs.
Artwork by Dylan Tonkin.
Editorial Brains Trust: John Jacobs, Jen Recknagel, Rosa Ellen, Kate Lawrence, Natalie Jacobson and Amie Zar.

Funding support by Inner West Council's Community history and heritage grants program and by Inner West Council's Living Arts program for Episode 2 The GreenWay and Bonus episode: Dogs of the inner west.

How is this podcast made?

 

This format of this podcast is narrative non-fiction - one of the most time-consuming formats to make, and one of the most fun and creative too.

For NSW History Week 2022, I gave a workshop at Ashfield Library, Sydney, called “How to make a documentary podcast”, with Inner West Icons as the case study.

⬇️ Download How to make a documentary podcast PDF to go behind-the-scenes and get tips and resources to help you make a documentary podcast.

Season 1 and 2 episodes

Season 2 episodes so far! Episodes are still being finalised. (A listener survey will help decide future episodes.)

So far, season 2 includes:

  • Cooks River

  • Artist studios of the inner west

  • The flight path

  • The magic yellow bus

  • Petersham Bowlo

Part Of Powerhouse Museum Collection: Gift of Elizabeth Bullard, 1967
Bronte Beach postcard from the Australian National Maritime Museum on The Commons, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons
Australian National Maritime Museum on The Commons. No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons
Balmoral Beach postcard in the collection of the Powerhouse Museum
A postcard in landscape format, the front featuring photographic images of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. From the collection of the Powerhouse Museum.
The reverse is addressed to Ernest A Crome and signed by dignatories, including engineer and bridge designer John J C Bradfield, the Premier John T Lang, NSW Governor Philip Game, Lord Mayor of Sydney Samuel Walder and pilot Charles Kingsford Smith.