The Outback Historian - Paul Roe

Meet the Outback Historian - Paul Roe

Some people study history -   Paul walks it.
Yes, he holds a Doctorate in History from Macquarie University, but don't expect him to spend too much time talking about that. He'll more likely tell you he has "a foot on each side of the Great Dividing Range", earning his doctorate in Sydney while choosing to call Bourke and the Australian outback home.
For more than forty years, Paul has travelled Australia's back roads and forgotten city streets, uncovering the stories that shaped our nation. His passion is simple: to make the invisible story visible.
Whether he's exploring an abandoned cattle station, standing beside an old shearing shed, sharing stories around a campfire or speaking to a school or an academic audience, Paul has a remarkable gift for bringing history to life, not as a collection of dates and events, but through the stories of real people whose courage, resilience, faith and ingenuity continue to shape Australia today.
Because history isn't just about the past.
It's about understanding who we are, where we've come from, and where we're going next.
If these are the stories that inspire you, we'd love you to join Paul on the journey. Subscribe to his newsletter for stories from the road, his latest books and resources, and be the first to hear about upcoming events. Together, let's continue the journey one story at a time.
Two books, live workshops, and stories of faith and resilience
The Outback Historian and storyteller, Paul Roe, uncovers stories from remote stations on the red dust to hidden gems in the city, turning interviews into vivid talks, workshops and published narratives. Explore free podcasts, essays, blogs and archival finds in the resource library.

Bourke and Beyond

In his latest book, Dr Paul Roe, The Outback Historian,   unearths the hidden heart of Australia in this compelling collection of stories gathered from years of listening and learning on the red dirt plains. These remarkable tales of ordinary people doing extraordinary things celebrate the heart of Australia.

At the entrance to the Back O’ Bourke Exhibition Centre is Henry Lawson’s big claim “If you know Bourke you know Australia.” I’ve chosen twenty five stories that I’ve journeyed with out on the Western plains to show that the great yarn spinner wasn’t completely talking through his hat when he said that. 

If you’re a local you’ll immediately feel at home with them because they belong to you. If you’re not, then I think their unexpected origins might open your eyes to things about this country that you might have missed. I know they have done that for me and I hope you’ll find some delight and understanding from glimpses into some remarkable lives.
Paul Roe

Find a Story

Search on a growing library of incredible Australian stories here. New stories are posted weekly.

Listen and Watch

LISTEN
​4 Minutes with The Outback Historian

Join Paul for a series of short 4 minute stories of people, places and events that have shaped our nation.

WATCH
The Outback Historian's Youtube Channel

Subscribe to The Outback Historian's Youtube Channel and watch Paul as he uncovers stories of faith across the nation. 

LISTEN
Australias Invisible Histories Podcast

 Join broadcaster and author  , Katrina Roe  and The Outback Historian  Dr Paul Roe as they make the “invisible” visible by digging up the buried stories of Australia’s heroes, pioneers and visionaries.

Join the Journey

Keep up to date with the latest stories, tours, tips and storytelling workshops.

What people are saying

THE Rt REV'D IAN PALMER

Former Bishop of Bathurst Diocese

​People are story-tellers; from the Dreaming of the Aboriginal People to all of us who interpret our times through the stories we have heard and tell. Stories are to be shared and the wide-open spaces of our Land interpreted. Paul Roe is a master story-teller and collector of stories. From linking stories to mud-maps in Bourke, to story-telling with pilgrims in Central and Western NSW, Paul shares and interprets the heritage of faith he has discovered on these plains and in these hills. Paul invites us to listen with an open heart, add our story to those we hear, and create a new story which connects us to one another with faith, hope and love.

ANDREW VINCENT

National Director, Cornerstone Community

Paul Roe is a rare character - combining the art of story-telling with a wealth of stories from Australia’s history, he possesses a deep love for real people and their real stories, and an interesting life of his own which is itself another story. Paul has a keen interest in the stories that can be found under the surface of the ordinary, and an awareness of the value of each ordinary person’s story. Whether it’s yarn-spinning at the Royal Hotel in Bourke, or presenting an academic paper on the characters that have shaped Australia, Paul’s stories draw you in, hold your attention, and open your heart to what he has found in this vast country of ours and the people that have made their home in it. 

MARK MC CRINDLE

Social Researcher
For many years I’ve been impacted by hearing Paul Roe, Australia’s own outback historian, tell the stories of what has made us.
While the church doesn’t always feature strongly in the national conversation, we are a nation where faith and belief run deep- and Paul has a powerful gift to coherently and compellingly share this narrative.

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ANDREW HULL

The Bard of Bourke
Deeply considerate of the motivations, trends and forces that shaped the Australia we know, Paul doesn't so much arrange or retell history, as imbue his listeners with it. Poets, paddleboat captains and pioneering legends are managed on and off the stage with expert timing, while a host of lesser characters are given their chance to shine through, central to the overall narrative of Australia's bush past, as scripted by our own 'Outback Historian'. 

IAN COLE

Editor, Western Herald and Manager, 2WEB Bourke Radio

As an historian and storyteller, Paul Roe is an absolute legend! He takes his readers and his audience on a compelling journey through the rich history of Bourke and beyond. Paul delivers his story with conviction, and a compassion for the characters of his stories. 
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