Australians are hitting the highways this Easter long weekend and planning playlists to fill the hours on a family road trip.
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Sure, everyone can pop in a set of headphones and listen to their favourite tunes.
But remember the good old days when everyone was belting out a sing-along while cruising down the Pacific Highway?
These playlists and podcasts will prepare your aux-cord for the open road.
Playlists for the whole family
Yacht Rock
Given how much the TikTok generation embraced the recent spike in popularity of Kate Bush and Fleetwood Mac's Dreams. We can agree, they love a synth.
Who among us doesn't?
This playlist includes sing-along classics from Hall and Oates - but if you can't go for that, Wings and the Pointer Sisters are in the lineup as well.
There are a handful of great playlists under the Yacht Rock banner on music streaming services, each as groovy as the last.
Classic Country Drive
Hitting the wide-open road listening to country music is a rite of passage, and it's important the next generation get a chance to feel the wind in their hair while Johnny Cash sings the Folsom Prison Blues.
A country road trip playlist must also include John Denver, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette and, of course, Willie Nelson.
These playlists can be found on music streaming services under the search term "classic country drive".
Too Deadly Bub
If you're holding out for music released in the past decade, consider a playlist of "sweet grooves by Indigenous musicians" for child-friendly listening.
This playlist includes music from Baker Boy, Emma Donovan and Thelma Plum with a few cameos from The Wiggles.
It's upbeat, energetic and will appeal to young and old listeners.
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Podcasts to start conversation
Noble Blood
Noble Blood tells the amazing true stories behind some of history's most fascinating royals.
Host Dana Schwartz covers ill-fated love affairs, bad decisions, and family drama in well researched and thoughtfully presented 30 minute episodes.
Did Titanic Sink?
This seafaring romp brings nautical history alive. Comedians Tim Batt and Carlo Ritchie consider the controversial question did Titanic sink?
The podcast looks into Titanic's sister ship, Olympic and asks whether it was really the "unsinkable" vessel that went down in 1912.
Hamish and Andy
Hamish Blake and Andy Lee are back on the airwaves to roast each other following their retirement from live radio in 2017.
Their podcast episodes are full of the same pranks and gags that endeared them to Australian audiences throughout their long careers.
The show is one of Australia's most downloaded programmes and has held the title of best Australian comedy podcast for five years.
House on Loon Lake
This hour-long podcast tells the true story of a mysterious, abandoned house found by a young boy in the 1970's in Freedom, New Hampshire.
Adam Beckman, the young boy now grown into a podcast host, searches for answers about the family that lived in the home and why they left everything behind.
Anna Houlahan
Anna Houlahan reports on crime and social issues affecting regional and remote Australia in her role as national crime reporter at Australian Community Media (ACM). She was ACM’s Trainee of the Year in 2023 and, aside from reporting on crime, has travelled the country as a journalist for Explore Travel Magazine. Reach out with news or updates to anna.houlahan@austcommunitymedia.com.au
