Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia | Royal Flying Doctor Service

Australia is a big place -- 7.69 million square kilometres -- and with a relatively small population of 25 million people. Two-thirds of our population live around the regional coastlines and the remaining live across rural and remote areas -- sometimes more than an 8-hour drive to the closest township. Access to health services can be a problem.

Video of the RFDS services across Australia

people have downloaded The Flying Doctor Podcast. Find out what the buzz is about!

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Listen to the award-winning Flying Doctor podcast, with real stories of real patients and RFDS staff on our podcast below. Click anywhere on the below map to listen.

Note: The Flying Doctor Podcast was announced a finalist in the 2022 Australian Podcast Awards, in two categories (Best Interview and Best Branded podcast)

Podcast Episodes

#62 It was too late to get to hospital, and the baby was in breech

#10 How a COVID front-line health worker coped in a hotspot?

#2 How can something the size of a fingernail be so deadly?

#20 How did Andrew Conlon survive being swallowed by the earth?

#6 What did Leroy do to save his life, as his blood was draining out?

#11 How did baby Calvary scare her parents before she was even born?

#9 How did David do CPR on himself to stay alive?

#15 How does a city Doctor make it in the bush?

#8 How do we help the elderly in their very last days with their final wish?

#12 How Trent the baker almost lost his arm.

#4 How pregnant Michelle dealt with such a life-changing injury?

#13 How The Flying Doctor started, and a priest at a dog fight

#7 How was Jemma’s life saved – along with her newborn?

#23 How did an experienced horse rider find herself in a life or death situation?

#18 What does Amber do when her young son suffers a severe motorbike?

#29 What does a train driver, an earth-shattering headache and a bicycle have in common?

#19 What happens when a baby is born mid flight?

#28 What is the legend of The Motorcycle Pudding?

#27 When you fall into a near boiling thermal mud pool in remote South Australia

#26 When Chad was pulled from the pool with no pulse, how was he saved?

#5 When crocodiles attack, but no-one is around to help you..

#30 Why did 9 year old Jake collapse at the tail end of a soccer game and stop breathing?

#17 Why is Sam Hughes driving a 1957 tractor around Australia?

#22 Why is your mental approach to cancer so key when it comes to health outcomes and quality of life?

#25 Young mother, dialysis, and the search for a kidney --- and a second interview:'Billy-the-kid-ney' changes Danni's life

#40 Flight nurse Brendan Devlin has seen it all over his 30-year career

#43 A highly distressed child was pulling her hair out at night...

#36 A beloved daughter disturbs an intruder and is shot at point-blank range

#48 A jackaroo is hemorrhaging in remote NT and his mates have to get him to hospital

#55 Allan has seen and done it all — Cattle station man, born and bred

#31 A skydiving lesson gone wrong changes Joe Chiver's life forever

#33 A snake in the bed, behind the heater and under the slippery dip

#47 A speeding boat full of tourists collides with a rock wall in remote WA...

#34 Courage is served in large quantities at Gilberton Station - ask Prince Charles

#38 A ute rolls on a remote dirt road in South Australia

#49 Even the seasoned riders can sometimes get it wrong

#16 Did John Tully survive when his plane hit power lines?

#63 Family holiday plans changed quickly when 7-year-old Mia stumbled by the campfire...

#59 Glen's dad fell 4-stories and his life changed immediately...

#57 Helping the governesses that care for station kids

#14 How could Rob survive this helicopter crash?

#42 How did baby Jenson survive being born 4 months too early?

#32 How did hypothermia save John Muir's life?

#41 How did they discover and save Peter, when he suffered a crippling stroke?

#37 How does Paul survive a horrible mountain bike accident in remote WA?

#39 How do you land an RFDS plane in the dark in the Outback?

#56 Respect, love and celebration for those we love in their last days

#44 How was 5-year-old Jack saved after being bitten by a snake?

#52 Richard is proof they breed 'em tough in the bush.

#53 Richard's rally car rolled, flipped into a tree and plunged 30 metres...

#61 Sarah had a double-lung transplant, while her husband and daughter waited anxiously...

#21 What does the Archibald, Running of the Bulls & The Flying Doctor have in common?

#54 What happened when a drunk 15 year old got behind the wheel?

#46 'Billy-the-kid-ney' changes Danni's life

#65 Jon Steadhead, Jigalong and the Flying Doctor

#50 A 10-year old boy was snorkelling when a shark attacked...

#58 How did Mack keep himself alive, under a rolled-car, in remote Western Australia?

#3 How did Michael survive burns to more than 60% of his body?

#24 How did passengers save the life of Patrick on a commercial flight?

#1 How did Peter Nunn survive two accidents he shouldn’t have ?

#35 How does a young pregnant mum in remote SA battle cancer?

#51 When a Picturesque Hike Turns Out to be Not-So-Pretty

#66 Plane on the highway, dress, shopping, and passing on words of wisdom

#67 Greg and his helicopter were a crumpled mess at the bottom of the gorge

$68 What is the life of a flight nurse actually like?

See where our planes are flying throughout Australia on our live flight map

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Latest news stories

National Reconciliation Week 2023

27 May 2023

NRW is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving Reconciliation in Australia.

Read full story

When ritual meets rescue: Robert's story

27 May 2023

During a cultural ceremony in outback South Australia, Robert was struck by a sudden illness, sparking deep concern among family and friends. In need of urgent medical help, he was hundreds of kilometres from the nearest major hospital.

Read full story

Services taken for granted in the city are routinely just not possible outside metro areas, and this creates real hardship for the families and communities living in the bush.

We at the RFDS work to reduce the disparity in health service access. We bring emergency medical and primary health services to those areas that don't have access. We make it possible for people to live, work and travel across this large continent.

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to them, their cultures and to Elders past and present.