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Kids & Family

Fierce Girls

ABC Australia

From athletes to aviators, scientists to spies. From the deep blue sea to the dark, black skies. Australia is full of girls who dare to do things differently. Adventurous girls. Brave women. Trailblazing women. Girls with guts and spirit.

You know what they are? They're FIERCE.

And these are their stories. Perfect for all kids 6-12.

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  • 89 episodes
  • Updated Oct 10, 2023

Episodes89

Newest first
  • Mar 28, 2022 · 14 min

    Meru Sheel — the girl who is a disease detective

    If you saw an infectious disease outbreak, would you run far, far away? Dr Meru Sheel runs towards it. Meru grew up in India, where diseases like polio and tuberculosis made people around her extremely sick. It made her want to help. Meru became a disease detective, a field epidemiologist and now dedicates her life to stopping infectious diseases in their tracks! Her detective work tackles everything from gastro to the COVID-19 pandemic. And the clues she finds helps communities, scientists, hea

  • Mar 21, 2022 · 18 min

    Melanie Perkins — The girl who created a unicorn

    Ever wanted to change the world? Melanie Perkins did — she just needed the right problem to solve. Then it hit her. She tutored university students in graphic design, and they all had the same complaint: the software was too complicated. Melanie knew there must be an easier way. She thought everyone should be able to make beautiful, professional looking images. So, she cleared a space in her mum's living room and got to work. She perfected her pitch, flew to the other side of the world to Silic

  • Mar 14, 2022 · 17 min

    Daphne Hilton (Ceeney) — the girl who dominated the Paralympics

    A terrible horse-riding accident left teenager Daphne Ceeney paraplegic. Doctors told her there was nothing they could do and sent her home with no hope of a normal, happy life. But when Daphne she moved to a rehabilitation centre, her life changed. At the centre, Daphne discovered sport. She trained and practised, practised and trained and was so good she became the first Australian woman to go to the Paralympics. She was the only woman in the team and she brought home a haul of medals from a

  • Mar 7, 2022 · 18 min

    Valerie Taylor — the girl who swam with sharks

    Would you willingly put your arm in a shark's mouth? Valerie Taylor did. She was a pioneering shark conservationist who believed sharks are friends, not foes. Valerie thrived in a male dominated world, and even had a brush with Hollywood when she worked on the film Jaws. This fearless, fierce adventurer of the sea had a mission; to change people's attitudes towards sharks. She travelled the world, diving and swimming with sharks and campaigning to protect them. Narrated by Australian champion f

  • Mar 1, 2022 · 1 min

    INTRODUCING — Fierce Girls Season 8

    From the underwater adventurers of the past, to the disease experts of the future, Australia is FULL of girls who dare to do things differently. Fierce Girls is back for another season, starting International Women's Day.All new stories, all new narrators. Still totally Fierce.

  • Oct 10, 2021 · 13 min

    Nora Heysen – the girl who never stopped painting

    Nora Heysen wasn’t the only talented artist in the family. As a young woman, her painting was extraordinary, but she could never get out from the shadow of her dad. She took her talents to London to carve her own identity, but male teachers and critics told her that her work wasn’t very good.

  • Oct 10, 2021 · 15 min

    Yukultji Napangati – the girl who made her world shimmer

    Yukultji Napangati grew up with no contact with the outside world. Just her and her family, living on a shimmery salt lake. She learned how to live on Country, how to find food, water, and shelter. She was a particularly great hunter.

  • Oct 6, 2021 · 1 min

    INTRODUCING – Fierce Girls Season 7

    Can you name a famous Australian artist? This season of Fierce Girls, we’re brushing up on some fierce women of the art world! So this International Day Of The Girl Child, October 11, you’ll hear the stories of five extraordinary Australian artists.

  • May 9, 2021 · 16 min

    Jean Robertson and Kathleen Howell — the girls who drove into the history books

    Jean Robertson learnt to drive almost as soon as her feet could touch the pedals — and then she taught her bestie Kathleen Howell to do the same. The two friends mastered automobiles at a time that you weren't likely to see a woman behind the wheel. Once they'd nailed that, they crossed the whole of Australia by car and smashed land speed records. Narrated by actor and Australian Survivor winner, Pia Miranda. Extra narration by Peggy Webber.

  • May 2, 2021 · 2 min

    Julia Gillard — the girl who became Australian Prime Minister

    This year marks 100 years since the first woman was elected in parliament in Australia. To celebrate, we're bringing back some of our favourite Fierce Girls episodes, celebrating trailblazing female politicians. At school Julia Gillard's least favourite subject was Home Economics. The teachers told her she'd need it one day, but Julia wasn't so sure. She had her mind firmly set on a career. First, she was a lawyer, then a politician and later she became Australia's first female Prime Minister.

  • Apr 25, 2021 · 11 min

    Edith Cowan — the girl who changed the rules

    This year marks 100 years since the first woman was elected in parliament in Australia. To celebrate, we're bringing back some of our favourite Fierce Girls episodes, celebrating trailblazing female politicians. When Edith Cowan was a girl, her mum died, and her father was sentenced to death for murder. She knew hardship … and it drove her to get a better deal for women and children who were then treated like second class citizens. She took her fight all the way to Parliament House in Perth when

  • Apr 18, 2021 · 15 min

    Andrea Boyd — the girl who became the voice of space

    Andrea Boyd grew up loving the science fiction series Star Trek. And when she wasn't at school, conducting science experiments or staring at the TV, she was staring at the sky. But when the world's best engineers built the International Space Station, Andrea realised science fact was better than science fiction. She worked hard to become their only Aussie flight controller, talking to the astronauts who lived in the space station as it orbited Earth. But Andrea didn't stop there — she wanted t

  • Apr 11, 2021 · 14 min

    Caroline Buchanan — the story of the girl who became a world champion BMX bandit

    Caroline Buchanan rode in her first big international BMX race when she was nine, waving to the crowd, soaring down hills, gliding through the air. It was a feeling too good to give up. Even when her brother broke his neck and two arms. Even when she missed out on medals at the London and Rio Olympics. And even when she ended up in hospital, all of it was worth it. Caroline Buchanan endured to become a world champion in both BMX and mountain biking. And she's not done yet. Narrated by actor

  • Apr 4, 2021 · 11 min

    Faith Thomas — the girl who became the first Indigenous person to play cricket for Australia

    Faith Thomas grew up throwing rocks at galahs. She'd only been playing proper cricket for a couple of weeks before she was picked to represent South Australia. Her phenomenal stats made headlines. So, it was no great surprise when Faith got called up to represent Australia against England in Brisbane. When she stepped onto the Gabba cricket ground, she became the first Aboriginal person to play on any Australian team… not just cricket. But cricket was just a game to Faith. So, not long after t

  • Mar 28, 2021 · 17 min

    Nyadol Nyuon — the girl who gave refugees a voice

    Nyadol Nyuon's family is from South Sudan, but she was born in a refugee camp. Every night she prayed that her family could move to Australia. And, when she was 18, her prayers were answered. In Australia, Nyadol wanted to be a lawyer, but her teachers didn't think she had the ability. Nyadol had some surprises in store for those doubters. She did become a lawyer and, when the media unfairly targeted African youths in their reports, she found her voice and fought to give refugees a voice t

  • Mar 21, 2021 · 17 min

    Madeline Stuart — the girl who conquered the modelling world

    When Madeline Stuart was 17, her mum took her to a fashion parade where most of the models seemed to fit a tall, thin, predictable box. Maddy was born with Down Syndrome, a condition that means she has an extra chromosome. And while she didn't look like the models she saw in magazines, fashionistas thought Maddy was beautiful. They invited her onto the catwalks of New York, London, Paris — every corner of the globe. Maddy always knew she could conquer the world — and now she's showing everyon

  • Mar 14, 2021 · 17 min

    Celeste Barber — the girl whose photos took the world by storm

    Even as a young girl, Celeste Barber always had a funny story that would make everyone laugh out loud. Celeste dreamed of starring in a TV comedy like Friends, but she went on to play a paramedic in a popular medical drama. And when that series flatlined, she used Instagram to take the world by storm, one funny photo at a time. During the devastating bushfires of 2019-20, Celeste knew she couldn't grab a hose and put out the fires herself. So, she launched a fundraising appeal and raised $50