Season 1

Ray Mears is in desert survival mode as he follows in the footsteps of an unsung hero of Australian exploration to find out how John McDouall Stuart became the first European to succeed in crossing this continent from South to North and back again. Ray shows how to wring water from these barren lands and how travelling light is the key to success on such an epic journey.

Ray Mears takes a journey across Queensland with Les Hiddins, the bushtucker man. They both share a love of the wilderness and have learnt much of what they know from indigenous people. Each of them has already left his mark on the world of bushcraft, now they get to work together for the first time ever.

Ray Mears travels to the Torres Strait Islands to learn how the islanders' lifestyle has helped them retain much of their bushcraft and knowledge. He finds out how these skills helped people survive during the Second World War and tells the story of Barbara Thompson, a young woman who was shipwrecked in the mid-19th century and survived despite the islands' reputation for cannibalism at the time.

Rock art is incredibly important to the Australian Aboriginal way of life and the Kimberley area of North Western Australia is full of it. Ray travels with an Aboriginal artist to learn more about the significance of the art of the area and even has a go at painting in the aboriginal style himself.