We love Nature Track: A podcast extraWe love Nature Track: A podcast extra
All In The Mind
All in the Mind has become a big fan of the new ABC audio series Nature Track. It's been made by ABC producer Ann Jones - who, as well as making the Radio National program Off Track, has been collecting wildlife and nature recordings from all over Australia and the world. And now you can hear these pristine sounds wherever you are ... anywhere. Nature Track comprises five soundscapes of varying durations, five chances to give yourself the space you need. No music, no voice, just nature. Sana talks with Ann about her wish to share her recordings, and she brings us a sample of the first one - from Wiluna, WA, on the lands of the Martu people. It’s gorgeous, arid country about 960km east of Perth. You can find more on the ABC Science You Tube channel - and via the Off Track podcast feed.
9:16•2 Jun 2020
Letting Nature Speak: Calm Soundscapes for a Stressful Year
Episode Overview
- Nature Track offers uninterrupted recordings of natural environments with no music or voice.
- Sana Kadar describes turning to nature soundscapes to stay calm during a stressful year of bushfires and the pandemic.
- Ann Jones uses location audio collected for Off Track to create soundscapes such as Roebuck Bay’s "nature’s white noise."
- A desert storm on Matu country near Wiluna features thunder and bird song, recorded through the night and into the morning.
- Human-made sounds like cars are edited out to create a more relaxing and immersive listening experience.
“I feel like more than anything I could ever say, nature speaks more strongly directly to people than my words do.”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying calm in a stressful year? This short extra from All In The Mind leans into that question by spotlighting Nature Track, a series of pure nature soundscapes created by ABC producer Ann Jones.
Host Sana Kadar starts by admitting it's been "a really full-on, stressful year" between bushfires and the coronavirus pandemic, and that she's turned to nature recordings to "take the edge off and calm down." From there, you'll get a relaxed chat about why hearing the natural world — without commentary or music — can feel so grounding.
Ann explains how Nature Track grew out of her work on the Radio National program Off Track, where she travels across Australia recording hours of location audio. One soundscape comes from Roebuck Bay in Broome, where mud skippers, crabs and water create what she calls "nature's white noise" for people who like gentle background sound to get in the zone or drift off to sleep.
Another highlight is a dramatic storm on Matu country near Wiluna, with thunder rolling "from one end of the earth to the other" and bird song answering the rain the next morning.
Ann’s long-held wish is simple: "I feel like more than anything I could ever say, nature speaks more strongly directly to people than my words do." To honour that, Nature Track strips out voices, music and even car sounds, leaving uninterrupted recordings that some might use to relax, focus, or drown out noisy neighbours.
If you’re feeling wired, worn out, or just curious about how nature sounds might shift your mood, this calm, friendly conversation gives you an easy starting point — could a storm in the desert or crabs in a mud flat be your next way to unwind?
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