Australia on Trial is a three-part docudrama that has screened on ABC TV in April 2012. Each episode tells the story of a famous Australian court case, drawing directly on historical documents to show that truth is indeed stranger than fiction. All three epic trials changed the course of Australian history.

Episode 1 tells the dramatic story of the men charged with the Mt Rennie Outrage, the brutal gang rape of a 16-year-old girl in 1880s Sydney.

Written by Katherine Thomson. Directed by Lisa Matthews.

Episode 2 re-enacts the drama surrounding the court case that followed Australia’s most notorious rebellion – the 1854 Eureka Stockade at Ballarat in Melbourne.

Written by Max Mannix. Directed by Malcolm McDonald.

Episode 3 depicts the court case following one of Australia’s most tragic events – the 1838 Myall Creek Massacre that saw up to 30 Aboriginal Australians murdered by a group of stockmen.

Written by Andy Cox. Directed by Ana Kokkinos.

Australia on Trial  premiered the 5th April 2012 on ABC1.