Our story takes us to one of the strangest conflicts in Australian history, a war that involved soldiers, machine guns, military strategy, and an enemy that simply refused to cooperate.

In 1932, in the wheat fields of Western Australia, thousands of emus began sweeping across farmland, destroying crops and fences as struggling farmers battled the effects of the Great Depression. Desperate for help, the government sent in the Australian Army, armed with machine guns and a plan to bring the birds under control.

What followed became known as The Great Emu War,  a bizarre and often hilarious chapter of Australian history where the soldiers discovered that defeating thousands of fast-moving, unpredictable birds in the vast outback was far more difficult than anyone had imagined.

The Nightline Australian Bedtime Story, weeknights at 11:10pm.
written and read by Cheralyn Darcey