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If you’re out and about on a Sunday Morning, and Radio National is feeling a little too highbrow for your mood, and Macca’s red-necked intolerance is sounding very 1980’s, and the adds on Sports SEN are driving you mad, then flick over to Triple R’s Radio Marinara. You’ll find laid back, music laced, laconic, conversations that evoke an analogue age, with divergent threads, and wandering themes very loosely based around salt water.
3RRR (102.7 FM) began broadcasting in 1976 as 3RMT, the student radio station of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (now RMIT University), under an educational licence. In 1979, the station relocated to Fitzroy and adopted its current name, 3RRR. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, it became synonymous with the post-punk and new wave subcultures, reflecting the vibrant and evolving music scene of the time. Over the decades, Triple R has evolved into Australia's largest and most influential community radio station, boasting a weekly listenership of approximately 440,000. The station's commitment to diverse programming has played a fundamental role in establishing Melbourne as a global music city, fostering local bands and introducing audiences to a wide array of sounds from around the world .
Well back to Sunday morning… Between 9am and 10am there is a program that’s been running for almost thirty years called Radio Marinara. It’s dedicated to exploring all things marine and coastal. It offers a blend of science, conservation, culture, and ocean-related adventures, presented with a quirky and informative style.
The show began in late 1996 as a summer fill-in program during December and January 1996–97. Its creators pitched the idea to then-Program Manager James Young, submitting a demo and written proposal. Following a successful trial, Radio Marinara became a permanent fixture on Triple R's schedule
It delves into a wide array of marine topics, including science, sailing, conservation, surfing, diving, and marine life. It features interviews with experts, discussions on environmental issues, and segments on local and global marine news.
For sailing nuts, Brett Ditchfield aka Cabin Boy might talk about securing your boat – by picking up a floating mooring or with the anchor or at jetties, piers and wharves. He’s not just sweeping up and serving porridge but reporting in from the Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart or while sailing single handed across Bass Strait on his modified Harrison Butler 31’ cutter MAGIC. Here she is making the return crossing from Hobart to Geelong.
But be prepared to let it all wash over you. It has a very ‘Sunday Morning” vibe. Great music intersperses chat about vague themes that leave you wanting more. If you’re the sort of person who needs hard facts, and you need them NOW, then its not going to be your cup of tea.
