NEED TO KNOW
- The Leyland Brothers, Mike and Mal, were TV superstars in the 70s and 80s.
- The brothers travelled around Australia and inspired fans to explore our own backyard.
- But their involvement in an ill-fated business led them into financial ruin.
- Mike and Mal never reconciled, and now Mal has been diagnosed with dementia.
- Now Mal is heading out on one last epic Australian adventure.
It’s 50 years since the iconic Aussie outback travel show Ask The Leyland Brothers first hit our TV screens.
But now, co-host Mal Leyland’s final journey is about to begin as he is set to hit the road again.
Sadly, his brother Mike died in 2009 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Mal is hosting a convoy of four-wheel drive enthusiasts from the west to the east coast of Australia.
It’s his final big trip because two years ago, Mal was diagnosed with moderate dementia.
His story has been featured on this week’s episode of ABC’s Australian Story.
“Having dementia is interesting because it depends a little bit on what it affects,” Mal told the program.
“If you’ve got a good memory of the good things in life, the good things are far more important.”
The program also revisits just how famous the Leyland brothers, their Land Rovers, and their trusty caravan once were.
Who were the Leyland Brothers?
At the peak of their popularity in the 1960s and 70s, the Leyland Brothers’ travel documentaries were among the top-rated programs on Australian television.
They’re often credited with sparking the boom in camping and four-wheel driving, with the phrase “doing a Leyland Brothers” becoming shorthand for an extended outback holiday.
But behind the wholesome image and dusty outback tracks lay a story far more complicated than viewers ever imagined. Talk of a Leyland Brothers’ feud soon began to emerge.
“We never set out to be famous,” Mike once reflected.
“We just loved getting out there and seeing what was over the next hill. The cameras came along later.”
Mal echoed that sentiment, saying their passion always came first:
“The bush was the real star of the show. We were just lucky enough to share it with everyone watching at home.”
Why did the Leyland Brothers’ feud begin?
At their peak, they weren’t just TV presenters — they were cultural ambassadors.
Families planned road trips inspired by their adventures, while tourism boomed in the places they featured.
The brothers’ chemistry on screen seemed effortless, built on a lifetime of shared experiences.
But off camera, cracks were beginning to form.
As their fame grew, so did the pressures of maintaining it.
Creative differences reportedly began to simmer, with both brothers holding strong — and sometimes clashing — ideas about the direction of their work.
How did the Leyland Brothers lose their money?
But the real turning point came in the 1990s, when the brothers embarked on an ambitious project — the creation of Leyland Brothers World, a theme park on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
It was a bold move, but one that would ultimately cost them $6million and make them bankrupt.
The venture struggled to attract enough visitors and was eventually forced to close in 1992.
“It was the biggest mistake we ever made,” Mal once said – and the brothers’ once close relationship never recovered.
Though neither spoke extensively in public about any “feud,” it became clear over time that their relationship had cooled.
They began pursuing separate paths, and their joint appearances became increasingly rare.
Mike died in 2009, and two years ago, Mal was diagnosed with dementia.
His daughter Carmen began caring for him.
“Accepting that dad is going to get worse is hard,” she told Australian Story. “We are dreading the day when we can’t take care of him anymore.”
Did the Leyland Brothers ever reconcile?
“I didn’t really mind losing the money. I objected to being treated like a criminal because I lost the money,” Mal once said.
“The partnership that Mike and I had for 29 years was crumbling before my eyes, and I knew it would never be the same again.”
“And since there was now nothing left that we jointly owned, there was no need for us to stay in partnership, so we went our separate ways.”
Sadly, the once inseparable brothers never truly reconciled publicly before Mike’s death.
But despite the loss of his fortune and the personal cost fame took on his relationship with his brother, Mal never lost his love of the great outdoors, which is why he’s heading out on the road again – for the last time.
“Fame comes and goes,” Mal once reflected. “But the love of the outdoors — that stays with you for life.”
