Just when you think ABC star-turned-author Lisa Millar has done it all, the 56-year-old reveals she’s about to set off on her biggest adventure yet.
From breakfast TV to Muster Dogs – and now a TV WEEK Gold Logie nominee, she has been incredibly busy.
Only this time, we’re all invited along for the ride.
Find out more below.
Where is Lisa Millar going now?
It was recently announced that Lisa will be replacing Heather Ewart as host of ABC’s Back Road, which is due to air on August 7.
Lisa, who has been visiting remote towns and regions as a guest presenter on the program since 2019, says she’s ready to hit the ground running.
“What a privilege it is to take the path less travelled with this treasured show. Heather has nurtured Back Roads since the beginning and will remain in the hearts of so many of the communities she visited,” Lisa said of jumping in the drivers seat.
Her work on ABC Breakfast, Back Roads and Muster Dogs, has also been in the lead-up to her Logie nomination.
“I am EASILY the most excited nominee,” she wrote on Instagram following her nomination.
“Pinch me someone – is this a dream???”
What is Lisa Millar’s background?
Lisa Millar is a county girl at heart. She grew up on a dairy farm in Kilkivan in Queensland’s Gympie region.
Her career in journalism began in 1988 after landing a job at the Gympie Times.
She joined the ABC in 1993 as a North Queensland correspondent where she covered state and federal politics before going on to serve as bureau chief in both the US and Europe.
A Walkley Award winner, Lisa co-presented ABC News Breakfast alongside Michael Rowland for five years from 2019. She bid farewell to the program and early morning starts in 2024.
“I don’t think there’s any job quite like News Breakfast. You can be interviewing the prime minister one hour, and Leo Sayer or Jimmy Barnes the next,” she previously said.
Has Lisa Miller been married?
Yes. Lisa was previously married to journalist Sid Maher. Sid is the former deputy editor of the Australian and has more than 35 years experience working in the media and communications industry.
She is now in a relationship with longtime
friend and pilot, Simon Carless.
“I’m in this awesome personal relationship with an old friend of mine,” she recently told our sister publication TV WEEK. “We hooked up 19 months ago – we still count the months. We’re so in love. It’s really wonderful. So I feel like everything about my life has come together in a really magical way.”
In 2021, Lisa told The Australian Women’s Weekly that her previous relationships, including her marriage, fell apart because of her demanding career.
“The trouble was when they were signing up to be my husband or boyfriend, they probably didn’t realise they were signing up to be with someone who was not just a work addict; I honestly loved my job. I didn’t have to force myself to do it. I felt so incredibly lucky, even on the days when I got no sleep and I was dealing with hundreds of dead people.”
Lisa has no children.
Who is Lisa Millar’s father?
Lisa is the daughter of Dorothy and Clarrie Millar. She has four siblings.
Clarrie was a much-loved MP who represented the seat of Wide Bay between 1974 and 1990. He was also a passionate pilot and loved to fly.
Clarrie died on November 28, 2017 at age 92. Lisa credits him for inspiring her career in journalism.
“Dad was the unelected, self-appointed president of the Lisa Millar cheer squad,” Lisa wrote in a piece for the Gympie Times shortly after her fathers passing.
