Sarah Macdonald (journalist)

Sarah Macdonald
Born	Template:Birth year and age Sydney, Australia
Occupation(s)	Journalist, author, radio host
Years active	1990s–present
Known for	ABC radio shows (Triple J, ABC Radio Sydney, Radio National), author of Holy Cow! An Indian Adventure
Notable work	Holy Cow! An Indian Adventure

Sarah Macdonald (born 1966) is an Australian journalist, author, and former radio host, recognized for her contributions to multiple ABC radio shows such as Triple J, ABC Radio Sydney, and Radio National. She is the author of the widely acclaimed book Holy Cow! An Indian Adventure.

Early life and education

Born in Sydney in 1966, Macdonald pursued studies in psychology at university before embarking on extensive travels.

Career

Macdonald began her career with a cadetship at ABC NewsRadio. She later worked as the political correspondent for Triple J in Canberra and went on to host the station’s morning program. Her television appearances include shows like Recovery, Race Around the World, and Two Shot.

In 2000, she moved to New Delhi, India, with her husband Jonathan Harley, an ABC foreign correspondent. During this period, she wrote her debut book, Holy Cow! An Indian Adventure (2002), which achieved sales of 75,000 copies.

Macdonald briefly took over the breakfast slot on ABC Radio Sydney in late 2005, following Julie McCrossin’s departure. Additionally, she has contributed articles to various publications and was the creator and presenter of the Weekend Nightlife Show.

Between August 2016 and December 2018, she co-hosted the podcast The Full Catastrophe alongside author Rebecca Huntley. The podcast featured narratives from prominent personalities including Larissa Behrendt and Frank Moorhouse. This series also led to a live event held at Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre in June 2018.

As of May 2022, Macdonald was hosting the Evenings program on ABC Radio Sydney. In June 2023, she appeared as herself in five episodes of the BBC One comedy Queen of Oz, where she was featured on her own radio show discussing the escapades of Queen Georgiana, portrayed by Catherine Tate.

In November 2024, ABC announced that Macdonald would not continue as host of the Sydney morning show in 2025 after her contract was not renewed by management. The decision made by Ben Latimer, head of audio programming, received criticism from broadcaster Ray Hadley, who praised Macdonald as a "quality broadcaster".

Personal life

Macdonald is married to journalist Jonathan Harley, whom she met during the 1990s. In 2005, while she was working in breakfast radio and he was involved with ABC's The 7:30 Report, they had two children under the age of three.

Publications

• Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure (2002, Random House Australia, ISBN 978-1-86325-326-0)
• Come Away with Me (2004, Bantam, ISBN 978-1-86325-457-1)
• Take Me With You: Tales of Long Distance Love (2005, Bantam Australia, ISBN 978-1-86325-556-1)
• So ... You're Having a Teenager: An A-Z of Adolescence from Argumentative to Zits (2020, Murdoch Books, ISBN 978-1-76052-543-9) with Cathy Wilcox

External links

• Holy Cow! An Indian Adventure - publisher details