Australia's relationship with its enormous, vastly populated northern neighbour is complex. In an engaging, heartfelt and accessible style Indonesia: A Reporter's Journey follows respected Australian journalist Mike Carlton as he explores the historical relationship between Australia and Indonesia through a contemporary prism.

East Timor, the Asian tsunami, the Bali and Jakarta bombings, asylum seekers, the Bali Nine and other recent high profile court cases...it seems Australians have heard more about Indonesia in the past few years than ever before. But the story of these two radically different nations on each other's doorsteps has always been dramatic - and complex - from the earliest trading connections, the shared battles of WWII, confrontations during the Cold War, the prosperity and corruption of the Suharto dictatorship and the complexity of balancing our respective national interests regarding East Timor.

Journalist and radio broadcaster Mike Carlton was a foreign correspondent for the ABC in Indonesia in the late 1960s and has maintained a keen interest in events there since. Mike meets with former colleagues, old friends, politicians, officials and ordinary folk who have a direct and emotional connection to the key events that have shaped the Australian-Indonesian relationship.

This three-part series takes the historical and contemporary pulse of both nations and finds an enormous amount of goodwill and good humour to outweigh the fear and misunderstanding.