Both cereal cyst (Heterodera avenae) and root-lesion nematode (Pratylenchus spp.) are associated with loss of grain yield in south-eastern and western Australia. Cereal cyst nematode has been a major pest since the 1930s but losses have declined significantly in the last 15 years due to more effective rotations and the widespread adoption of well adapted cereal cultivars with nematode resistance – strategies that were developed during several decades of research by pathologists, nematologists, agronomists and plant breeders. Research efforts are now focussed on reducing crop losses associated with root-lesion nematode. Rotations that minimise losses from the nematode have been identified, but a better-resourced plant breeding program is required to develop resistant cereal cultivars adapted to environmental conditions across the region. This paper reviews 40 years of research on the epidemiology and management of these two important pests.