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Weird Crap in Australia Podcast is a small three-person show centred around the strange, weird and unbelievable of Australia. Join Matthew and researcher extraordinaire Holly as they explore everything from animals past and present, to ghosts, stupid history, and a wide variety of the just plain strange, always edited by our AMAZING (formerly) shirtless editor, Blake!

The podcast is available on iTunes, Spreaker, iHeart Radio, Spotify, Stitcher and TuneIn, for your listening convenience!

Join us at Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and feel free to follow/like our page for updates! Keep an eye out for some of our more abused tags: #weirdandwonderful #australia #stupidhistory #WCIA
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​If you’re looking for other ways to support the podcast, Weird Crap in Australia Volume 1 releases Sept 1, 2020. You can pre-order the ebook ​here, and the print version will be available here (hyperlink will manifest on day of release 🙂 ).
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You can also head over to Redbubble to grab your OFFICIAL WCIA t-shirts, take a pic, and post on our social media! Fresh designs were added September 9th, so get on in and grab one!

Thanks so much for being a fan, you’re amazing, and we look forward to continuing to bring you amazing and interesting content for the forseeable future!

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Episodes

Episodes 1-10 | Episodes 11-20 | Episodes 21-30 | Episodes 31-40 | Episodes 41-50 | Episodes 51-60 | Episodes 61-70 | Episodes 71-80 | Episodes 81-90 | Episodes 91-100

Click here to view the newest episode

 

Categories

Hidden Histories | Paranormal Curiosities | Outlaws, Maniacs and Murderers | Weird History | The Colonies | The Natural World | Australian Pop Culture | The Christmas Specials

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Show List

Episode 1: The Disappearing Prime Minister

In December 1967, Prime Minister Harold Holt jumped into the surf off the coast of Victoria, Australia, and disappeared without a trace. But was his disappearance a simple matter of drowning or was it something more sinister?

 

Episode 2: The Vanishing Pilot

In 1978, Frederick Valentich went for a routine flight across Bass Strait. Shortly after 7 pm, Frederick reported seeing an unknown object ‘playing’ with him as he flew over the water. At 7:12 pm, the transmission cut out half-way through, and Frederick was never seen again. Was this the work of aliens, or something far more strange?

 

Episode 3: Bunyips and Yowies

There are a lot of creatures that go bump in the night on this continent, but none are more scary or mysterious than the bunyip and the yowie. Creatures of the Dreamtime that have become sentient in the minds of modern people, do they actually exist, or are eye witnesses hallucinating the same srange-looking creatures?

 

Episode 4: The Somerton Man

On December 1, 1948, a man’s body was found lying in a natural position on Somerton Beach, Adelaide, SA. For more than 70 years, the man has remained formally unidentified, buried under a headstone marked with the name we know him by: The Somerton Man. Was he a Russian spy? Does someone out there know him? And why was there a piece of paper with the Persian phrase “Tamam Shud” (“I finish”/”I close”) found in his pocket?

 

Episode 5: Teeth and Scales

Australia has its own share of man-eating animals, but these two take the leg cake. How big was Australia’s  largest crocodile? When was the first recording shark attack? And what are some of the most outstanding shark attacks that occurred on Australian soil in Australian waters?

 

Episode 6: The Great Emu War

The Australian Army has only been defeated on its own soil once, in the late spring of 1932, when tasked with the mission of defending farmlands in Western Australia from the native menace ravaging the wheat fields. Why did they lose? And why does the Australian Army not like to talk about it?

 

Episode 7: The True Stories of Wolf Creek Part 1: The Backpacker Murders 

When a body was found sitting against a tree in Belangalo State Forest, the police were quick to assure the public that there were no more victims to be found in the forest. Only a year later, the police would again be called to Belangalo State Forest to recover another body…

An examination of the influences behind the Australian horror film Wolf Creek. Part 1 of 5

 

Episode 8: The True Stories of Wolf Creek Part 2: The Falconio Disappearance

Travelling down an long and lonely road in the dark, a pair of British backpackers are pulled over by a man claiming to see sparks coming from their undercarriage. What happened next spread around the world and built on the myth of the Outback Killer…

An examination of the influences behind the Australian horror film Wolf Creek. Part 2 of 5

 

Episode 9: The True Stories of Wolf Creek Part 3: The Snowtown Murders

When the police entered the vault of a disused bank in the town of Snowtown, SA, in 1999, they didn’t expect to find the seven plastic barrels hidden in a corner. They definitely didn’t expect to find what they did when they opened the barrels…

An examination of the influences behind the Australian horror film Wolf Creek. Part 3 of 5 

 

Episode 10: The True Stories of Wolf Creek Part 4: The Kimberly Killer 

In the Top End of Australia, fishing and camping are ideal holiday activities. Along the Victoria River, NT, and Pentecost River, WA, in the dry season of 1987, tourists and locals alike fished, camped and hunted the days away. What they didn’t know, however, was that one of the hunters wasn’t out there tracking wild pigs…

An examination of the influences behind the Australian horror film Wolf Creek. Part 4 of 5

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Episode 11: The True Stories of Wolf Creek Part 5: Behind the Title Cards

30,000 people are reported missing in Australia every year. 
90% are found within a month. 
Some are never seen again.

The title cards of the Wolf Creek film are terrifying in their portrayal of missing people in Australia paint a grim portrait of our country. But is that portrait true?

An examination of the influences behind the Australian horror film Wolf Creek. Part 5 of 5

 

Episode 12: The Kickboxing Kangaroo

There’s a lot to be said for the humble kangaroo: it’s big, it’s badass, and it takes no one’s crap from no man (or dog). So it shouldn’t be surprising that Australia has the only official national sporting flag in the world, the Boxing Kangaroo…

 

Episode 13: Pine Gap Listening Post

There’s more than just kangaroos and serial killers out there in the Australian outback: there’s also a (not-so-) secret base in the hills, where UFOs are regularly sighted and everyone who works there is a gardener…

 

Episode 14: Pilliga Forest

In central-north New South Wales, there exists a small patch of land covered in bush and trees, a small but well-travelled road cutting through the middle of it. Living amongst those trees are creatures of the Australian mythos so disturbing that even truckies dare not stop at night. Do you dare listen?

 

Episode 15: Azaria Chamberlain

In 1980, a small family was enjoying a night out camping near Uluru (then known as Ayers Rock) when the unthinkable happened: baby Azaria cried out, and was gone. For 35 years, the Chamberlains fought the public, the media and the law to have the events of that night officially recognised: that “a dingo ate my baby”.

 

Episode 16: The Phantom Cats of Australia

For more than a hundred years, reports of large cats being seen along the east coast of Australia – from Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast – have both interested and frustrated zoologists and locals alike. With only a few blurry photos to prove their existence, these Phantom Cats are both myth and reality at the same time…

 

Episode 17: The Rum Rebellion

On January 26, 1808, a group of thirsty settlers marched up the drive to Government House, calling for William Bligh to resign as governor. The events leading up to this night were known as the Great Rebellion, until someone decided it was all over Bligh’s attempts to stop the soldiers using rum as a bartering tool…

 

Episode 18: Banjawarn Station and Aum Shinrikyo

In 1995, sarin gas, a nerve agent that causes severe muscle seizures and brain damage, was released on the Tokyo subway lines, killing 13 people and injuring at least a thousand more. A Japanese cult called Aum Shinrikiyo took responsibility for the attack, and attempted similar attacks through 1995. In outback Western Australia, a small group of sheep farmers on one of Australia’s biggest stations suddenly left. What investigators of the 1995 attack found when they examined the bodies of sheep found on Banjawarn Station brought Australia into the spotlight of international terrorism, six years before 9/11… 

 

Episode 19: The Ghost Lights of Australia

Aboriginal legend says the min min are spirits come to earth to scare children. European legend says that those who catch the min min light never return to tell the tale. Min min lights are a natural phenomenon that occur all over Australia, most often in the shoulder of the Queensland/South Australia border. Seen on plains, hills, coasts and rivers, in calm weather and stormy, this phenomenon can be seen year-round. They’ve also multiplied exponentially since the appearance of white man on Australian shores. But what are they? We may never know…

 

Episode 20: Australian Outlaws Part 1: Black Caesar (1793-1796)

What does Australia’s bushranging past have to do with the American War for Independence? What drove men from their homes to take up life in the unforgiving, unfamiliar Australian bush? Who started it all?

Julius Caesar.

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Episode 21: Australian Outlaws Part 2: The Cannibal Bushrangers (1824-1825)

The Australian bush can house a delightful bounty, if you know where to look. The Aboriginal peoples of the Australian landscape ate well for 40,000 years before white man settled its shores, after all.

But when those white man did settle and found themselves without supplies or farms, some of them found it very hard to cope. A few of them, fleeing authorities and trying out outrun death, turned on each other in the most intimate way…

 

Episode 22: Australian Outlaws Part 3: The Bathurst Rebellion (1830)

In 1830, a pair of convicts tasked with the driving of some sheep pelts to Sydney stopped off in the November Australian heat to go for a quick dip in a local creek. A few visiting dignitaries saw them, and had them hauled before the governor. Less than 12 months later, six men would hang, including Ralph Entwhistle, one of the bathers on that fateful November day, leaving his bushranger army leaderless…

 

Episode 23: Australian Outlaws Part 4: Captain Moonlight/Moonlite (1842-1879)

In May 1869, a priest was hauled before the court, accused of robbing a bank. Andrew Scott – Captain Moonlight to his friends-in-arms – denied the accusations, even when a note was waved in front of him. Affronted at the inappropriate use of his nickname, Scott pointed the police towards two suspects, including the man named in the note. As the police closed in on them, Captain Moonlight took his chance and bolted for Sydney…

 

Episode 24: Australian Outlaws Part 5: The Female Bushrangers (1861-1936)

Well, a challenge was issued, and had to be answered. After a bit of research, Holly managed to find two female ‘bushrangers’, presented here for your delight and amusement. Both rustled cattle, one enjoyed the company of more than a couple of men – one a bushranger in his own right – and both were arrested more than once for their craft. Who are these society-snubbing ladies who took up the male-dominated art of bushranging?

 

Episode 25: The Haunting of Picton Tunnel

Nestled in the South-West of Sydney, NSW, lies a small town called Picton. Picton has long been in the running for the Most Haunted Town in Australia, with ghosts seen all over the place. This episode, however, we’re focusing on only one part of the hauntings: The Redbank Tunnel. Suicide, murder, rape, accidents, assaults, the list goes on…

 

Episode 26: Australian Outlaws: The Kelly Gang Part 1

Episode 27: Australian Outlaws: The Kelly Gang Part 2

Episode 28: Australian Outlaws: The Kelly Gang Part 3

Ned Kelly is a figure that divides the views of a lot of Australians. Was he a villain, killing cops left and right for some perceived vendetta against his family? Was he a hero, standing up for the downtrodden every-man of the last 1800s? Or has his legend taken over, wiping the slate clean and leaving only his final, police-defying last stand at Glenrowan, VIC, to grace the pages of our collective history? 

 

Episode 29: An Australian Christmas

Join Holly and Matthew as they celebrate Christmas the Australian way – with a mishmash collection of traditions gathered from across the globe, all served beside a swimming pool. They discuss the differences between an “American” Christmas and an Australian Christmas, and offer insight as to why we have to be different.

 

Episode 30: The Hawkesbury River Monster

In 1924, a strange headline appeared in the Brisbane telegraph, detailing a monster in the Hawkesbury River, sporting a square-looking fish tail. Since then, stories of the Hawkesbury River Monster have permeated pop culture, with stories of capsized or beached vessels, and missing fishermen…

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Episode 31: The Westall Incident

In April 1966, more than 300 people witnessed an unidentified flying craft buzzing over their heads. Contrary to most UFO sightings, this happened at 11am, over a built-up area, and involved multiple witnesses. So what really happened?

 

Episode 32: The Highway of Death

An 800km stretch of highway runs almost directly west from Townsville, Queensland, before heading through Charters Towers and straight on to Mt Isa. This stretch of road, known as the Flinders and Barkly Highways, has seen more than its fair share of disappearances and deaths over the last 30 years. Locals call it the Townsville Killing Fields. We call it the Highway of Death…

 

Episode 33: The Ancient Australian Monsters

When Indigenous Australians crossed from the Indonesian peninsula to the Australia/Papua New Guinea continent ~50,000 years ago, they were confronted with a sight to behold: carnivorous kangaroos, birds taller than a man, and a 6m-long snake that regularly took on marsupial lions in combat. Over the millennia, however, circumstances led to the deaths of hundreds of species across the Australian continent, leaving only the ones we know today.

 

Episode 34: Australia’s El Dorado

On July 21, 1930, an expedition set out from Alice Springs, NT, equipped with jeeps, camels and aircraft (a new invention at the time), in search of a gold haul long enough to set up the team and their patrons for the rest of their lives. The man leading the expedition claimed to have found the gold years prior, and remembered the way.

A few months later, however, the expedition returned without the guide, cranky and annoyed. Where was the gold they set out to find? And where was their guide, Mr. Harold Lasseter?

 

Episode 35: Port Arthur Part 1 – The Colony (1833-1877)

In the early days of Tasmania’s history, Port Arthur was known as a prison colony that catered for secondary offenders – people who committed crimes once brought to Australia were sent to Port Arthur to see out their sentences. Touted as being escape-proof, the prison was surrounded by bush, bugs and sharks. The prison itself was no picnic – history tells us that a third of the people sent to Port Arthur went mad within its cells. Why did such a phenomena occur?

 

Episode 36: Port Arthur Part 2 – The Massacre A (1996)

Episode 37: Port Arthur Part 3 – The Massacre B (1996)

Episode 38: Port Arthur Part 4 – The Aftermath 

On April 28, 1996, a man intent on blood entered the Port Arthur Historical Site, which was filled with tourists. He parked his car, ate lunch at the cafe…

And committed the biggest post-Federation massacre on Australian soil within the space of about 15 minutes, before taking his guns on the road.

Join Holly and Matthew as they look into the massacre that shaped Australia’s relation to guns, tourism, conspiracy theories and mental health.

**WARNING: Contains deaths of children and graphic content, listen at own risk** 

 

Episode 39: The Marree Man 

In the middle of nowhere, hidden behind mountains and close to an army station point, there dwells a shape carved into the bedrock. An 2.5km-tall aboriginal man hunts with a stick, amazing pilots who fly over him daily.

But how did Marree Man come to be, seemingly overnight in 1998, without anyone seeing the artist? Where are the tracks to get the heavy machinery in or out? And just who is responsible for the Marree Man?

 

Episode 40: The Bass Strait Triangle

Over the years, many people, planes and boats have vanished into the waters of Bass Strait, some found, some never seen again. Fred Valentich (Episode 2) was only one of many…

Join Holly and Matthew as they visit some notable cases, including the S.S. Federal in 1901, the Miss Hobart in 1934, and the Charleston in 1979.

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Episode 41: Australian Outlaws: Fauna Edition

Australia’s ecosystem is a delicate balance, and a single small shift can cause catastrophic damage. We have strong customs for a reason, but they didn’t come in until the 1900s.

Join Holly and Matthew as they examine 5 of the most destructive invasive species currently inhabiting Australian shores, where they came from, and who’re to blame.

 

Episode 42: Kalkajaka

In Queensland lies a mountain of black granite said by native people and locals alike to be haunted by demons, ghosts and restless spirits. It warms in the sun, reeks of sulfuric air, and carries the weight of many dead things…

Welcome to Kalkajaka, known also as the Point of the Spear or Black Mountain, where lizard men are said to roam…

 

Episode 43: The Tromp Family Road Trip

You’ve heard of the Race that Stops the Nation.

This was the Case that Stopped the Nation.

In August 2016, the Tromps gathered their children into the car and headed out on an 800km, interstate road trip that would draw the attention of millions of people around the world within a couple of days.

Join Holly and Matthew as they follow the Tromp Road Trip from Melbourne, VIC, to Bathurst, NSW, and back, with a little… sightseeing along the way.

 

Episode 44: The Family Murders Part 1

Episode 45: The Family Murders Part 2

Episode 46: The Family Murders Part 3

In the City of Churches, no one expects horrible things to happen.

But in the 1970s, Adelaide – and Australia in general – was an intolerant town, hosting an element that enjoyed the kidnapping, torture and murder of gay men and teenagers almost every week. Some of the murderers were convicted – most were not.

Join Matthew and Holly as they explore what has become one of Australia’s most infamous murderous conspiracy theories, and the people involved in the (alleged) cover up…

 

Episode 47: The Aliens of the Dandenong Ranges

In 1909, a Reverend sitting on his porch late one night in August spotted a pair of floating lights dancing over the nearby Dandenong Ranges, just to the east of Melbourne.

84 years later, almost to the day, Kelly Cahill, her husband Andrew, and four other people witnessed an aerial display that ended in lost time, stomach pains and vague memories.

Did aliens return to Australian shores in 1993 to experiment on these unlucky people? Just what happened to the Cahills and their fellow witnesses? Join Holly and Matthew as they go over the case, its details, and the possible explanations.

 

Episode 48: The Gundiah-Mackay Incident

In 1979, on an early June evening, a family and a group of school children attended Sydney’s Luna Park, seeking to enjoy the fun atmosphere of a Saturday night after exploring the city.

From that night grew a legend of demons, child sacrifice and a haunted theme park. Join Holly and Matthew as they examine the history and legends surrounding the Luna Park Ghost Train Fire.

 

Episode 49: The Luna Park Ghost Train Fire

In 1979, on an early June evening, a family and a group of school children attended Sydney’s Luna Park, seeking to enjoy the fun atmosphere of a Saturday night after exploring the city.

From that night grew a legend of demons, child sacrifice and a haunted theme park. Join Holly and Matthew as they examine the history and legends surrounding the Luna Park Ghost Train Fire.

 

Episode 50: The Rack Man

In 1994, fishermen along the Hawkescury river north of Sydney were trawling for squid. Net snags are not unusual in the industry, especially when trawling rivers. However, what these fishermen dragged up from the depths would kickstart a mystery that would last 25 years…

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Episode 51: Rosaleen Norton, the Witch of Kings Cross

During the 1950s and 60s, Sydney’s Kings Cross was one of the more liberal suburbs, hosting artists, musicians, transients and other people who lived on the fringes of society. One of these artists, Rosaleen Norton, was known for something a little different around the area.

As High Priestess of her coven, the Witch of Kings Cross hosted all manner of parties and orgies, the likes of which most of Australia couldn’t really understand…

 

Episode 52: The Babinda Boulders

Hidden in the rain forests of northern Queensland lays a pool of water that is calm, flat and inviting.

Below the surface is a churning pool ready to drag you down, haunted by the ghosts of victims past sand present…

Welcome to Babinda Boulders, housing such landmarks as The Devil’s Pool and the Washing Machine.

With a reported 17 victims between 1959 and 2008, almost all male, this pool is beautiful to behold, and terrifying to swim in…

 

Episode 53: History at Hanging Rock

Picnic at Hanging Rock has become so much a part of Australian lore that few people realise it was a book before it was a movie. Claiming the book was based on a dream, the author has summarily refused to confirm or deny that the events within were based on true events.

So hang on to your headphones, because Holly and Matthew are on the case!

 

Episode 54: The Stolen Generations Part 1

Episode 55: The Stolen Generations Part 2

Episode 61: Old Melbourne Gaol Part 1

Episode 62: Old Melbourne Gaol Part 2

In the centre of Melbourne, Vic, lies a large bluestone building complex out of time with its surrounds. Some people know the place as the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), whole others know it as Old Melbourne Gaol Museum. The site’s history is almost as complex as its zoning laws, stretching all the way back to the colony’s first 50 years.

Join Holly and Matthew as they look into the criminals, executions, ghosts and stories that make up the Old Melbourne Gaol complex – and learn why we spell it that way.

 

Episode 63: The Thylacine

The poster child for extinction in Australia, the thylacine was declared extinct in 1982, 50 years after the last known specimen died in a Hobart zoo. But there’s a lot more to the Tasmanian Tiger than a set of stripes and a wide bite. Join Holly and Matthew as they examine the downfall of the thylacine, its role in the wider world of Australian conservation, and the continuing assertion that the Tassie Tiger lives on…

 

Episode 64: The Battle of Central Station

At the start of the Great War, Australia was a place of fevered patriotism. Young men signed up by the score to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force against the threat overtaking Europe, bouyed by the lasting ties Australia had to Britain.

Those men, from all over Australia, had to be trained somewhere, so they were shifted to the major cities – Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne – for training and preparation for the war ahead.

But one camp in Liverpool, Sydney, decided that the order to march for an extra 4 1/2 hours per week was too much to bear, that the camp conditions were too horrible, too abusive to ignore.

 

Episode 65: The Russell Street Bombing Part 1

Episode 66: The Russell Street Bombing Part 2

This episode contains a story that hinges on a simple twist of fate: one woman’s life ended because she lost a coin toss.

There’s a lot of terror in the world today, to people stabbing, shooting or running people down in cars. However, this phenomenon of violence stemming from hatred of the ‘other’ is not unique to modern times. In the 1990s, a series of attacks on innocent and unsuspecting people changed the way that people currently react to terrorist threats.

Join Holly and Matthew as they travel through the Melbourne Massacres, and the people who slaughtered right in the heart of one of our biggest cities…

 

Episode 67: The Frederick Escape 

Escapology was a way of life for some convicts sent to Australia. For some, the thrill of the breakout was its own reward. For others, it was reuniting with their family on the outside.

These 10 convicts put most escapes to shame. Join Holly and Matthew as they examine the theft of the Frederick – and the convicts’ adventure on the high seas.

 

Episode 68: Attack of the Midget Subs

In 1941, Australia came as close to being invaded as we ever gave with a trio of mini-submarines entering Sydney Harbour and keeping the ships there occupied for almost 5 hours before the assorted navies gave up and fled.

Join Holly and Matthew as they look into the only time Sydney was ever bombed, and how it could have been Auckland instead…

 

Episode 69: The Hoddle St Massacre

On a quiet Sunday night in August, 1987, a man sat in a pub, trying desperately to get the bartender to talk to him. Rejected by his ideal career, his girlfriend, his friends and even his mother, this young man turned what was once a boring night on an inner-north Melbourne street into one his victims would never forget. If they survive.

 

Episode 70: The Beaumont Children Part 1

Episode 71: The Beaumont Children Part 2

Australia in the 1960s was a safe, wholesome place to grow up. Ask any Boomer or Gen Xer what their childhood was like, they’ll be happy to tell you how great it was, going down to the beach with your siblings, spending time in the sand, surf and sun.

In reality, the world was just as dangerous as it is today, we were just less aware of it. Join Holly and Matthew as they examine the case that changed Australia, and the dark world that opened up to the public because of it…

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Episode 72: The Tasmanian Devil

The Tasmanian devil was named by early European settlers who heard the creature’s unearthly screams, coughs and growls, and went to investigate They found a small canine-looking animal with black fur and white patches, red ears and sharp teeth. Its howls screeches and snarls haunted the nights, driving some man to the brink of insanity.

Some say the devil haunts Tasmania. Here on the podcast, we believe the whole island is possessed….

 

Episode 73: The Queen Street Massacre

In 1987, a madman went on a shooting rampage through a main street of Melbourne (see episode 69).

Three months later, another man, influenced by that massacre and suffering from severe mental illness, entered the Australia Post building on Queen St, Melbourne – three blocks from the Russell St Police Headquarters (see episode 66) – and killed eight people, including himself.

 

Episode 74: Phar Lap

Episode 75: Skippy the Bush Kangaroo

In the late 1960s, television was starting to take off in Australia. On the airwaves were shows displaying the landscape of the United States and United Kingdom, albeit in black and white.

A handful of hopefuls looked at those shows, then at the Australian bush, and realised, “We can do that.”

Since 1967, Skippy has spread her adventures around the world in brilliant colour, helping to bring tourism to Australia, and pride to the population.

 

Episode 76: The Walsh St Shooting Part 1

Episode 77: The Walsh St Shooting Part 2

The cold war between the police and the criminals of Melbourne grew hotter with every “accidental” shooting of those accused of crimes. Eventually, it culminated in the shootings of two police officers, and the longest-running investigation in Victorian history.

 

Episode 78: The Sydney Harbour Bridge

Spanning the width of Sydney Cove, the Sydney Harbour Bridge is an icon that instantly means “Australia” – normally pictured alongside the Opera House. But just how did the bridge came to be? How did it single handedly save Sydney from the Great Depression? And why does the legend of the dead workers endure? Join Holly and Matthew to find out!

 

Episode 79: The Pebble Cult Part 1

Episode 80: The Pebble Cult Part 2

In the 1980s, a small gathering of believers settled on a small farm just outside Nowra, NSW. This small group was led by a man called William Kamm, a devout Catholic boy who didn’t like the direction the church was taking. So he gathered some like-minded people, explained the visions he was having, and they decided that it would be best to gather in their own place at their own times, for worship. Kamm was a benevolent leader, loved by all, and confirmed as successor to the papacy by Pope John Paul II himself.

That’s how Kamm would like it to be known. In reality, the Order of St Charbel was a hotbed of abuse and pedophilia, culminating in the arrest of Kamm in the early 2000s. Join Holly and Matthew on this multi-part series examining the cult, their practices and their preacher.

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Episode 81: Bart vs Australia 

As we cross Christmas 2019, Holly and Matthew turn to our tradition: pulling apart foreign depictions of Australia.

Join Holly and Matthew as they examine the Simpsons episode 6:16 – Bart vs Australia.

 

Episode 82: The Pebble Cult Part 3

Episode 83: The Pebble Cult Part 4

Episode 84: The Pebble Cult Part 5

 

Episode 85: The Tully UFO Nest Incident

In January of 1966, a banana farmer in Tully, QLD was tending his farm when he saw something strange in the air above his neigjblur’s farm. He dismissed it for a bit, but in the end, he and the neighbour walked down the investigate. What they saw there would rival the Westall Incident 3 months later, but never received the recognition it deserved. Join Holly and Matthew as they investigate the Tully UFO nests.

 

Episode 86: The Legend of Fisher’s Ghost Part 1

Episode 87: The Legend of Fisher’s Ghost Part 2

In the 1820s, when the Australian colony was only a blip on the timeline of the British Empire, a single convict vanished from the settlement of Campbell-Town, in the south-west of Sydney. Shortly after, his neighbour began selling the man’s wares, claiming the convict gave them to him.

A few weeks later, a man on his way home saw a ghastly sight, of the convict sitting on a bridge rail. After a few seconds, the ghostly man pointed down the creek and vanished.

And so began the legend of Fisher’s Ghost, arguably one of Australia’s first and most enduring ghost stories…

 

Episode 88: The Mungo Remains

Lake Mungo is one of seventeen dry lakes that make up the World Heritage listed Willandra Lakes region. On its shores, one can find a collection of archaeological curiosities: old campfires, middens, and the occasional human skeleton.

In February 1974, one such skeleton destroyed the preexisting notions of aboriginal origin, and created an entirely new swathe of questions. LM3 is possibly one of the most important finds in Australia, to the local aboriginal tribes, the aboriginal culture in general, and archaeologists. Join Holly and Matthew as they look into the history of Lake Mungo, its Lady and the Mungo Man. 

 

Episode 89: The Moorehouse Murders Part 1

Episode 90: The Moorehouse Murders Part 2

In 1986, a young woman ran into a vacuum store in the suburb of Willagee, WA, crying that she’d been raped. What she had to tell the police didn’t just bust a serial rapist – it cast light on a pair of serial killers and their hunting ground in Claremont, ten years before the area became famous …

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Episode 91: Australian Cinema: Saw

Australians are great for claiming ownership of things that aren’t ours – Russell Crowe, Crowded House, etc. – usually at the expense of New Zealand. However, in this episode, we look into the horror franchise that, by all rights, should have been an Australian creation, and the problems that chased it from our shores.

 

Episode 92: The Satanic Panic

As the 1980s ramped up, the search for the Satanic and the future of the world’s children was brought to the foreground. While technological innovations like the Walkman and other personal technologies allowed children and teens to like things their parents weren’t into – sometimes just BECAUSE their parents weren’t into them – parents, church leaders and concerned citizens turned to the most rational explanation of this behaviour: The Devil.

While Australia does not have the same puritanical past as the US, Satanic Panic hit here too, just as the 80s were evolving into the 90s. Join Holly and Matthew as they examine the cases that made Australian’s panic, and why we were so easily led.

 

Episode 93: Eureka! Part 1: The Death of James Scobie

Episode 94: Eureka! Part 2: The Burning of the Eureka Hotel

Episode 95: Eureka! Part 3: The Battle of the Eureka Stockade

Episode 96: Eureka! Part 4: The Aftermath

In the 1850s, gold was struck to the west of Port Phillip, VIC, near a town called Ballarat. Before long, the goldfields were full of immigrants and Australians alike, each seeking their fortune.

However, where there is gold, there is government. The Victorian government, on behalf of the British, was quick to impose a license and fee on the diggers, seeking to make as much money as they could from the fields.

But, over time, the government got greedy. The price went from half a pound per month to three pounds a month – almost $500 today. For families seeking their fortune and finding nothing but rock, this was becoming a bad joke. As in other gold fields, the diggers got talking, and their woes were shared and spread…

 

Episode 97: The Australian Dinosaurs

With the craziness of the modern world, we decided to go back farther into the past than we have yet. Join Holly and Matthew as they look into 7 of Australia’s most interesting native dinosaurs (and marine reptiles). From the Great Inland Sea to the great land of Gondwana, come along for a ride back in time!

 

Episode 98: The Woolworths Christmas Bombings

In the 1980s, a series of bombings threatened the Christmas stabilities of New South Wales. In a series of escalating attacks, 4 Woolworths stores were attacked, culminating in an explosion on Christmas Eve at the Town Hall store. What followed was an epic of ransom demands and chasing police, and ended in a midnight dive…

 

Episode 99: The Nullarbor Plains 

In the south-west of this continent lies a stretch of land like no other. Made of limestone formed during the Age of Dinosaurs, the Nullarbor Plains attracts all kinds of strange phenomena, from ufo sightings to a magnetic field measurable by science and strong enough to attract meteorites. Join Holly and Matthew as they look into the strange occurrences on the Nullarbor…

 

Episode 100: TBA

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Episode 101: TBA

 

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