Podcasts by In Black and White

The diamond thief who became a Eureka hero - Part 2 from 2023-12-13T14:00

Goldfields diggers knew Edward Thonen as the lemonade man, but his path to Ballarat took him from high-stakes robbery to high-seas adventure.
Amateur historian Daniel Bamberger joins the show...

The diamond thief who became a Eureka hero - Part 1 from 2023-12-11T14:00

Goldfields diggers knew Edward Thonen as the lemonade man, but his path to Ballarat took him from high-stakes robbery to high-seas adventure.
Amateur historian Daniel Bamberger joins the show...

Lady Jane's snake vendetta - Part 2 from 2023-12-06T14:00

Far from being a passive governor's wife, Jane Franklin spent her time coming up with innovative ideas to help the people of colonial Tasmania. Sadly, her notion to eradicate all snakes from the...

Lady Jane's snake vendetta - Part 1 from 2023-12-04T14:00

Far from being a passive governor's wife, Jane Franklin spent her time coming up with innovative ideas to help the people of colonial Tasmania. Sadly, her notion to eradicate all snakes from the...

Saviour of the fleet from 2023-11-27T14:00

When nearly 800 malnourished convicts set off for Botany Bay on the First Fleet, no-one expected them all to survive.

But thanks to the heroic efforts of head physicia...

The cold-blooded colonial boy from 2023-11-20T14:00

He may have inspired one of our country's most famous ballads, but far from the romantic image of a wild and dashing bushranger, John Donohoe was a criminal hell-bent on violence. Author and ent...

Wild love and the Russian menace Part 2. from 2023-11-15T14:00

Adelaide Ironside's life was as improbable as her name. She held court with princes, poets, and the Pope. She became a celebrated painter in Europe, where she was known as 'the Austral...

Wild love and the Russian menace Part 1. from 2023-11-13T14:00

Adelaide Ironside's life was as improbable as her name. She held court with princes, poets, and the Pope. She became a celebrated painter in Europe, where she was known as 'the Austral...

The POW who survived the atomic bomb from 2023-11-06T14:00

When young World War II POW Allan Chick survived the sinking of his Japanese transport ship, he probably thought himself lucky. But it was as a forced labourer in the doomed city of Nagasaki tha...

The man who made the Melbourne Cup fabulous Part 2. from 2023-11-01T14:00

Despite being Victoria Racing Club boss for more than 40 years, Henry Byron Moore was so indifferent to horse racing he used to take a four-minute break while the race that stops a nation was ru...

The man who made the Melbourne Cup fabulous from 2023-10-30T14:00

Despite being Victoria Racing Club boss for more than 40 years, Henry Byron Moore was so indifferent to horse racing he used to take a four-minute break while the race that stops a nation was ru...

The one-eyed tiger of Little Bourke Street from 2023-10-23T14:00

In a criminal world dominated by men, Cecilia Curtain earned a fearsome reputation as a champion street fighter. But Geelong Gaol historian Deb Robinson has probed her painful past and...

An Aussie menagerie in Paris - Part 2 from 2023-10-18T14:00

In the early 1800s, Listen

An Aussie menagerie in Paris - Part 1 from 2023-10-16T14:00

In the early 1800s, Napoléon Bonaparte’s wife set her heart on acquiring a vast collection of wombats, kangaroos, black swans and dwarf emus to roam the magnificent gardens at her home, Chateau ...

Who really killed Squizzy Taylor? - Part 2 from 2023-10-11T14:00

Once one of Australia’s most feared gangsters, Snowy Cutmore is most famous for a shoot-out with Squizzy Taylor in 1927 in which both died. Until now, it’s been widely believed they sh...

Who really killed Squizzy Taylor? - Part 1 from 2023-10-09T14:00

Once one of Australia’s most feared gangsters, Snowy Cutmore is most famous for a shoot-out with Squizzy Taylor in 1927 in which both died. Until now, it’s been widely believed they sh...

The disgruntled patient who murdered his doctors from 2023-10-02T14:00

Karl Kast arrived in Australia claiming to be a refugee from the Nazis and was interned as an enemy alien. But it was after his release when his doctors refused to back his claims that he was to...

Lasseter’s legendary gold reef - part 2 from 2023-09-27T15:00

Harold Lasseter claimed he had stumbled across a vast and lucrative gold reef in the central Australian desert when he was just 17. So successful was he in convincing authorities - and himself -...

Lasseter’s legendary gold reef - part 1 from 2023-09-25T22:31:39

Harold Lasseter claimed he had stumbled across a vast and lucrative gold reef in the central Australian desert when he was just 17. So successful was he in convincing authorities - and himself -...

The wild times of Sydney’s bohemian rebel - Part 2 from 2023-09-20T15:00

Bee Miles was famous for her outrageous public acts of defiance, whether stopping a country train in its tracks to hitch a ride or emerging from the surf with knives strapped to her th...

The wild times of Sydney’s bohemian rebel - Part 1 from 2023-09-18T15:00

Bee Miles was famous for her outrageous public acts of defiance, whether stopping a country train in its tracks to hitch a ride or emerging from the surf with knives strapped to her th...

The lizard sent by the gods - Part 2 from 2023-09-13T15:00

As the Nazis closed in on the Anzacs on Crete during WWII, Maori captain Rangi Royal glimpsed what he believed was a sign from the Maori god of war. He saw what he thought was a tuatar...

The lizard sent by the gods - Part 1 from 2023-09-11T15:00

As the Nazis closed in on the Anzacs on Crete during WWII, Maori captain Rangi Royal led a crazed bayonet charge at the enemy, which began with a terrifying haka. In Part 2, we will he...

Evading the Nazis Part 2 from 2023-09-06T15:00

After Reg Saunders and his comrades were left behind on Crete in WWII, he survived on the run for almost a year, living off his own wits and the extraordinary kindness of locals. 

Evading the Nazis Part 1 from 2023-09-04T15:00

After Reg Saunders and his comrades were left behind on Crete in WWII, he survived on the run for almost a year, living off his own wits and the extraordinary kindness of locals. 

Love amongst the bombs and blossoms - Part 2 from 2023-08-30T15:00

As Japan lay defeated in 1946, Australian troops joined the Allies in occupation and rebuilding. And it was here a young Digger named Gordon Parker met a Hiroshima survivor named Cherry - and fe...

Love amongst the bombs and blossoms - Part 1 from 2023-08-28T15:00

As Japan lay defeated in 1946, Australian troops joined the Allies in occupation and rebuilding. And it was here a young Digger named Gordon Parker met a Hiroshima survivor named Cherry - and fe...

Purveyors of fine blood suckers from 2023-08-23T15:00

Among many bizarre practices in Melbourne's medical history, one job stood out as being particularly slimy: leech exporters. The director of the Old Treasury Building Museum, Margaret Anderson, ...

The bumps of genius from 2023-08-16T15:00

Of all the pseudo-sciences to grip early Melbourne, phrenology, or the mapping of skulls to predict character traits, was one of the most bizarre - and macabre.

Margar...

Press gangs from 2023-08-09T15:00

The stereotype for old-time newsboys might be young lads in flat caps shouting headlines and selling papers, but in reality, it was a cutthroat world of gangs and turf wars. Margaret Anderson, t...

The dead man's hand from 2023-08-02T15:00

Crime historian Michael Adams joins the show again to talk about a macabre discovery that helped police crack a murder mystery.

Get more information about Michael's book The Murder Squad ...

Hammer Horror from 2023-07-26T15:00

A family feud, a forbidden romance, a financial scandal. These were the theories behind a brutal attack on one of Sydney's most wealthy couples.
Crime historian Michael Adams tells the story ...

A blood-soaked cocaine frenzy from 2023-07-19T15:00

Reeling from the Great War, a veteran turned addict committed a shocking crime on the streets of Carlton. And as Geelong Gaol historian Deb Robinson tells the podcast, after he sobered up, he ha...

The first Matildas from 2023-07-12T15:00

All eyes will be on Australia's elite team at this year's Listen

Australia’s greatest environmental idiot? from 2023-07-05T15:00

Thomas Austin owned a great estate and built a grand mansion fit to host royalty. But he will be forever remembered for one of colonial Australia’s biggest bungles: rabbits. Author and comedian ...

The boozy bard of old Melbourne from 2023-06-28T15:00

While Marcus Clarke is best known for his powerful novel For the Term of His Natural Life, his own life was as colourful as any of the stories he wrote.
State Library Victoria librarian Andre...

A stowaway to the frozen south from 2023-06-21T15:00

Artist Nel Law became the first Australian woman to set foot on Antarctica in 1961 after she was smuggled on board the supply ship Magga Dan. The story is told in today’s new episode of the free...

The Kaiser and the thief from 2023-06-14T15:00

Barney “Wild Eye” Hines was a WWI digger who never let his light fingers go idle - looting everything he could from captured enemy soldiers. And rumours even grew that his antics had drawn the i...

Singing in the POW camp from 2023-06-07T15:00

When Singapore fell in World War II, a group of nurses found themselves facing the horrors of capture and imprisonment as POWs.But instead of letting the camps drag them down, they joined togeth...

Shadows of the Ripper from 2023-05-31T15:00

In the previous episode of In Black and White, writer Roy Maloy told how Melbourne was gripped by fears that a copycat was trying to imitate Victorian England's most notorious criminal. In this ...

Copycat Jack from 2023-05-24T15:00

Only a year after London's famous Ripper disappeared into legend, several Melbourne women met a most horrid fate.

And it wasn’t long before fears were raised that a copycat was on the loo...

Val's oasis from 2023-05-17T15:00

In a dark decade for the gay and lesbian community in Melbourne, one young woman decided to build a haven. And her extravagantly decorated coffee lounge quickly became the place to be seen by th...

The defiant daughter of the rebellion from 2023-05-10T15:00

One of the enduring images of the Rum Rebellion is of Governor William Bligh cowering under his bed as the mob draws near.
But it was his daughter Mary who owned the hour - keeping armed rebe...

Murder in gold town from 2023-05-03T15:00

Elizabeth Lowe met a tragic end in her goldfields shack - at the hands of a wild-eyed man. But several months later, another grisly find had people asking: what other horrors did this wild-eyed ...

A sombre record from 2023-04-26T15:00

Norman Callaway holds a unique place in international cricket. No one else has scored a double century in his only first-class innings, and no one has come close to his career average of 207.  Listen

The lost future of Doch Mackay from 2023-04-19T15:00

Murdoch Mackay was the scion of Bendigo's finest - and his path to wealth and influence looked set when he was admitted to study law at only 16.
But when war and leadership called, the young ...

A frontline doc's selfless act from 2023-04-12T15:00

As war raged around the world, a young Sydney doctor found himself facing the enemy in the New Guinea wilderness. And one act would both make him a hero and seal his fate. Historian and author R...

The Titanic's forgotten Australian hero from 2023-04-05T15:00

As the ship lay foundering in the cold Atlantic, a brave Aussie sailor gave up the chance to save himself in order to rescue countless passengers and crew. But before that extraordinary night, A...

In defence of Homicide from 2023-03-29T14:00

When does a TV show become a historical document? As a portrait of Melbourne in the 1960s and 70s the police procedural Homicide makes a case. David Nichols from the University of Melbourne join...

A real rebel of the stage from 2023-03-22T14:00

He may have been one of the ringleaders of the fabled Eureka Stockade, but Italian gold prospector Raffaello Carboni also had an unlikely career as a pantomime playwright. Robert Pascoe, Profess...

A desperate code of silence from 2023-03-15T14:00

As abortionists operated in the shadows of early Melbourne society, little is known about their illegal and often-deadly practices - with one notable exception.

Nurse-...

The great escapes of Peck the POW from 2023-03-08T14:00

As World War II raged, a daring  Aussie in Europe confounded his captors with a series of prison breaks.  And when he wasn't rescuing himself, he was helping his comrades to freedom too. Profess...

A night of horror for little Richard Mulholland from 2023-03-01T14:00

In a single day, a young farmer boy found his mother dead, his father maimed and himself whisked away to a life of servitude. Author Lucy Frost joins the show to tell the heartbreaking tale.
...

A palace made of nails from 2023-02-22T14:00

William Kerr Thomson was a hardware clerk turned mogul, right at the moment that Melbourne most needed picks and shovels.And as the cash rolled in, he set his sights on creating his own personal...

Jacka vs the hand grenades from 2023-02-15T14:00

He was one of Australia's greatest war heroes, but a little-known incident in the Western Front trenches may have been his greatest act of bravery.

Battlefield historian Mat McLachlan joi...

The hapless, heroic Columbus of the south from 2023-02-08T14:00

Henrik Bull was a spectacularly unsuccessful Southern Ocean whaler. But during his travels, he stepped foot on an unexplored continent.

And on his return, his exploits inspired the great ...

When 'The Ripper' came calling from 2023-02-01T14:00

Frederick Deeming was a globe-trotting serial killer who descended on Melbourne with his poor young wife in tow.

And when his many sins caught up with him, he became a prime suspect in on...

SUMMER SERIES: The mystery of the tattoo from 2023-01-25T14:00

In the last of our summer series we re-tell the story of Henry Bernard, a holocaust survivor who wrapped trauma in secrets.

Like the show? Go to  Listen

SUMMER SERIES: From the eccentric to the macabre from 2023-01-18T14:00

In our ongoing holiday specials, we relive the story of three extraordinary characters, whose lives verged from the kooky to the spooky.

Like the show? Go to Listen

SUMMER SERIES: Thunder on the turf from 2023-01-11T14:00

We reach into the back catalogue to tell true tales of luck and skill from the sport of kings.

Like the show? Go to Listen

SUMMER SERIES: Aussies against the elements from 2023-01-04T14:00

From the jungles of the Pacific to the fields of France, this week we retell three stories of unsung Australian heroes.

Like the show? Go to  Listen

SUMMER SERIES: Courageous critters in wartime from 2022-12-28T14:00

In the first of In Black and White's summer series, we open the vault to retell three stories of amazing animals who went to war.

Like the show? Go to Listen

Hide and Seek from 2022-12-21T14:00

Kevin Simmonds was a petty crook whose greatest ability was to lay low as the police closed in.

But a fatal error would paint a spotlight on him  - a spotlight that even he couldn't escap...

The wild years of Ms Montez from 2022-12-14T14:00

Irish girl Maria Gilbert escaped an arranged marriage to dance her way through Europe, the US and Australia. And through the journey she picked up a string of famous lovers, a series of scandals...

BONUS EPISODE: The communist who flipped from 2022-12-12T14:00

Melbourne-born Louise Mackay was a dedicated Communist Party member who taught at the Marxist School, toured the Communist Bloc and promoted communism to her fellow Australians. But when she was...

The man hanged for a murder he didn’t commit from 2022-12-07T14:00

Angus Murray was sentenced to death for murdering a bank manager, even though authorities knew another crook fired the fatal shot.

Historian Deb Robinson from Geelong ...

The genius Gallipoli tactic that saved tens of thousands of lives from 2022-11-30T14:00

Allied commanders were prepared to lose up to 50% of their soldiers during the evacuation after the disastrous Gallipoli campaign in WWI. Instead, not a single life was lost, thanks to...

The fake war hero from 2022-11-23T14:00

Tom Skeyhill found fame and fortune as the “blind soldier poet” on the US speaking circuit - a World War I hero from country Victoria rendered sightless by an exploding Turkish shell. ...

The sly grog queen of Sydney from 2022-11-16T14:00

As razor gangs prowled the city's back streets, Kate Leigh grew to be a matriarch of vice. Author and historian Jim Haynes tells her remarkable story.

Like the show? Get features, backgro...

The shipwreck scammer from 2022-11-09T14:00

Over 150 years before fraudsters invented text message schemes targeting unsuspecting parents, a dodgy butcher had the same idea. Historian Jim Haynes tells of his rise and fall.

Like the...

From the stage to the crease from 2022-11-02T14:00

Harry Musgrove was an obscure Melbourne theatrical manager spruiking his plays - when destiny, and the Australian cricket team came knocking

Cricket writer Ken Piesse tells the tale.

The serial of a serial killer from 2022-10-26T14:00

Before true crime became a staple of podcasts and streaming services, the public was transfixed with the story of Frank Butler.Tales of murderous journeys had the public enthralled as his crimes...

Brains behind the bullets: the woman who made our most notorious gangster from 2022-10-19T14:00

WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT: As Squizzy Taylor started his ascent through the Melbourne underworld, it was his first wife Dolly Gray who mentored his rise. Crime author Roy Maloy joins the show ...

The snake who tried to start a new state from 2022-10-12T14:00

When a grand plan was hatched for a breakaway Australian state centred around Mildura, the town jumped at the chance to sever ties with Melbourne.

But the ambitious bi...

From the mission to lunch with the Queen from 2022-10-05T14:00

From a childhood of poverty and inequality, Vince Copley rose to becoming a tireless fighter for Indigenous rights.

And his journey took him to the halls of power and even an audience wit...

The man who ended Ned from 2022-09-28T15:00

Elijah Upjohn was a sewage worker turned quack doctor who found himself behind bars for chicken thievery. But his life took a sharp turn when a notorious bushranger was convicted - and the state...

The cruel king of Melbourne's first asylum from 2022-09-21T15:00

WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT: When a doctor was put in charge of Melbourne’s first lunatic asylum, it should have heralded an era of better treatment for inmates.

Instead, the gruesome rei...

The president, the coastwatcher and the coconut from 2022-09-14T15:00

Before he would become an iconic US President, John F Kennedy was a US Navy officer in the WW2 Pacific.
And when his PT boat is sunk by the Japanese, it was an Australian coastwatcher and his...

The secret shepherds of New Britain from 2022-09-07T15:00

The coastwatchers of World War 2 were civilians who weren’t paid and received no military training. But when Japan invaded Papua New Guinea, they were called into service to spy on the enemy. Listen

The lost souls of the Dunbar from 2022-08-31T15:00

It was designed to be an unsinkable ship. But just like the Titanic, disaster struck the Dunbar just as it neared home, and it was the passengers who paid the price.

Author Larry Writer j...

The complicated collaboration of Bill Sticpewich from 2022-08-24T15:00

WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT. This week we tell the story of an Australian PoW in World War 2, who was damned for helping his Japanese captors but hailed for helping send war criminals to the gal...

When hope was delivered by camel from 2022-08-17T15:00

The outback Queensland town of Cunnamulla feared famine when floodwaters cut it off from the world.But a young Afghan entrepreneur named Abdul Wade and his unusual herd stepped in to save the da...

From Zero to here: Part 2 from 2022-08-10T15:00

Historian Mat McLachlan joins the show again to tell the rest of the tale of Hajime Toyoshima, the Japanese fighter ace, who found himself a prisoner of war and the main instigator of the only b...

From Zero to here: Part 1 from 2022-08-03T15:00

Hajime Toyoshima was a crack fighter pilot who flew his Zero in the attack on Pearl Harbor. But it was an Australian machinegun that saw him tumbling out of the sky and into the history books. H...

The reluctant hero from 2022-07-27T15:00

19-year-old Gary McKay was determined to avoid being sent to Vietnam, so he enlisted in the Citizen Military Forces for six years instead. But as fate would have it, Gary wound up in Vietnam any...

The man who found Churchill a platypus from 2022-07-20T15:00

In 1943, as war raged in Europe, the larger-than-life British PM had one thing on his mind: how to import a marsupial to keep as a pet. Journalist and author Alistair Paton joins the show to tel...

'Sedition' on the stage from a true war hero from 2022-07-13T15:00

After serving his country in the trenches of World War One, Father John Joseph Kennedy wrote a play to expose the futility of war. But the priest's statement drew ire all the way up to the PM. S...

When 2000 people watched "Cranky Gunn" die from 2022-07-06T15:00

As the noose tightened around the necks of John Gunn and George Roberts, the great and the good of Geelong were right there to see the spectacle.And they dressed in their Sunday best to review t...

How cynical electioneering backfired and gave women a voice from 2022-06-29T15:00

How cynical electioneering backfired and gave women a voice. When the suffrage movement was close to victory at the ballot box, a male politician tried to wedge the vote with a contentious claus...

The shipwreck survivors' 1000km trek from 2022-06-23T01:57:12

In 1796, Scottish cargo master William Clark led his twice-shipwrecked crew on an epic 1000km walk to save 7000 gallons of rum, discovering Bass Strait and finding Australia’s first coal along t...

Rachel the brumby breaker from 2022-06-15T15:00

She was  a bush nurse, school founder, bushrangers’ ally and accomplished horsewoman. But Rachel Kennedy’s colourful life was almost lost to history, until newspaper editor...

The trailblazer who taught women about sex from 2022-06-08T22:45:04

In Victorian-era Melbourne, it was considered unladylike to talk about sex and using birth control was a sIn. But one pioneering activist set about teaching women how their bodies worked and sec...

The unwed mother who drowned her baby in the Yarra from 2022-06-01T15:00

After she was abandoned while pregnant by the father of her baby, Maggie Heffernan did the unthinkable. But the murder ignited a wave of public sympathy and sparked moral outrage. Marg...

A horror in the heart of the city from 2022-05-25T15:00

WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT

In a shameful moment from Melbourne's past, two girls found themselves victim of an unspeakable crime. But their treatment at the hands of the justice system w...

The troubled morse man of the antarctic from 2022-05-18T15:00

Sidney Jeffryes was the brilliant wireless operator that made sure Australia got word of the famous Mawson expedition to Antarctica. But the hardships of the journey wrecked his mind and almost ...

The tightrope king and the copycat kids from 2022-05-11T15:00

When daredevil Charles Blondin came to Australia, the crowd was wowed by his death defying antics.But when Blondin returned to Europe, homegrown heroes tried their hand at emulating his stunts. ...

The gruesome tale of the body in the trunk from 2022-05-04T15:00

When the corpse of a teenage girl was found bobbing in a trunk on the Yarra, police didn't know what to think. They went to unusual lengths to get the remains identified - and soon their investi...

Sex, lies and natural history from 2022-04-27T15:00

When the Count de Castelnau sailed into Melbourne, elite society welcomed their new French consul. But the aristocrat was hiding the salacious secret of a young mistress, illegitimate children a...

The Wild Man of Nunawading from 2022-04-20T15:00

When a babbling ragged wanderer was found in Melbourne's east, authorities couldn't place him, so stuck him behind bars. It took a piece of extraordinary luck, along with a...

An Aussie Digger’s senseless murder on home soil from 2022-04-13T15:00

In 1944, a young soldier named Warwick Meale was brutally bashed to death beside a creek in Townsville with a blacksmith’s hammer after returning from New Guinea. Almost 80 years...

The socialite with a secret from 2022-03-30T14:00

Mary Ann Piper was a grand Sydney lady in a grand sydney house. But her society lifestyle hid a colourful past that started with the First Fleet. Author Jessica North joins the show with more. Rea...

The bushranger detective from 2022-03-23T14:00

Policeman Michael Ward was an unsung hero who helped bring down the Kelly gang. But in a strange quirk of fate, he may also inadvertently help it form. Author  David Dufty joins the show to explain...

The lone survivor of a Kelly killing from 2022-03-16T23:49:01

Thomas McIntyre had a brush with death when his police posse came up against Australia's most famous bushranger. And years later, it was his words in court that sealed Ned's fate. Author Grantlee K...

Witnessing the worst of humanity from 2022-03-09T15:00

Author Tony Bernard joins the show again to tell more of the story of his father, who saw unspeakable Nazi attrocities as a member of the Jewish ghetto police, and then gave evidence against them a...

The tattoo that talked of horrors from 2022-03-02T15:00

Author Tony Bernard joins the show to tell a story of his father's survival in Nazi Europe, the torture he endured at concentration camps, and the secrets he brought to Australia. Read more about ...

Explorer Bill's ugly fish from 2022-02-23T15:00

In Australia's age of expeditions, William Blandowski catalogued the lands around the Murray. But his adventures in the bush paled in comparison with the war he had with the scientific establishmen...

The royal couple’s disaster-plagued visit from 2022-02-16T15:00

When the future king and his wife visited Australia in 1927 to open Parliament House, the trip was marred by a bizarre string of RAAF air tragedies.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

The red atom bomb boy from 2022-02-09T15:00

At the start of the Cold War, a young Australian scientist found himself caught up in the geopolitics of who could be trusted with nuclear secrets. Find out more about Phillip Deery's book at: http...

Masks of the dead from 2022-02-02T14:00

Macabre entrepreneur Maximilian Kreitmayer found himself a special niche in the Melbourne of the late 1800s: using the faces of dead bushrangers to fill his waxworks' Chamber of Horrors. Old Melbou...

The littlest hero of the pacific war from 2022-01-26T14:00

After a patrol of diggers were pinned down by enemy fire in Papua New Guinea, it was up to a pigeon named Q to send for help. Its tale is told by author Mark Wilson, whose book Flapper VC, aims to ...

Best of In Black And White - Episode 4 - Amazing Women in History from 2022-01-19T14:00

This summer, we have put together a four part series of some of our most engaging episodes so far, and the final episode looks at amazing women in history. You will hear about Eliza Batman, the wir...

Best of In Black And White - Episode 3 - War Heroes from 2022-01-12T14:00

This summer, we have put together a four part series of some of our most engaging episodes so far, and the third episode looks at war heroes. You will hear the story of Sister Vivian Bullwinkel who...

Best of In Black And White - Episode 2 - Serial Killers from 2022-01-05T14:00

This summer, we have put together a four part series of some of our favourite episodes so far, and the second episode looks at serial killers. You will hear about The Brownout Strangler, the School...

Best of In Black And White - Episode 1 - Spies from 2021-12-29T14:00

We have put together a four part series of some of our favourite episodes so far, and the first episode looks at spies. You will first hear about Nancy Weir, a piano prodigy who wowed the crowd in ...

Smoke and mirrors: From fraud to high flyer from 2021-12-22T14:00

Between burning a seance client to death and shooting a clergyman while drunk, no-one thought Thomas Walker would make much of himself. But they were wrong. Author David Hunt joins the show with mo...

Chatting with the dead from 2021-12-15T21:15

Spiritualism - a belief system centred on seances - took the world by storm in the mid 1800s, thanks in part to Abraham Lincoln’s wife, Mary. But in Melbourne, a spiritualist leader named William T...

How police beat the bathe ban from 2021-12-08T22:23

In Victorian era Sydney, it wouldn't do to be seen to be bathing on the beaches. Until one cop swept away the wowsers' worries. Historian and author Jim Haynes joins the show with more. Get more f...

The great goldfields swindle from 2021-12-01T14:00

He's often lauded as the man who first found gold in Australia, but according to historian Jim Haynes, pioneer Edward Hargraves was instead a villain who conned the colony.  Find out more about Ji...

From dirty joke to national ditty from 2021-11-24T14:00

Waltzing Matilda is one of Australia's most beloved songs. But the origin of the term can be traced back to the battlefields of Germany. Author Jim Haynes joins the show to tell the story.  More ...

The last lick of the cat o'nine tails from 2021-11-17T14:00

Author Barry McArthur joins the show to recount the time he met prisoner William O'Meally, a police killer, repeat escapee, and the last man flogged in Victoria.  Like the show? Go to http://heral...

Our first female motor ace from 2021-11-10T14:00

When a young jockey named Joan Richmond was banned from racing horses in Melbourne, she swapped out her silks for a steering wheel. Writer John Smailes tells her story. Like the show? Go to http:...

The could've been champion from 2021-11-03T14:00

Laurie Nash just might have been up among the Bradmans and Borders in the pantheon of Australian cricket. But a baffling selection call kept him out of the infamous bodyline series - and a chance a...

BONUS EPISODE: The 11-year-old Melbourne Cup king from 2021-10-31T22:24

In honor of the race that stops the nation, we went into the vault and picked the tale of the youngest jockey ever to win the Melbourne Cup -  a “little freckled lad” from a township near Geelong w...

The cup winning kid who 'lost' to a typo from 2021-10-27T15:00

Of all of the losers in the race that stops the nation, young  John Kavanagh could have been the hardest done by. Because it wasn't another jockey who likely robbed him of a Melbourne cup - it was ...

The real life raiders of the lost ark - Part 2 from 2021-10-20T15:00

Author Graham Addison returns to the show to continue the history of the Aussie rich kids who went on a quest to find one of the world's most famous treasures. More at: https://grahamaddison.com/...

The real life raiders of the lost ark - Part 1 from 2021-10-13T15:00

Author Graham Addison recounts a swashbuckling tale of Aussie thrillseekers, secret codes hidden in the Bible, aristocrats, psychics, bribery, gun-running, riots, and a deadly curse. This is the f...

The Warrego Range horror from 2021-10-06T15:00

When two bush bandits cornered and killed two men including a police officer in the wilds of central Queensland, the murders were just the start of the grisly tale. More info at: https://www.grave...

When fear ruled the farms from 2021-09-29T15:00

As young Aussie men fought in the trenches of WW1, a rural Queensland pastor found his war was closer to home.Christian Seybold was accused of preaching pro-German sentiment and found himself a vir...

O'Reilly's jungle rescue from 2021-09-22T15:00

When a plane full of men went missing in the early days of Australian aviation, it was one wily bushman who saved the day. Like In Black and White? Go to: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinio...

Triumph to tragedy: A hero fighter pilot’s senseless death from 2021-09-15T15:00

WWII squadron leader John Jackson was needlessly killed in what author Michael Veitch calls one of the most tragic stories of the RAAF’s 100-year history. Read more tales of adventure at https://h...

A fighter ace's jungle escape from 2021-09-08T15:00

Author Michael Veitch joins the show to tell Jen the remarkable story of John Jackson, a WW2 flyboy who survived being shot down, only to find himself stuck behind enemy lines in New Guinea.  Read...

The luckiest man on the track from 2021-09-01T15:00

Over 40 years ago, in the golden age of racing, a punter named Kev Cain reached in his pocket and placed a $6 bet. By the end of the day he was sitting on $86000. This is the story of one of Austra...

The godfather of 'goon' from 2021-08-25T15:00

RAAF gunner turned winemaker Colin Gramp wasn't the inventor of the famous bag in a box wine, but his brand Orlando was instrumental in bringing it to the homes, parks and beaches of everyday Austr...

Pistols at dawn: How a gentlemen’s duel turned into a bumbling farce from 2021-08-18T15:00

Satisfaction was demanded when two of Melbourne's finest lined up to settle their differences. But the result was a comic mess. Like the show? get features, backgrounders and more at https://hera...

Dr Smith's STD museum from 2021-08-11T15:00

As Melbourne boomed with gold rush cash, one medic found an ingenious way to spruik his venereal disease cures. Get background to this story and much more at https://heraldsun.com.au/ibawSee omnys...

How footy's first superstar lived fast and died young from 2021-08-04T15:00

In his short life George Coulthard kicked goald for Carlton, started a riots Sydney and crossed paths with a future PM. Get background to this story and much more at https://heraldsun.com.au/ibawS...

The Aussie pilot who saved stricken kids after a U-Boat attack from 2021-07-28T15:00

After a German sub sank a ship carrying British civilians fleeing the horrors of World War 2, Aussie flyer  Bill Garing spearheaded a daring rescue. Like the show? got to https://heraldsun.com.au...

Dr Diamond Jim's bizarre anatomy show from 2021-07-21T15:00

James Beaney was a  colourful surgeon and  shameless self promoter who would operate when no others would dare. And not even a pair of gory deaths could curtail his career.  See omnystudio.com/lis...

The hero nurse who treated soldiers as bombs rained down. from 2021-07-14T15:00

As her hospital was bombed during World War I, Rachel Pratt kept on doing what she’d always done – treating her wounded patients. The nurse from Melbourne kept on working until she collapsed after ...

The Countess from Kirribilli who sparked a literary mystery from 2021-07-07T15:00

The bestselling Australian-born author known as “Elizabeth” had good reason to hide her true identity, but the world’s press was determined to unmask her. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

From armpits to yournabs: how a convict first catalogued Australian slang from 2021-06-30T15:00

When convict banter baffled judges in early colonial Australia, they turned to James Hardy Vaux, who  published a dictionary of slang - that included many words still in use today. Like In Black a...

The cricketing superstar who went from crease to cuts from 2021-06-23T17:00

Billy Caffyn was an all-rounder star of English cricket, who found himself teaching Australia to play the  game. But after wowing Melbourne, his next move left everyone stunned See omnystudio.com/...

The giant who carried the whole show on her back from 2021-06-16T15:00

Augusta the “giantess” was a superstar of the travelling show circuit at the turn of last century. And the super-sized and super-strong solo performer wowed the country with her feats of strength. ...

How Oppy and his bike tamed Australia's roads from 2021-06-09T15:00

In one 24-hour 1000km ride, Hubert Opperman set 100 distance records, including many that remained unbroken for decades. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How a Bird on the wing became the angel of the outback from 2021-06-02T15:00

As a pioneer in the early days of aviation, 21-year-old Nancy Bird Walton became the first Australian woman to run a commercial air service. Like the show? Read more at: https://www.heraldsun.com.a...

Matthew Flinders: Australia’s real-life Robinson Crusoe from 2021-05-26T15:00

When his ship was wrecked off the Australian coast in violent seas, Matthew Flinders channelled his fictional hero and helped 94 people survive three months on a desert island. See omnystudio.com/...

The convict that poured Australia its first beer from 2021-05-19T17:00

In England he was a convicted theif from an oppressed minority, but when James Squire was transported to Australia, it gave him the opportunity to build an empire. Read great tales of Australian hi...

The wild times of Melbourne’s eccentric musical genius from 2021-05-12T15:00

Percy Grainger was renowned as a musical prodigy, but it was his bizarre pastimes from self-flagellation to making his own towelling clothes that set him apart from other brilliant composers. Get ...

Australia's very own mermaid from 2021-05-05T15:00

Author Jim Haynes joins the show again to tell the story of Annette Kellerman, and her extraordinary rise from crippled child to international swimming star.  Get history features and much more at...

George Morrison: Our man in the far east from 2021-04-28T15:00

A new book explains why adventurer, journalist, secret agent and political dynamo George Morrison was “the most influential Australian who ever strode the planet”. See omnystudio.com/listener for ...

A hero without a home from 2021-04-21T15:00

Douglas Grant survived a massacre as a child to go on to serve as one of the few indigenous soldiers in the First World War. The Australian War Memorial's Michael Bell joins the show to tell the st...

Melbourne scientist’s epic Antarctic adventure from 2021-04-14T15:00

When Australian adventurer Keith Jack was stranded  after his ship vanished, it would have been easy to quit. Instead, he achieved the unimaginable.  Like the show? Get backgrounders and more at ...

When Christina waltzed with Banjo and the bushranger from 2021-04-07T17:00

AB 'Banjo' Paterson is well known as the lyricist behind the classic song 'Waltzing Matilda', but the music was contributed by Christina MacPherson, a woman with her own remarkable tale. Chris Adam...

How a bush barfly shaped Australia's drinking history from 2021-03-31T14:00

When Sam Knott explained he 'allus has wan at eleven' when a photgrapher asked why he drank before noon, it became the start of one of Australia's biggest advertising campaigns. Jen Kelly talks wit...

The cloak-and-dagger WWII hero who fought behind enemy lines from 2021-03-24T14:00

After escaping a POW camp and across the sea, Australian officer Jock McLaren fought the Japanese behind enemy lines alongside Filipino guerillas for two years. Like the podcast? Get backgrounders,...

The Baby-faced bushranger who went to the gallows from 2021-03-17T14:00

A young man with a self-confessed lazy streak found himself on the end of the hangman’s noose in 1857 for his cruel act while bailing up a family man on Flemington Rd. Like In Black and White?Get ...

The junior Kelly Gang: The daring exploits of Ned’s little sister Kate from 2021-03-10T15:00

A new book reveals the central role 14-year-old Kate Kelly played in the story of the notorious Kelly Gang’s misdeeds.  Lke In Black and White? Go to https://www.heraldsun.com.au/ibaw for features...

How the Schoolgirl Strangler terrorised Melbourne from 2021-03-03T17:00

When a wave of young girls were abducted and murdered in broad daylight in the 1930s, no-one suspected doting family man Arnold Sodeman was to blame. Like the show? Get stories, backgrounders, imag...

My life as a spy kid for ASIO from 2021-02-24T19:00

ASIO spies Dudley and Joan Doherty enlisted their three young kids in Australia’s battle against Soviet infiltration during the Cold War.  Like the show? Get background articles, photos and more at...

The falcon of the force from 2021-02-17T19:00

A pocketbook of mugshots was Detective “Eagle Eye” Reginald Henderson’s secret to nabbing hundreds of wanted criminals. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grisly and gruesome: The brutal murder of diamond trader Bernhard Bauer from 2021-02-10T20:00

In one of the most brutal murders in Melbourne’s history, a brazen killer strolled into a busy CBD office building in broad daylight and fled with a £3000 haul of diamonds. See omnystudio.com/list...

Grisly and gruesome: Shocking, callous and cruel from 2021-02-03T23:30

When a boy started a rumour about a hoard of cash in an elderly farming couple’s bush shack, it set the wheels in motion for a horrific murder.. Read the background, see photos and more at heraldsu...

Grisly and Gruesome: Gunny got the lash from 2021-01-27T16:00

William 'Gunny' Hughes ran one one of the worst larrikin gangs in old Melbourne. But an encounter with the law saw him run a double life in service to the public. See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

Grisly and Gruesome: the evil in Thomas Treloar from 2021-01-20T23:45

History writer Michael Shelford joins the show again to talk about Thomas Treloar, who embarked on a murderous rampage on the streets of Albert Park. See photos and read the full story at https://w...

Grisly and gruesome: 'Bush' Thomspson vs the boffins from 2021-01-13T19:00

When a chocolate salesman was gunned down in 1913, forensic police used the newfangled technology of fingerprinting to crack the case. But the scallywag they had in their sights wouldn't go down wi...

Grisly and gruesome: A mad inventor and murderer from 2021-01-06T16:00

Antonio Soro first gained fame for claiming to invent a perpetual motion machine. But it was for the killing of a Melbourne schoolteacher that he became truly infamous. Get photos of Soro, his inve...

Nellie Melba: Melbourne's mischief maker from 2020-12-23T17:00

We normally talk about the hidden characters in Australian history. Dame Nellie Melba was far from that.  But while the opera singer's achievements are recognised in our cuisine and our currency, w...

The haunting last words of Victoria's first woman hanged from 2020-12-16T16:00

Moments before 23-year-old Elizabeth Scott was hanged for murdering her abusive husband, she turned to her lover and asked, “Will you not clear me now?”. Get more stories of Australian history at ...

Does John Batman’s ghost haunt Queen Vic Market? from 2020-12-09T16:00

Ghost sightings and strange occurrences at the Queen Vic Market have been reported for many years. So could it be Melbourne’s founding father? Get more tales of Australia's history at heraldsun.com...

Introducing - I Swear I Never from 2020-12-06T14:00

Have you ever found yourself in a situation, you swear you never could have predicted? A situation so far from the ordinary that even remembering it feels surreal? Season 2 of I Swear I Never is pu...

The twisted tale of Melbourne’s Mitre Tavern ghost from 2020-12-02T16:00

Scorned mistress Connie Waugh is said to have hanged herself at an historic inner city pub, where her ghost remains to this day. But how much of the story is true? See omnystudio.com/listener for ...

The spine-tingling tale of Federici, the ghost of the Princess Theatre from 2020-11-25T16:00

Legend has it the famed opera singer was seen giving his final bows on stage minutes after he died, giving rise to Melbourne’s most famous ghost story. Get stories on this and more tales of haunted...

Does Jack the Ripper’s ghost haunt Melbourne’s Hosier Lane? from 2020-11-18T15:00

He killed his family in England, then did the same to his new wife in Australia. Many people believe Frederick Deeming could have been Jack the Ripper - and may still haunt Melbourne to this day. ...

Rags to riches in the retail trade from 2020-11-11T16:00

Sidney Myer arrived in Melbourne as a 21-year-old with no money and little English. Soon he was selling towels and sheets door to door, the first step in his rise to greatness. Read more stories st...

BONUS EPISODE: The last day of Mr Kelly from 2020-11-10T16:00

Normally on this podcast we talk about history's forgotten characters. And although Ned Kelly is far from that, what's lesser known is what happened in the hours before he met the hangman.The Heral...

The party-boy prince mooted to be King of Australia from 2020-11-04T18:00

On his Melbourne tour, Prince Alfred was bored by pomp and ceremony, preferring gambling, partying and brothels. Yet he was so wildly popular many wanted him to become King of Australia. Get more o...

The 11-year-old Melbourne Cup king from 2020-10-28T16:00

His story has been largely lost to history, but the youngest jockey ever to win the Melbourne Cup was a “little freckled lad” from a township near Geelong who was only 11 years old.   See omnystud...

The monkey marine that raided Tokyo from 2020-10-21T20:00

Before Marine Stupid made headlines for escaping Melbourne Zoo and hurling roof tiles at her pursuers, she made her name by serving with distinction on three British naval ships in WWII.   See omn...

Horrie the hero war dog and the “hoax of the century” from 2020-10-15T20:00

Horrie the Wog Dog saved countless Aussie lives in World War II, acting as an early-warning system when enemy aircraft approached. So when Australian authorities ordered the dog’s surrender in 1945...

SPECIAL EPISODE: Remembering the West Gate from 2020-10-14T19:45

It is 50 years since one of Australia's biggest bridges crashed down during construction. Herald Sun reporter Alex White speaks to survivors and family who lost their lives in one of Australia's wo...

The ballad of Bill the Bastard from 2020-10-07T20:00

He was notoriously cantankerous, virtually unrideable and often violent, but Bill the Bastard became Australia’s greatest war horse after carrying five troopers to safety in the middle of a fierce ...

How a brave ship’s cat became a WWII legend from 2020-09-30T21:00

When HMAS Perth was sunk by Japanese torpedoes in 1942, fewer than half of the 681 men – and one cat – made it to shore. Her extraordinary survival with the help of a group of Aussie POWs is detail...

Yvonne Barrett: The murder of a ‘60s starlet from 2020-09-23T21:00

From our TV screens to the hit parade, singer Yvonne Barrett was a popular personality in Melbourne’s entertainment scene in the 1960s, but she died tragically and violently. Get more great history...

Melbourne's very own soviet spy ring from 2020-09-16T21:00:35

While other spy rings worldwide are far better known, a trio of respected businessmen dubbed the “Melbourne cell” mounted one of the most successful Soviet espionage operations in history.  See om...

The soviet agent in the halls of government from 2020-09-09T21:00

Frances Bernie was a Catholic schoolgirl raised in Sydney by a couple from Oxford, England. So how did she end up a Soviet spy inside the office of foreign minister HV “Doc” Evatt leaking Australia...

How “Sally” from Sydney became a Soviet spy from 2020-09-02T21:00

While she was born and raised in Sydney, “Sally” was so devoted to Stalinist Russia that she became a Soviet spy and infiltrated a US government agency. Like the show? consider becoming a Herald Su...

Larrikins and Laneways: Cocaine Charlie from 2020-08-26T21:00

In 1918, Melbourne was celebrating the end of WWI, unaware an insidious new war on home turf had just begun. That’s when a new drug – cocaine – first came under the nose of Melbourne police, introd...

Larrikins and Laneways: The baddest man in Chinatown from 2020-08-19T21:00

In the early 1900s, Chinatown's Heffernan Lane was one of the worst streets in Melbourne thanks to brothels, opium dens, gambling rooms and a tendency to attract murderous thieves. And its most not...

Larrikins and Laneways: Sex, grog, Squizzy and Skerritt from 2020-08-12T21:00

In 1919 as a gang war called the Fitzroy Vendetta raged, Squizzy Taylor and a cast of misfits were tearing apart the inner Melbourne suburb. And living amid the sly grog shops, opium dens, brothels...

Larrikins and Laneways: Collingwood's crime clan from 2020-08-09T18:00

The Collis family caused mayhem for decades with their sly grog shops and gang violence until authorities were forced to declare their homes condemned to run them out of town. Read more at heraldsu...

Larrikins and Laneways: Melbourne’s slumlord queen from 2020-08-02T21:00

Her name is barely known today, but the formidable Ann Shiell was a powerful crime boss, slum landlord, brothel madam and controller of gangs of thieves in Melbourne in the late 1800s. For more on ...

World War II: The Australian socialite who became a Resistance smuggler from 2020-07-26T22:00

Australian-born beauty Enid Lindeman disguised escaped Allied servicemen as maids to trick police when they raided the riviera mansion she used as a safe house for the French Resistance. Read more ...

Scandalous life of eccentric Aussie socialite from 2020-07-19T21:00

As well as driving a cheetah with a diamond collar around London in her Bentley, scandal-plagued socialite Enid Lindeman outlived four husbands, earned the nickname “Lady Killmore”, and walked arou...

Melbourne's brothel queen from 2020-07-12T21:00

After building an empire of brothels in the notorious Little Lon red light district, Madame Brussels was dubbed the “worst and wickedest woman in Melbourne”.  See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

From escaped convict to hero from 2020-07-05T21:00

Convict James Porter and his crewmates were viewed as mutineer scum when they escaped Australia in a leaky stolen boat, but hailed as heroes in their new home 10,000km away.  See omnystudio.com/li...

The larrikin convict's audacious escape from 2020-06-28T21:00

In 1833, cockney sailor James Porter pulled off an audacious escape – stealing a leaky boat with nine other convicts and sailing all the way to South America and a life of freedom.  See omnystudio...

Melbourne’s Gun Alley murder from 2020-06-21T21:00

After a hefty reward was offered to solve Melbourne’s Gun Alley murder, a parade of shonky witnesses with outlandish claims sent an innocent man to his death.  See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

Vivian Bullwinkel's miraculous massacre survival from 2020-06-14T21:00

When Sister Vivian Bullwinkel was shot with a machinegun in one of the worst massacres of World War II, a split-second decision to feign death saved her life.  See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

Why do Melbourne’s boulevards stop so short? from 2020-06-07T21:00

Our grand, tree-lined boulevards are a spectacular showpiece, but our city would be a very different place if they served the suburbs beyond the city fringe. What went wrong?  See omnystudio.com/l...

How “Mrs Mac” helped win WWII from 2020-05-31T22:00

When wireless pioneer Violet McKenzie realised Australia was short of Morse code operators as WWII approached, she opened a free school and trained thousands of young women. Become a Herald Sun sub...

BONUS EPISODE: The man who helped our kids read from 2020-05-27T21:00

After fleeing Nazi Germany as a child, Albert Ullin set up Australia's first bookshop specifically for children - and inspired a generation of authors and illustrators. Become a Herald Sun subscrib...

Snake oil and swindle: Part 5. A fraud of many faces from 2020-05-24T22:00:05

From bogus doctor to counterfeit clergyman to US consul-general, Australian con artist Anthony Duerdin adopted at least 26 fake identities. But it was more about chasing thrills than the cash.   S...

Snake oil and Swindle: Part 4. Paddy the Pig, a monkey and marbles from 2020-05-17T22:15:22

Armed with a trained monkey, a barrel of marbles and a swag of tricks, gang leader “Paddy the Pig” swindled the crowds at Melbourne racecourses with his crafty cons and sleight of hand. Subscribe t...

Snake oil&swindle: Part 3. 'Flash Jack' Donovan from 2020-05-10T21:00

From street beggar to child prisoner to Australia’s best-known celebrity showman, “Flash Jack” Donovan packed a lot into his remarkable 57-year life, including making a fortune off Ned Kelly’s hang...

Snake oil and swindle: Part 2. Smith Brown from 2020-05-03T21:00

Ex-convict Smith Brown used a heart-shaped wooden matchbox and one simple trick to fool 1800s Melburnians into handing over their savings, making him one of old Melbourne’s craftiest conmen.  See ...

Snake oil and swindle: Part 1. Rev Charles Jones from 2020-04-26T22:00

Child of a famous politician turned inveterate fraudster, Charles Jones decided to create his own religion to save on business expenses. Like the show? Become a Herald Sun subscriber. go to heralds...

Eliza in the basement from 2020-04-19T22:00

Eliza Batman was the wife of controversial Melbourne pioneer John Batman, but in many ways, her eventful and ultimately tragic life was even more interesting than her husband's. Jen is joined by Me...

How we fought the Spanish flu from 2020-04-12T22:03:23

Journalist and history buff Jamie Duncan joins the show to talk about how a pandemic hit our shores over 100 years ago, and how Australia overcame it. Become a Herald Sun subscriber: go to https://...

Buckley in the bush: Part 2. from 2020-04-05T21:00

How escaped convict who lived with Aboriginal tribe became “double agent”.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Buckley in the bush: Part 1 from 2020-03-29T20:00

Why escaped convict William Buckley was welcomed as family into Aboriginal clan and stayed 32 years. Subscribe to the Herald Sun. Go to www.heraldsun.com.au/IBAW and click on any article to begin ...

Truganini's journey from 2020-03-22T20:00

How Tasmanian Aboriginal woman Truganini became an outlaw on the run in Victoria after her companion shot and killed two men  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pyjama Girl mystery from 2020-03-15T20:00

In 1944 a man was jailed for the horrific murder of the “Pyjama Girl”. But startling evidence suggests police got it wildly wrong, and now the woman’s identity – and her killer – may never be known...

Mr Eternity from 2020-03-08T20:00

Arthur Stace was a down-and-outer who was lucky to survive a horrendous, brutal childhood. But one remarkable event set him on a quest to spend the rest of his life writing one word.  See omnystud...

Bushranger Who Came Back From The Dead from 2020-03-01T20:00:37

It was always believed bushranger Ned Kelly’s brother, Dan, died in the notorious 1880 police shoot-out at Glenrowan. So who was the mystery man who turned up in Brisbane 53 years later claiming he...

Whelan the Wrecker from 2020-02-23T20:00

It was a grim sign that conjured up images of a sinister mob wielding sledgehammers and wrecking balls. But there was a surprise twist to Whelan the Wrecker’s methods that helped create Melbourne’s...

TV trailblazer who discovered Graham Kennedy from 2020-02-16T20:00:28

Even before journalist Colin Bednall helped introduce TV to Australia and discovered “The King” Graham Kennedy, it was apparent he was a kid destined for great things.  See omnystudio.com/listener...

The party boy police chief from 2020-02-09T20:00

His party boy lifestyle and taste for gambling, grog and brothels didn’t stop Charles Standish becoming one of the most powerful men in Victoria as chief of police and head of the Freemasons.  See...

The queen of Calisthenics from 2020-02-02T20:00

From its beginnings in the gold rush, Calisthenics grew to be a uniquely Australian pastime. Joining Jen this week is the State Library of Victoria's Carolyn Fraser to talk about the sport's earlie...

Melbourne's eccentric entrepreneur from 2020-01-26T20:00

With its talking birds, live monkeys, hall of mirrors and live bands, the famous Cole’s Book Arcade in Bourke St was more than a bookshop – it was an event. And EW Cole was the eccentric man behind...

Gangsters of Melbourne. Part 6: Harry Slater from 2020-01-19T20:00

Long Harry Slater was a gang leader, standover man, cop-shooter, house bomber, suspected murderer and gang war adversary to Squizzy Taylor, making him Australia’s most feared criminal until the ear...

Gangsters of Melbourne. Part 5: 'Big Squizzy' from 2020-01-12T20:00

Claude Taylor lived in the shadow of his famous little brother Leslie. But between stalking the streets of Little Lon, and being at the edge of the Sydney razor wars, he led a colourful life of his...

Gangsters of Melbourne. Part 4: Malvern Cameron from 2020-01-05T21:00

Malvern ‘Gunner’ Cameron was a standover man with one eye, one arm, and one hell of a temper. He was a cocaine dealer, a drug addict, a hard drinker, a heavy hitter. and one of the most feared gang...

Gangsters of Melbourne. Part 3: Lofty Prentice from 2019-12-29T21:00

Lofty Prentice was a veteran of two wars. He was also a thief, a pimp, a street fighter and an international conman. Jen is once again joined by historian Michael Shelford to talk about the soldier...

Gangsters of Melbourne. Part 2: Percy Ramage from 2019-12-22T21:00

While William Buck may have been the most violent man on Melbourne's streets, Percy Ramage terrorised its prisons. Jen Kelly is joined again by Historian Michael Shelford for another episode on one...

Gangsters of Melbourne. Part 1: William Buck from 2019-12-15T21:00

William Buck was perhaps the most violent criminal to ever roam the streets of Melbourne. Jen Kelly talks with historian Michael Shelford about the mad bad man of old Melbourne. Become a Herald Sun...

The Brownout Strangler from 2019-12-08T21:00

The Brownout Strangler killed three Melbourne women in 16 days. If not for a split-second quirk of fate, chances are he would have evaded detection and escaped the noose.Read more here.  See omnys...

The unexpected Melbourne love story of World War II from 2019-12-01T21:00:08

It was an unconventional love story – the local farmer’s daughter and the Italian prisoner of war detained in an internment camp. But it was one that would end in tragedy. Get the podcast companion...

The Great Escape from 2019-11-24T21:00

Nina Paranyuk came to Australia working as a stewardess on the Soviet Olympic team’s ship and escaped during a sightseeing trip to Melbourne Zoo. Jen Kelly talks to Nick Richardson, author of 1956 ...

The indefatigable Lady Clarke and the Ashes urn from 2019-11-17T21:00

Janet Clarke was a Melbourne socialite who played an integral role in the creation of cricket's most prestigious trophy, The Ashes. But over her colourful life, she was involved in causes as diver...

The first shot of WWI from 2019-11-11T01:00

We uncover the little known story of the man who fired the first shot of World War I, not on the battlefields of Europe but in Victoria. Read more here.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

The colourful past of an Essendon trainer from 2019-11-03T21:00

From injecting crushed animal testicles to electro-shock therapy, quack doctor and master criminal Carl von Ledebur had a long record of dodgy dealings and horrific crimes. So how did he end up as ...

The great air race from 2019-10-27T21:00

From a rescue that co-opted part of the town of Albury to pilots being taken prisoner by Mussolini's forces, the 1934 London to Melbourne air race was far from a walk in the park. And the entire ad...

Why the Freddo Frog almost didn't exist from 2019-10-20T21:00

If a Melbourne teenager hadn’t stood up to his boss, the man known as Australia’s Willy Wonka, the Freddo Frog never would have existed. It’s one of many stories about the eccentric chocolate king...

Australia's Willy Wonka from 2019-10-13T21:00

Freddo Frog, Cherry Ripe, even Old Gold chocolate, fairy floss and chewing gum - if you love these sweet treats, you can thank Melbourne's eccentric chocolate entrepreneur, Sir Macpherson Robertson...

The Petrov Affair from 2019-10-06T21:00

This dramatic defection of two Soviet spies in Australia made worldwide headlines in 1954. The husband and wife duo exposed roughly 600 Soviet agents around the world, and ended up hiding out in Me...

The shocking images that helped end Melbourne's slums from 2019-09-29T22:00

From Collingwood to Carlton, Melbourne’s ritzy inner suburbs was once home to incredible poverty and crime. But one fearless crusader exposed the depression-era squalor and helped transform people’...

The man behind the medal from 2019-09-22T22:00

Charles Brownlow is known throughout Victoria thanks to the medal that bears his name. But there once was a time that the young footballer had to hide his identity every time he stepped onto the gr...

The hero Collingwood cop who took to footy from 2019-09-18T22:00

By day he policed the depression-era streets of Collingwood, but on the weekends he was a powerful player who led the Pies to VFL premierships. So why did he have to play under an assumed name? See...

How AFL really got its start in Australia from 2019-09-15T22:00

The uniforms looked like Where’s Wally and the matches lasted for days — welcome to Aussie rules, circa 1850. So why did one of footy’s founding fathers almost start a rifle club instead? Jen Kelly...

The deadly baby farmer of Brunswick from 2019-09-08T22:00

Frances Knorr, like many other women in depression-hit 1800s Melbourne, ran an early form of childcare. But instead of visiting a loving home, the infants she was trusted with met a much darker fat...

Australia's lost convict boys from 2019-09-01T22:00

Thousands of child convicts, some as young as eight, were sent to a children’s version of the notorious Port Arthur for minor offences. But were two boys really guilty of a more shocking crime? Rea...

The woman who turned crime into fiction gold from 2019-08-25T22:00

She married a police officer and her son was a career criminal, who did time for bank robbery and safe cracking. But Melbourne’s Mary Fortune turned from sly grog-slinger into one of the first wome...

The real Sherlock Holmes from 2019-08-18T22:00

He was the scourge of Melbourne’s villains and scoundrels, but unlike the fictional London sleuth, this Victorian detective's crazy undercover exploits and bizarre disguises were real. Join host Je...

Was this Australia's first serial killer? from 2019-08-11T22:00

He was a cold-blooded murderer who turned on his mates - and was hanged in Victoria for his crimes. But how many lives did Robert Francis Burns really take?Read an extract from Grave Tales: True C...

How Melbourne's one-legged gang ruled the streets from 2019-08-04T22:00

They were feared on the streets of North Melbourne, turning to violence in pubs and outside footy matches. But they weren’t any ordinary gang — here’s how they turned their missing limbs into an ad...

The Black Widow from 2019-07-28T22:00

Martha Needle used arsenic to kill her husband and at least two of her three young children. Then after finding new love, Martha Needle murdered her fiance’s brother. Read more about Martha Needle ...

Madame Reprah from 2019-07-21T22:00

In this episode, we go back to the early 1900s to the story of the charismatic Madame Reprah, a so-called mind reader who made a living looking deep into the souls of her customers to solve the mys...

The musical spy from 2019-07-14T22:00

Nancy Weir was a piano prodigy who wowed the crowd in the early years of Melbourne radio. When war threatened though, she found a new role: listening in on German pilots and stealing their secrets....

Alice's garage from 2019-07-07T22:00

In the 1910's Melbourne's streets were revolutionised by the automobile. And on one street corner sat a revolution all its own; an all female garage. Read the podcast companion  See omnystudio.com...

The Melbourne man who tried to kill Queen Victoria from 2019-06-30T22:00

Edward Oxford faced a sentence of being hung, drawn and quartered after taking aim at the Queen. Instead, he would spend years in an asylum — and then a remarkable new life in the heart of Melbourn...

Big Chief Little Wolf from 2019-06-23T22:00

Ventura Tenario was a tank of a man with a Navajo headdress who swept into Melbourne from the Colorado desert to wow the crowds in the wrestling ring.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...

The slum boss and the footy great from 2019-06-16T21:31

Before the Docklands gleamed with stadiums and skyscrapers, the area was a shanty town named Dudley Flats. And its most dangerous resident was Elsie Williams. But before her descent into alcohol an...

Coming soon from 2019-05-30T00:08

Coming soon: In Black and White with Jen Kelly. A podcast miniseries about Melbourne's forgotten characters  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.