Weird Crap In Australia

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.Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeodUsed under a Creative Commons license.

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.Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeodUsed under a Creative Commons license.

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!Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeodUsed under a Creative Commons license.

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.Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeodUsed under a Creative Commons license.

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.Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeodUsed under a Creative Commons license.

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, albiet 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. Join Holly and Matthew for their first foray into the world of Australia's pop culture.Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeodUsed under a Creative Commons license.

The Melbourne Cup is known as the "Race that Stops the nation". But the value of these horses sometimes exceed their status. This is a story about a special horse, one that Australia claims as its own, and still mourns the loss, 87 years after he died. Join Holly and Matthew as they look into Australia's favourite racehorse, Phar Lap!Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeodUsed under a Creative Commons license.

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.Part 3 of our Melbourne Massacre series. Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod "Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeodUsed under a Creative Commons license.

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....Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod "Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeodUsed under a Creative Commons license.

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...Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod "Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeodUsed under a Creative Commons license.

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...Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod "Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeodUsed under a Creative Commons license.

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.Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod "Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeodUsed under a Creative Commons license.

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...*SPOILER correction (for a 70yo battle...): M-24 hid to the right of the Sydney Opera House, near what's now known as the Shipyards, not behind the Harbour Bridge.Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod "Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeodUsed under a Creative Commons license.

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.Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod "Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeodUsed under a Creative Commons license.

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 1980s, 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... 1/4Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod "Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeodUsed under a Creative Commons license.

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 1980s, 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... 1/4Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod "Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeodUsed under a Creative Commons license.

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. Listen to the tale of the Battle of Central Station, and the casualties felled therein, nearly lost to history...Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod "Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeodUsed under a Creative Commons license.

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...Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod "Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeodUsed under a Creative Commons license.

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.Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod "Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeodUsed under a Creative Commons license.

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.Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod "Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeodUsed under a Creative Commons license.