Hidden deep in Tasmania’s remote west coast, Sarah Island was once one of the most feared penal settlements in the Australian colonies. Surrounded by dense wilderness and raging seas, it was a place of secondary punishment — a last stop for the resisters who refused to fall in line. In this episode, we are joined by Kiah Davey from the Round Earth Company to take a closer look at the history of Sarah Island and the realities of daily convict life there.

Kiah and the team at The Round Earth Company, bring the island’s stories to life through guided tours and engaging site-specific theatre. Together we explore the history, the hardship, and the humanity of those who lived and laboured there. From shipbuilding and isolation to punishment and resistance, we unpack what made this place so notorious and what makes it so incredibly special.

During our recent trip to Tasmania, we had a surprising highlight. Our hike to The Confluence — the meeting place of two rivers — and what we found was confronting. The Queen River, once flowing clear through the Tasmanian wilderness, is now known as Australia’s most polluted waterway.

Decades of mining in Queenstown left more than a scar on the land — they poisoned the water, stripped the hills bare, and rewrote the natural order. In this episode, we explore the legacy of mining, the price of progress, and a personal reflection on what standing in that space stirred.

In the vast, unforgiving landscape of outback Australia, strange lights have been appearing for over a century, hovering, following, and vanishing without a trace.

In this episode, we head deep into the red desert to explore the legend of the Min Min lights.

In this episode we step into the truth of our History, tracing the events of June 1838, when 28 unarmed Wirrayaraay people were brutally murdered at Myall Creek Station. We explore what happened, how it happened, and the long shadow it cast over the nation, one that still lingers today.

This episode was recorded during Reconciliation Week. It is in our act of remembering, reckoning and honoring truth-telling, that we bring you this episode and the personal reflection that accompanies it.

Trigger Warning: Some content may be distressing. Please listen with care. This episode contains the names and experiences of Aboriginal people who have passed.

In this episode, we join Anne and Renata from Newcastle Ghost Tours, legends of the Aussie paranormal scene, for an after-dark investigation of Tomago House.

Nestled deep in the wetlands, this grand colonial homestead has seen nearly two centuries of ambition, heartbreak, resilience. Built by barrister and reformer Richard Windeyer, and kept alive by the unbreakable will of his wife Maria, Tomago House is more than a relic of the past. It’s a place where stories linger and, if you listen closely, where whispers of its former residents can still be heard through the silence.

Join us as we explore the natural beauty and charm of Patonga and then dive into the darker waters of its history. Because not far from this picture-perfect shoreline, its waters once gave up a secret it had been holding onto for years: a man strapped to a steel crucifix, known only as Rack Man. In this episode, we unravel the eerie mystery that ties this unsolved murder to the river’s depths, and to the tranquil little town we thought we knew.

In every corner of history, desperation has driven women into impossible choices.

From the lonely banks of the Paterson River to the locked wards of the Newcastle Industrial School. From whispered agreements on Oakhampton Road to courtroom trials designed to shame. We trace the hidden stories of women like Ada Murray and Mary Ann Hughes.

We look back, not because history is a lesson, but because it is a mirror.

A UNESCO World Heritage listed wonder where dramatic mountains meet turquoise lagoons, and time seems to slow down. Just 11 kilometres long and home to only a few hundred lucky residents, Lord Howe feels like stepping into another world, rich with rare wildlife, untouched beaches, and incredible coral reefs.

I share our adventures, including our brush with fame on the tarmac as well as our discovery of the Catalina A24-381 flying boat wreck — a haunting piece of history linked to Rathmines, not far from my own backyard.

It’s a place of natural wonders, and a reminder of just how extraordinary our corner of the world can be.