An hour north of Sydney, a drowned valley plunges forty metres into darkness. For over a century, witnesses have reported something moving through the Hawkesbury River that shouldn't exist. Long necks rising from murky water, massive shapes surfacing near boats, creatures that defy explanation. The Darug people have stories about this river that stretch back 50,000 years. Bull sharks are confirmed. Seals enter from the Pacific. In Episode 29 of Strewth, we dive into Australia's deepest river mystery.

Sources

Australian Geomechanics Society: "Marine geophysical investigations of palaeo-drainage systems in the Hawkesbury River Estuary, New South Wales, Australia."

MiNDFOOD. "Sydney Siders Urged to Exercise Caution and Avoid Harbour Waters After Recent Shark Attack." https://www.mindfood.com/article/sydney-siders-urged-to-exercise-caution-and-avoid-harbour-waters-after-recent-shark-attack/

Trove: "SHARK TRAGEDY - YOUTH'S TERRIBLE DEATH." The Canberra Times, December 14, 1936. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2417183

The Dictionary of Sydney. "The Dyarubbin Project: Aboriginal history, culture and places on the Hawkesbury River." https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/the_dyarubbin_project_aboriginal_history_culture_and_places_on_the_hawkesbury_river

"Darug women claim back their Hawkesbury history." Central News, May 31, 2021. https://centralnews.com.au/2021/05/31/darug-women-claim-back-their-hawkesbury-history/

"The Hawkesbury River Monster." Mysterious Australia. https://www.mysteriousaustralia.com/the_hawkesbury_river_monster.html

Title Music: by Jesse Frank from Pixabay

Strewth Social Media Links: https://linktr.ee/strewthpodcast

Contact us: strewthpodcast@gmail.com

An Island of Secrets - Part 2 of 2 - Analysing the Evidence

The official story seemed simple: Vivienne Cameron murdered Beth Barnard in jealous rage, then jumped from the San Remo Bridge. Case closed.

But when forensic scientists examined the evidence, they found something impossible. A pink mohair jumper that never left a single fibre. A blood-soaked murder scene where the killer left no victim's blood in the escape vehicle. Phone calls at times that don't match the timeline. A handbag that appeared in two different places. And a woman who supposedly drowned hours before her friend received a phone call from her discussing sewing patterns.

In Part 2, we examine what the evidence really shows and why every piece of forensic science points away from the official narrative toward something more complex, more troubling, and more deliberately concealed.

After forty years, the bones in the sand might finally reveal the truth. Or they might prove that Phillip Island's secrets run even deeper than anyone imagined.

Sources

• Petraitis, Vikki and Paul Daley: The Phillip Island Murder (1993, 3rd edition 2018)
• Petraitis, Vikki: The Vanishing of Vivienne Cameron: Forty Years Searching for the Phillip Island Murderer (Simon & Schuster, January 2026)
• Casefile Presents Podcast (2020): The Vanishing of Vivienne Cameron
• Sensing Murder (2006) The Scarlett Letter (Series 1 - Episode 8)
• Under Investigation: Adultery, Murder and Mayhem (2021)

Title Music: by Jesse Frank from Pixabay

Strewth Social Media Links: https://linktr.ee/strewthpodcast

Contact us: strewthpodcast@gmail.com

An Island of Secrets - Part 1 of 2 - The Fateful Night

September 1986. A brutal murder on Phillip Island. A woman carved with the letter "A" for adulteress. Another woman vanished without trace. For forty years, Australia accepted the official story: jealous wife kills mistress, then commits suicide by jumping from a bridge.

But in January 2026, plumbers digging for a septic tank found human bones buried in the sand. And suddenly, questions that were never properly answered demanded attention.

Join us for Part 1 of the Phillip Island Mystery as we walk through the night of September 22nd, 1986. The wine glass attack, the hospital visit, the mysterious 3 AM phone call, and the discovery of Beth Barnard's body with a message carved into her chest. Every detail matters, because when you look closely, nothing about this night makes sense.

One night. Two women. Forty years of unanswered questions.

Sources

• Petraitis, Vikki and Paul Daley: The Phillip Island Murder (1993, 3rd edition 2018)
• Petraitis, Vikki: The Vanishing of Vivienne Cameron: Forty Years Searching for the Phillip Island Murderer (Simon & Schuster, January 2026)
• Casefile Presents Podcast (2020): The Vanishing of Vivienne Cameron
• Sensing Murder (2006) The Scarlett Letter (Series 1 - Episode 8)
• Under Investigation: Adultery, Murder and Mayhem (2021)

Title Music: by Jesse Frank from Pixabay

Strewth Social Media Links: https://linktr.ee/strewthpodcast

Contact us: strewthpodcast@gmail.com