Welcome to Weird Crap in Australia, a podcast hosted by Holly and Matthew Soall, a husband-and-wife team digging into the strange, fascinating and occasionally downright bizarre history of Australia.Holly is a social historian, and Matthew is a pop-culture obsessive. Together, they explore the stories Australians have been telling about themselves for generations — from ghosts, monsters, UFOs and true crime to disasters, animals, places, technology, censorship, popular culture and the weird corners of everyday Australian life.But Weird Crap in Australia isn't just about the weird bit.Every strange story has a history behind it, and Holly uses each episode to...
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Sep 28, 2026 · 1:23:01
Fred Hollows was a surgeon who believed that eyesight shouldn't be determined by where you were born or how much money you had. His work took him from Australia to some of the…
Sep 21, 2026 · 1:16:03
Fred Hollows was a surgeon who believed that eyesight shouldn't be determined by where you were born or how much money you had. His work took him from Australia to some of the…
Sep 14, 2026 · 1:50:32
What happens when you take one of Australia's most beloved coming-of-age stories and put Holly & Matthew in a room with it?You're about to find out. Join us as we watch Looking…
Sep 7, 2026 · 47:53
What do you get when a bunch of Australians decide to hold a boat race in the middle of the desert, where there isn't actually any water? The Henley-on-Todd Regatta. Join Holly &…
Aug 31, 2026 · 56:00
For decades, death cap mushrooms were regarded as a rare but deadly hazard, claiming lives through tragic mistakes and misidentification. But in recent years, two Australian…
Aug 24, 2026 · 56:52
For decades, death cap mushrooms were regarded as a rare but deadly hazard, claiming lives through tragic mistakes and misidentification. But in recent years, two Australian…
Aug 17, 2026 · 1:02:54
For decades, death cap mushrooms were regarded as a rare but deadly hazard, claiming lives through tragic mistakes and misidentification. But in recent years, two Australian…
Aug 10, 2026 · 1:07:48
In 1966, teenagers Garry Heywood and Abina Madill disappeared after leaving a dance in Shepparton. Weeks later, their bodies were discovered in bushland, launching one of…
Aug 3, 2026 · 1:02:53
For more than four decades, Fred Nile was one of the most recognisable and controversial figures in Australian politics. As the founder of the Call to Australia Party, later the…
Jul 27, 2026 · 50:10
For more than four decades, Fred Nile was one of the most recognisable and controversial figures in Australian politics. As the founder of the Call to Australia Party, later the…
Jul 20, 2026 · 59:29
For more than four decades, Fred Nile was one of the most recognisable and controversial figures in Australian politics. As the founder of the Call to Australia Party, later the…
Jul 13, 2026 · 48:01
For generations of Australian schoolchildren, a visit from Healthy Harold was a highlight of the school year. Whether it arrived in a brightly coloured caravan or at a dedicated…
Jul 6, 2026 · 56:50
For generations of Australian schoolchildren, a visit from Healthy Harold was a highlight of the school year. Whether it arrived in a brightly coloured caravan or at a dedicated…
Jun 29, 2026 · 1:07:39
In June 1997, the disappearance of 13-month-old Jaidyn Leskie from the small Victorian town of Moe captured the attention of the nation. What began as a frantic search for a…
Jun 22, 2026 · 54:47
In June 1997, the disappearance of 13-month-old Jaidyn Leskie from the small Victorian town of Moe captured the attention of the nation. What began as a frantic search for a…
Jun 15, 2026 · 1:03:54
In 1921, the quiet New South Wales town of Guyra became the centre of one of Australia’s strangest paranormal cases. Rocks rained from empty rooms, objects moved on their own,…
Jun 8, 2026 · 1:00:36
In 1971, Adelaide woke to a bizarre sight: an FJ Holden hanging from a pedestrian footbridge above North Terrace outside the University of Adelaide. The stunt became an instant…
Jun 1, 2026 · 1:09:22
In this episode, we explore the rise and fall of Rolf Harris — from his beginnings in Perth during the Great Depression to becoming one of the most recognisable entertainers in…
May 25, 2026 · 48:39
In this episode, we explore the rise and fall of Rolf Harris — from his beginnings in Perth during the Great Depression to becoming one of the most recognisable entertainers in…
May 18, 2026 · 1:13:32
Welcome to the start of Year 9!!!!! In this episode, we explore the rise and fall of Rolf Harris — from his beginnings in Perth during the Great Depression to becoming one of the…
May 11, 2026 · 47:07
On the morning of October 14, 1968, the small Western Australian town of Meckering was torn apart by one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in Australia. Roads split…
May 4, 2026 · 58:36
Hidden in the hills near Gympie, Queensland, sits a structure that has sparked decades of debate: the Gympie Pyramid. To some, it’s evidence of an ancient civilisation or…
Apr 27, 2026 · 54:41
In September 2000, on a warm night in Sydney, Cathy Freeman stepped onto the track carrying the weight of expectation — and delivered one of the most iconic moments in Australian…
Apr 20, 2026 · 1:00:55
In September 2000, on a warm night in Sydney, Cathy Freeman stepped onto the track carrying the weight of expectation — and delivered one of the most iconic moments in Australian…
Apr 13, 2026 · 46:35
They’re loud, they’re messy, and they’ve become one of Australia’s most controversial native animals — the grey-headed flying fox. Found along the east coast, these large fruit…
Apr 6, 2026 · 1:01:02
In 1973, a global oil shock reached Australian shores and changed everyday life almost overnight. Fuel shortages, price spikes, and uncertainty rippled through the country,…
Mar 30, 2026 · 1:38:00
In December 2022, a routine missing persons check in rural Queensland turned into one of the deadliest attacks on police in recent Australian history. Two officers and a…
Mar 23, 2026 · 1:01:01
In December 2022, a routine missing persons check in rural Queensland turned into one of the deadliest attacks on police in recent Australian history. Two officers and a…
Mar 16, 2026 · 1:05:59
In December 2022, a routine missing persons check in rural Queensland turned into one of the deadliest attacks on police in recent Australian history. Two officers and a…
Mar 9, 2026 · 2:35:24
In December 2022, a routine missing persons check in rural Queensland turned into one of the deadliest attacks on police in recent Australian history. Two officers and a…
Mar 2, 2026 · 57:07
Between Morwell and Traralgon in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley lies a stretch of road with a reputation that refuses to fade. Known locally as Haunted Hills, this unassuming patch of…
Feb 23, 2026 · 1:10:25
For decades, Australia treated video games differently. Titles were banned. Content was refused classification. Games were edited, delayed, or never released at all. For years,…
Feb 16, 2026 · 1:24:12
For decades, Australian audiences were told what they could and couldn’t watch — often with scissors, black ink, and outright bans. From silent films and imported reels to…
Feb 9, 2026 · 1:06:37
For decades, Australian audiences were told what they could and couldn’t watch — often with scissors, black ink, and outright bans. From silent films and imported reels to…
Feb 2, 2026 · 1:01:24
For decades, Australian audiences were told what they could and couldn’t watch — often with scissors, black ink, and outright bans. From silent films and imported reels to…
Jan 26, 2026 · 1:53:53
Yes… we’re doing it again. Holly & Matthew return to Wolf Creek for a full watch-along commentary, folding in everything they learned while researching Episode 272 — the trivia,…
Jan 19, 2026 · 54:00
In the late 1970s, a string of disappearances around Adelaide quietly escalated into one of South Australia’s most disturbing serial crime cases. Young women vanished after…
Jan 12, 2026 · 57:28
In the late 1970s, a string of disappearances around Adelaide quietly escalated into one of South Australia’s most disturbing serial crime cases. Young women vanished after…
Jan 5, 2026 · 48:59
Long before the animated adaptation unsettled generations of children, Dot and the Kangaroo began life as an 1898 children’s book by Ethel C. Pedley — a purely Australian story…
Dec 29, 2025 · 59:23
In the mid-1860s, the goldfields and bush tracks of New South Wales were ruled by one of Australia’s most notorious outlaw groups: the Ben Hall Gang. Led by the charismatic and…
Dec 22, 2025 · 1:30:08
This week, we sit down with Around the World with Dot — the animated adventure that whisked an Australian bush child across continents in a strange blend of live-action…
Dec 15, 2025 · 48:48
In the mid-1860s, the goldfields and bush tracks of New South Wales were ruled by one of Australia’s most notorious outlaw groups: the Ben Hall Gang. Led by the charismatic and…
Dec 8, 2025 · 43:39
Australia has produced many formidable creatures: sharks, snakes, drop bears… but none strike fear into the national heart quite like the humble magpie. We’re diving beak-first…
Dec 1, 2025 · 1:05:15
In January 2000, a car was found at the bottom of an embankment in Heathcote National Park. Inside were Bill and Pam Weightman — a respectable south-west Sydney couple, seemingly…
Nov 24, 2025 · 1:57:06
What happens when you blend mateship, mud, and the gut-punch of history with a film that refuses to let you stay emotionally upright? You get Gallipoli (1981) — a classic that…
Nov 17, 2025 · 53:44
In 1941, amid the blistering sands of North Africa, a band of Australian soldiers earned one of the most enduring nicknames in military history — The Rats of Tobruk. Besieged by…
Nov 10, 2025 · 45:49
In 1941, amid the blistering sands of North Africa, a band of Australian soldiers earned one of the most enduring nicknames in military history — The Rats of Tobruk. Besieged by…
Nov 3, 2025 · 37:58
In 1941, amid the blistering sands of North Africa, a band of Australian soldiers earned one of the most enduring nicknames in military history — The Rats of Tobruk. Besieged by…
Oct 27, 2025 · 50:56
He was the upside-down man who brought imagination to life — with nothing more than a pencil for a nose and a blackboard for a stage. Mr Squiggle, the beloved children’s…
Oct 20, 2025 · 1:33:21
What happens when you mix grief, ghosts, and grainy home video with a dose of uncanny realism? You get Lake Mungo (2008) — a haunting mockumentary that feels a little too real…
Oct 13, 2025 · 57:07
Few scandals have shaken Australia’s justice system like the Lawyer X affair. At the center was a prominent barrister who secretly worked as a police informant, all while…
Oct 6, 2025 · 53:04
Few scandals have shaken Australia’s justice system like the Lawyer X affair. At the center was a prominent barrister who secretly worked as a police informant, all while…
Sep 29, 2025 · 56:59
Few scandals have shaken Australia’s justice system like the Lawyer X affair. At the center was a prominent barrister who secretly worked as a police informant, all while…
Sep 22, 2025 · 48:04
In 1876, one of the most daring prison escapes in history set sail from Fremantle, Western Australia. The American whaling ship Catalpa was at the heart of the plot, masterminded…
Sep 15, 2025 · 49:55
On August 9, 1981, a small Cessna 210 aircraft carrying five men vanished over the rugged wilderness of Barrington Tops, NSW. Despite extensive searches, no wreckage or remains…
Sep 8, 2025 · 59:40
From smoky pubs in Adelaide to selling out arenas across the country, Cold Chisel became the voice of a generation. Fronted by Jim Barnes, the band’s raw energy and working-class…
Sep 1, 2025 · 1:06:56
From smoky pubs in Adelaide to selling out arenas across the country, Cold Chisel became the voice of a generation. Fronted by Jim Barnes, the band’s raw energy and working-class…
Aug 25, 2025 · 1:46:45
What happens when you take werewolves, marsupials, a low budget, and the golden age of Ozploitation cinema? You get Howling III: The Marsupials — one of the strangest, campiest…
Aug 18, 2025 · 56:19
On the morning of 18 January 1977, Blue Mountains commuters boarded their usual train, expecting nothing more than another routine ride to work. Instead, the Granville train…
Aug 11, 2025 · 55:26
On the morning of 18 January 1977, Blue Mountains commuters boarded their usual train, expecting nothing more than another routine ride to work. Instead, the Granville train…
Aug 4, 2025 · 1:03:40
Every year, a sleepy New South Wales town gets turned into a pit lane paradise as 150,000 fans descend on Mount Panorama for the Bathurst 1000 — Australia’s most iconic car race.…
Jul 28, 2025 · 1:08:42
In this series, we dive into one of the most confronting chapters of modern Australian history: the Cronulla Riots of December 2005. Sparked by rising tensions, fuelled by…
Jul 21, 2025 · 1:03:09
In this episode, we dive into one of the most confronting chapters of modern Australian history: the Cronulla Riots of December 2005. Sparked by rising tensions, fuelled by…
Jul 14, 2025 · 1:00:33
HIn this episode, we dive into one of the most confronting chapters of modern Australian history: the Cronulla Riots of December 2005. Sparked by rising tensions, fuelled by…
Jul 7, 2025 · 46:39
In the lonely dunes of South Australia’s Coorong, legend speaks of a bushranger so strange he’s hard to forget: the Birdman of the Coorong. Unlike his horse-riding peers, this…
Jun 30, 2025 · 1:11:55
Before they were stadium superstars, INXS were just six Aussie blokes carving out a sound in the sweaty pubs of Sydney. In this episode, we chart the meteoric rise of one of…
Jun 23, 2025 · 58:06
Before they were stadium superstars, INXS were just six Aussie blokes carving out a sound in the sweaty pubs of Sydney. In this episode, we chart the meteoric rise of one of…
Jun 16, 2025 · 1:00:23
Before they were stadium superstars, INXS were just six Aussie blokes carving out a sound in the sweaty pubs of Sydney. In this episode, we chart the meteoric rise of one of…
Jun 9, 2025 · 54:22
Douglas Mawson wasn’t just a survivor—he was a scientific powerhouse who helped put Australia on the map of polar exploration. His adventures began with the 1907–1909 Nimrod…
Jun 2, 2025 · 44:35
Douglas Mawson wasn’t just a survivor—he was a scientific powerhouse who helped put Australia on the map of polar exploration. His adventures began with the 1907–1909 Nimrod…
May 26, 2025 · 47:38
Douglas Mawson wasn’t just a survivor—he was a scientific powerhouse who helped put Australia on the map of polar exploration. His adventures began with the 1907–1909 Nimrod…
May 19, 2025 · 52:03
Australia’s largest bird of prey, the wedge-tailed eagle , is a creature of raw power and mythic presence. With a piercing gaze adapted for hunting across vast landscapes, these…
May 12, 2025 · 1:05:34
David Gulpilil, born in Arnhem Land in 1953, was more than just an actor—he was a cultural bridge, storyteller, and proud Yolŋu man who changed the face of Australian cinema.…
May 5, 2025 · 1:13:25
The legend of the ANZACs was born not through victory, but through courage, endurance, and mateship under fire. From the rocky shores of Gallipoli to the muddy battlefields of…
Apr 28, 2025 · 1:09:14
The legend of the ANZACs was born not through victory, but through courage, endurance, and mateship under fire. From the rocky shores of Gallipoli to the muddy battlefields of…
Apr 21, 2025 · 40:34
In the icy waters of Twofold Bay, a strange alliance once thrived between man and whale. At the heart of it was Old Tom, a killer whale unlike any other—who, along with his pod,…
Apr 14, 2025 · 53:56
Carl Williams rose from small-time drug dealer to one of the most powerful—and dangerous—figures in Melbourne’s gangland wars. Known for his smiling, seemingly unbothered public…
Apr 7, 2025 · 42:08
Judy Moran, once known as the matriarch of Melbourne’s most notorious criminal family, became a central figure in the city’s brutal gangland wars. Linked to a string of…
Mar 31, 2025 · 48:53
Leslie “Les” Moran was a veteran of Melbourne’s underworld, deeply entrenched in the city’s organised crime scene. As a senior figure within the Moran family, he survived the…
Mar 24, 2025 · 53:57
Jason Moran was a central figure in Melbourne’s gangland war, born into one of the city’s most notorious crime families. Known for his involvement in drug trafficking and violent…
Mar 17, 2025 · 57:25
Melbourne’s gangland war claimed many lives, and Mark Moran was one of its most high-profile casualties. A key player in the city’s underworld, Moran was deeply entrenched in…
Mar 10, 2025 · 54:24
During Melbourne’s infamous gangland wars, one criminal organisation loomed large—the Carlton Crew. Made up of powerful underworld figures, the group controlled illegal gambling,…
Mar 3, 2025 · 45:31
The Melbourne gangland war was a brutal chapter in Australia’s criminal history, and the Kane brothers—Brian and Leslie—were right at its core. Known for their violent…
Feb 24, 2025 · 53:32
The Melbourne gangland war was a brutal chapter in Australia’s criminal history, and the Kane brothers—Brian and Leslie—were right at its core. Known for their violent…
Feb 17, 2025 · 1:06:50
Blinky Bill, created by Dorothy Wall in the 1930s, has captured the hearts of generations through books, television, and film. More than just a cheeky bush troublemaker, Blinky…
Feb 10, 2025 · 51:26
A mother and her two young children vanished from their home in Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, in August 1978. Their disappearance quickly turned into a horrifying crime that…
Feb 3, 2025 · 46:41
A mother and her two young children vanished from their home in Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, in August 1978. Their disappearance quickly turned into a horrifying crime that…
Jan 26, 2025 · 46:43
The North Head Quarantine Station, located on the northern headland of Sydney Harbour, holds a chilling legacy as one of Australia's most significant quarantine sites. Operating…
Jan 20, 2025 · 46:16
Edwin Eastwood was back at it again. Armed with a firearm, he entered the Wooreen State School and took nine students and their teacher, Rob Hunter, hostage. The kidnapper's…
Jan 13, 2025 · 49:25
The Faraday School kidnapping shocked Australia, as a group of six schoolgirls and their teacher, Mary Gibbs, were taken by two armed kidnappers. They stormed the small Faraday…
Jan 6, 2025 · 32:26
A Royal Train carrying Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), derailed near Jarnadup, Western Australia, during his Australian tour. The accident occurred when the…
Dec 30, 2024 · 48:23
In 1949, one of Australia’s largest industrial actions took place when coal miners staged a well-planned strike. Beginning in June and lasting nearly seven weeks, the strike…
Dec 23, 2024 · 39:35
Australia's Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) has stood as a beacon of hope for those living in its most remote and unforgiving regions. Founded in 1928 by Reverend John Flynn,…
Dec 16, 2024 · 45:27
Australia's Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) has stood as a beacon of hope for those living in its most remote and unforgiving regions. Founded in 1928 by Reverend John Flynn,…
Dec 9, 2024 · 43:25
In the 1950s, Australia was gripped by a bizarre and terrifying trend of thallium poisoning, one of the most sinister and mysterious poisoning cases in Australian history.…
Dec 2, 2024 · 46:38
In the 1950s, Australia was gripped by a bizarre and terrifying trend of thallium poisoning, one of the most sinister and mysterious poisoning cases in Australian history.…
Nov 25, 2024 · 52:30
In the 1950s, Australia was gripped by a bizarre and terrifying trend of thallium poisoning, one of the most sinister and mysterious poisoning cases in Australian history.…
Nov 18, 2024 · 51:49
In the 1950s, Australia was gripped by a bizarre and terrifying trend of thallium poisoning, one of the most sinister and mysterious poisoning cases in Australian history.…
Nov 11, 2024 · 56:49
Big Philou, an Australian racehorse with promising odds in the Melbourne Cup, became infamous for a scandal that rocked the racing world. Just minutes before the race, Big Philou…
Nov 4, 2024 · 1:09:41
Round the Twist is an iconic Australian children’s television series that aired from 1989 to 2001, famous for its quirky humor, supernatural themes, and often bizarre storylines.…
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