Weird Crap in Australia
The Modern Meltdown
Welcome to "Weird Crap in Australia," a podcast hosted by Holly and Matthew, a husband and wife team with a passion for all things strange and unusual in the land down under.
Each episode, Holly, a trained historian, and Matthew, a pop-culture enthusiast, dive into the weird and wacky aspects of Australian history and society. From the colonial era to the present day, they explore topics such as aliens, monsters, ghosts, and true crime, uncovering the stories and legends that have fascinated Australians for generations.
As a social historian, Holly provides a unique perspective on the cultural significance of these strange phenomena, while Matthew brings his expertise in pop-culture to the table, offering insights into how these stories have been portrayed in movies, TV shows, and other media.
With a mix of humor and insight, "Weird Crap in Australia" is the perfect podcast for anyone who loves to explore the oddities and quirks of our world. Join Holly and Matthew as they take you on a journey through the strange and wonderful world of Australia's weirdest stories.
***
Did you know a full firefight between MPs and soldiers took place in Central Station (Sydney) in February 1916, and you can still find the bullet holes in the pillars?
Did you know that one of Australia’s convict ships was waylaid by Americans during the aftermath of the American Revolution in 1815?
Did you know we have a dinosaur called Qantassaurus, and that most Australian fossil expeditions of the 1970s and 1980s were sponsored by corporations, rather than the government?
Did you know that the majority of the miners that took part in the Eureka Stockade of 1854 were Chinese, African-American, or from other ‘minority’ groups? And that the Victorian Gold Rush is where Australia learned to love Chinese food?
There’s a lot of history when it comes to this country - even just in the last 200 years - and very little of it is taught in our school systems. We feel that, in order to preserve the past, we have to get it out there into the minds of the present, and hopefully apply those lessons to the future. If you agree, we'd love you to join us.
New episodes release 12pm AEDST/AEST every Monday.
______
Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod
"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeod
Used under a Creative Commons license.
All sound and voice clips used are (c) their respective owners.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
Each episode, Holly, a trained historian, and Matthew, a pop-culture enthusiast, dive into the weird and wacky aspects of Australian history and society. From the colonial era to the present day, they explore topics such as aliens, monsters, ghosts, and true crime, uncovering the stories and legends that have fascinated Australians for generations.
As a social historian, Holly provides a unique perspective on the cultural significance of these strange phenomena, while Matthew brings his expertise in pop-culture to the table, offering insights into how these stories have been portrayed in movies, TV shows, and other media.
With a mix of humor and insight, "Weird Crap in Australia" is the perfect podcast for anyone who loves to explore the oddities and quirks of our world. Join Holly and Matthew as they take you on a journey through the strange and wonderful world of Australia's weirdest stories.
***
Did you know a full firefight between MPs and soldiers took place in Central Station (Sydney) in February 1916, and you can still find the bullet holes in the pillars?
Did you know that one of Australia’s convict ships was waylaid by Americans during the aftermath of the American Revolution in 1815?
Did you know we have a dinosaur called Qantassaurus, and that most Australian fossil expeditions of the 1970s and 1980s were sponsored by corporations, rather than the government?
Did you know that the majority of the miners that took part in the Eureka Stockade of 1854 were Chinese, African-American, or from other ‘minority’ groups? And that the Victorian Gold Rush is where Australia learned to love Chinese food?
There’s a lot of history when it comes to this country - even just in the last 200 years - and very little of it is taught in our school systems. We feel that, in order to preserve the past, we have to get it out there into the minds of the present, and hopefully apply those lessons to the future. If you agree, we'd love you to join us.
New episodes release 12pm AEDST/AEST every Monday.
______
Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod
"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeod
Used under a Creative Commons license.
All sound and voice clips used are (c) their respective owners.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
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Top 10 Weird Crap in Australia Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Weird Crap in Australia episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Weird Crap in Australia for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Weird Crap in Australia episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Episode 129 - Hey Hey, It's Saturday (1971-2010)
Weird Crap in Australia
11/22/20 • 64 min
There are few tv shows in Australian media that can boast the kind of longevity as Hey Hey, It's Saturday. Starting life as a kid's show, evolving into the most popular variety show on the air of its era, and moving into that show you're embarrassed your parents still watch, HHIS has seen it all.
Join Holly and Matthew as they explore 30 years of Australian TV, and the legacy that came out of it.
Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod
"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeod
Used under a Creative Commons license.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
Join Holly and Matthew as they explore 30 years of Australian TV, and the legacy that came out of it.
Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod
"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeod
Used under a Creative Commons license.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
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Episode 321 - The History of the AFL (1859-Present) Part 2
Weird Crap in Australia
07/29/24 • 75 min
The history of the Australian Football League (AFL) is rich and multifaceted, beginning in the mid-19th century. Australian Rules Football was officially codified in Melbourne in 1859, with the establishment of the Melbourne Football Club.
The Victorian Football League (VFL), which would later become the AFL, was founded in 1896. The league expanded nationally in the 1980s and 1990s, evolving into the AFL in 1990.
Today, the AFL is the premier professional Australian Rules Football competition, boasting a passionate fan base and significant cultural impact in Australia. Join Holly & Matthew as they explore the League, its past, and its future.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
The Victorian Football League (VFL), which would later become the AFL, was founded in 1896. The league expanded nationally in the 1980s and 1990s, evolving into the AFL in 1990.
Today, the AFL is the premier professional Australian Rules Football competition, boasting a passionate fan base and significant cultural impact in Australia. Join Holly & Matthew as they explore the League, its past, and its future.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
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Episode 224 - The Disappearance of Hill & Clay (2020) Part 1
Weird Crap in Australia
09/19/22 • 50 min
As the world was beginning to shut down in 2020, two campers in their 70s headed up into the Alpine National Park for a weekend away. This was the last weekend before Covid restrictions came into effect in Victoria, and a lot of people were taking advantage of the March weather.
This would be the last weekend away for our older campers. This would also be the story that spread a new legend in the Australian bush to the mainstream: The Button Man.
Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod
"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeod
Used under a Creative Commons license.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
This would be the last weekend away for our older campers. This would also be the story that spread a new legend in the Australian bush to the mainstream: The Button Man.
Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod
"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeod
Used under a Creative Commons license.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
Episode 166 - Australia’s Secret Shame Part 1: The Child Sex Abuse Scandals
Weird Crap in Australia
08/09/21 • 59 min
Australia's record protecting children of all nationalities is poor at best, and nothing makes this more obvious than even a cursory glance at the history of the Australian Catholic Church. For decades, people have been abandoning organised religion Could it have something to do with the power and control abusers have displayed over victims, cushioned in the bosom of the Church?
Join Holly and Matthew as they take a deep look into the history of the Australian Catholic Church as presented to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and highlight two of the most shocking cases of long-form rape and abuse to come out of the proceedings...
Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod
"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeod
Used under a Creative Commons license.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
Join Holly and Matthew as they take a deep look into the history of the Australian Catholic Church as presented to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and highlight two of the most shocking cases of long-form rape and abuse to come out of the proceedings...
Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod
"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeod
Used under a Creative Commons license.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
Episode 013 - Pine Gap Listening Post
Weird Crap in Australia
09/02/18 • 61 min
Pine Gap is a highly secretive and strategically important facility located near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia. Officially known as the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap, it serves as a key intelligence and surveillance base, operated jointly by the Australian and U.S. governments. The facility, established in the 1970s, is crucial for gathering signals intelligence (SIGINT) and supporting satellite operations for military and national security purposes.
Join Holly & Matthew as they delve into the hidden world of Pine Gap, exploring its significance in global intelligence and the controversies surrounding its operations.
***
Sources cited:
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
Join Holly & Matthew as they delve into the hidden world of Pine Gap, exploring its significance in global intelligence and the controversies surrounding its operations.
***
Sources cited:
- Walker, Steven. 2019. "State surveillance and subterfuge increases." The Morning Star, October 6. Accessed August 17, 2021. https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/state-surveillance-and-subterfuge-increases.
- The Nautilus Institute. 2016. "Pine Gap: an introduction." February 21. Accessed August 17, 2021. https://nautilus.org/publications/books/australian-forces-abroad/defence-facilities/pine-gap/pine-gap-intro/.
- Cronau, Peter. 2017. "Pine Gap plays crusial role in America's wars, leaked documents reveal." ABC Radio National, August 21. Accessed August 17, 2021. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-20/leaked-documents-reveal-pine-gaps-crucial-role-in-us-drone-war/8815472.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
Episode 307 - The Cowra Breakout (1944) Part 3
Weird Crap in Australia
04/22/24 • 59 min
On August 5, 1944, the Cowra breakout marked a significant event in Australian military history. Over 1,100 Japanese prisoners of war attempted to escape from the prisoner of war camp in Cowra, New South Wales, resulting in the largest prison break in Australian history. The breakout led to a violent confrontation between the prisoners and Australian guards, resulting in the deaths of 231 Japanese prisoners and four Australian soldiers, with many more wounded. The incident highlighted the challenges of managing prisoners of war during wartime and left a lasting impact on both Australian and Japanese societies. The Cowra breakout has since been commemorated through various memorials and remains a poignant reminder of the human cost of war.
TW: Suicide.
Sources used:
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
TW: Suicide.
Sources used:
- 900 Jap Prisoners Mutiny | The Daily News | 8 Sep 1944 | Page 1 | https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/78522978
- Banzai Charge at Cowra | History.net | https://www.historynet.com/banzai-charge-at-cowra/
- Blankets on the Wire (2006), Steven Bullard, Australian War Memorial, ISBN: 9780975190470
- Cowra breakout, 1944 | National Archives of Australia | https://www.naa.gov.au/help-your-research/fact-sheets/cowra-breakout-1944
- Cowra Camp. Prisoners of war-Japanese escapees. Prime Minister's statement and diary entries | Nathional Archives of Australia | NAA: SP112/1, M 57 Page 14 of 17 1944 https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Gallery151/dist/JGalleryViewer.aspx?B=267552&S=14&N=17&R=0#/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ShowImage.aspx?B=267552&T=P&S=14
- Cowra prisoner of war breakout remembered | Max Blenkin | 4 Aug 2019 | https://www.thesenior.com.au/story/6308887/cowra-prisoner-of-war-breakout-remembered/
- FEATURES: The night the sky was glowing red | The Canberra Times | 9 Jul 1994 | Page 42 | https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/118189979
- Japanese prisoner of war's ashes recovered in historic, emotional repatriation | Hannah Sinclair | SBS | 12 Sep 2015 | https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/japanese-prisoner-of-wars-ashes-recovered-in-historic-emotional-repatriation/jqswk5qck
- Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45 Prisoners of War | W. Wynne Mason 1954 | Victoria University of Wellington | https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Pris-_N95664.html
- Prisoners Of War Break From Camp At Cowra | The Sun | 5 Aug 1944 | Page 3 | https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/231692065
- Prisoners of war break from camp at cowra | The Sun | 5 Aug 1944 | Page 3 | https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/231692065
- The Bugle and the Breakout | Claire Hunter | Australian War Memorial | 30 Jul 2019 | https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/blog/the-bugle-and-the-breakout
- The Cowra Breakout (2002), Mat McLachlan, Hachette Australia, ISBN: 9780733647628
- War prisoners escape from camp | The Daily Telegraph | 6 Aug 1944 | Page 1 | https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/247871178
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
Episode 117 - AC/DC Part 2: The Brian Johnson Era (1980-2016)
Weird Crap in Australia
08/30/20 • 75 min
Among all the bands to make it out of Australia, only 3 have become international sensations: INXS, The Wiggles... and AC/DC.
Starting as a garage band in Sydney in the early 1970s, AC/DC took the world by storm with hit album after hit album, raging their way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2010. Join Holly and Matthew as they look into the 2nd biggest band on Australian shores, and the journey to the podium.
Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod
"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeod
Used under a Creative Commons license.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
Starting as a garage band in Sydney in the early 1970s, AC/DC took the world by storm with hit album after hit album, raging their way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2010. Join Holly and Matthew as they look into the 2nd biggest band on Australian shores, and the journey to the podium.
Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod
"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeod
Used under a Creative Commons license.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
Episode 118 - The Legacy of the Batavia (1629)
Weird Crap in Australia
09/06/20 • 83 min
It's commonly known that the Dutch arrived at Australia long before the British "discovered" the continent. They even have the distinction of claiming ownership over the first permanent European inhabitants of the land.
But why do we not speak Dutch? Join Holly and Matthew as they look into the Batavia, and the legacy of its wreck...
Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod
"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeod
Used under a Creative Commons license.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
But why do we not speak Dutch? Join Holly and Matthew as they look into the Batavia, and the legacy of its wreck...
Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod
"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeod
Used under a Creative Commons license.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
Episode 229 - The Aliens of Woomera
Weird Crap in Australia
10/24/22 • 58 min
There's always been something weird going on out there on the horizon. Long before nuclear bombs showed up in South Australia, there was a rocket range designed to test rockets.
But what else was out there? If you trust the reports, at least a couple of alien visitors...
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
But what else was out there? If you trust the reports, at least a couple of alien visitors...
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
Episode 170 - The Murder of Inspector Richard Pettinger (1862)
Weird Crap in Australia
09/06/21 • 42 min
When Adelaide was constructed, planners were sure that, being a free colony without convicts, there would be no crime. How wrong they were...
Join Holly and Matthew as they look into the first murder in a government building in Adelaide, and the many voices that saw it happen.
Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod
"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeod
Used under a Creative Commons license.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
Join Holly and Matthew as they look into the first murder in a government building in Adelaide, and the many voices that saw it happen.
Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod
"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeod
Used under a Creative Commons license.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Weird Crap in Australia have?
Weird Crap in Australia currently has 346 episodes available.
What topics does Weird Crap in Australia cover?
The podcast is about Society & Culture, History and Podcasts.
What is the most popular episode on Weird Crap in Australia?
The episode title 'Episode 129 - Hey Hey, It's Saturday (1971-2010)' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Weird Crap in Australia?
The average episode length on Weird Crap in Australia is 58 minutes.
How often are episodes of Weird Crap in Australia released?
Episodes of Weird Crap in Australia are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Weird Crap in Australia?
The first episode of Weird Crap in Australia was released on May 26, 2018.
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