My Australian Mafia Road Trip

What connects a stabbing in Fitzroy to a series of murders in the Queen Victoria Market and the disappearance of an aspiring politician in Griffith? In the 1960s, Australians first heard the word 'ndrangheta', the name for a ruthless mafia with origins in Calabria, that had taken root Down Under. My Australian Mafia Roadtrip will take you on a journey between Melbourne, Griffith and Mildura to discover key sites in Australia's mafia history. You will meet the protagonists of a century-old story and, together with hosts Carlo Oreglia and Anna Sergi, discover what lies behind the headlines.

Episodes

My Australian Mafia Road Trip: How the 'ndrangheta evolved Down Under

October 7, 2024 • 2 mins

According to legend one hundred and two years ago, the Honoured Society made its way from Calabria to Australia. From that moment on, a series of murders, disappearances and spectacular drug busts showed how the 'ndrangheta took hold Down Under over decades. But why, and how did the 'ndrangheta, or Honoured Society, become so prevalent in Australian society? SBS Italian's Carlo Oreglia and mafia expert Dr Anna Sergi hit the road to...

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I. Where it all began: The rise of 'ndrangheta in Australia

October 10, 2024 • 26 mins

To understand the rise of the 'ndrangheta in Australia, you can't just stay in the big cities: tracing its origins means hitting the road. Carlo Oreglia and Anna Sergi head up the Hume highway and through the Coleambally plains toward Griffith, the NSW town that was the centre of a national case in the 1970s: the disappearance of aspiring politician Donald Mackay.

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II. The Original Sin: The unfinished business of the Woodward Commission

October 10, 2024 • 26 mins

After a visit to the Coleambally plains - site of the infamous drug busts of the 1970's - it's time to enter Griffith to investigate the disappearance of Donald MacKay. The mysterious fate of the aspiring politician captured the attention of Australia, while the resulting investigation left Griffith in a state of uncertainty that continues to this day.

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III. Mafia Tribunals in the Mallee: How the 'Men of honour' maintained order

October 16, 2024 • 28 mins

In the 1970's the 'ndrangheta was active not just in Griffith, its sphere of influence stretched westward over 300 kilometres to Mildura. And its daily business was more than just violence. But to maintain order in it's ranks violence was often enforced. A tribunal system made key decisions, and held the power to determine life or death.

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IV. When a coffee is not a coffee: Extortion, bottlenecks, and hidden messages

October 23, 2024 • 23 mins

Mildura is a beautiful regional town known for food, wine and tourism. But it was here in the 1970s and 80s that the first "mafia tribunals" were established, and it was here that some of the more gruesome murders took place. Carlo and Anna try and untie some of the contradictions of this border town.

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V. Mayhem at Queen Victoria Market: A turf war erupts

October 30, 2024 • 33 mins

After exploring Griffith and Mildura, Carlo and Anna start the long drive back to Melbourne, 'ndrangheta's "third corner" in Australia. But how exactly is Melbourne connected to the origin of the Honorable Society Down Under? And what is the thread that connects a gruesome murder in post-war Fitzroy to a bloody turf war at the Queen Victoria Market in the 1960s?

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VI. Carlton, Fitzroy and Brunswick: The stomping grounds of the 'ndrangheta

November 6, 2024 • 24 mins

The first official 'ndrangheta murder was in 1945 in Fitzroy and twenty years later the Queen Victoria Market was rocked by a mafia war. But it was on Lygon Street, Carlton's main thoroughfare and the cradle of the Italian community, that the bosses gathered: not only to plot the murder of a rival, but also to eat, socialise, and be seen.

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VII. The Tomato Tin Bust: The endless search for the boss of bosses

November 13, 2024 • 32 mins

If Carlton and Brunswick are the heart of the 'ndrangheta in Melbourne, the port is where its blood flows. It was here that an infamous drug seizure in 2007 drew attention to the hidden and dangerous world of trafficking. The notorious Tomato Tin bust at the Port of Melbourne was at the time the largest drug bust in the world.

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VIII. Journey's End: Better to be feared than loved

November 20, 2024 • 18 mins

Carlo and Anna have travelled more than 1500 kilometres across two states, through remote parts of Australia to the capital of Victoria, trying to make sense of why and how the 'ndrangheta spread Down Under. In this final episode, they explore how the role of 'ndrangheta boss has changed in the last decades.

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