The Lighthouse

Theo Hayez is missing in Byron Bay, a beautiful beachside town on Australia’s most easterly mainland point, frequently in the spotlight for its famous residents. Theo's from Brussels. He's 18 and on a backpacking holiday when he vanishes in May 2019. Behind the scenes local volunteers who've never met Theo begin searching and investigating with his family, parallel to a major police investigation. At the request of Theo's family, The Australian newspaper's national crime correspondent David Murray joins the unofficial search party to investigate the mysterious disappearance for a new podcast series, The Lighthouse. Theo left a local bar around 11pm. As the search narrows to the area around the 118-year-old Cape Byron Lighthouse, a range of theories emerge. From the newspaper that brought you The Teacher's Pet and Who The Hell is Hamish, The Lighthouse investigates all possible scenarios as it takes you inside an extraordinary search. To read more about the disappearance of Theo Hayez, and access exclusive photos and video material, go to www.lighthousepodcast.com.au.

Episodes

Trailer

October 29, 2019 • 3 mins

Theo Hayez is missing in Byron Bay, a beautiful beachside town on Australia’s most easterly mainland point, frequently in the spotlight for its famous residents. Theo’s from Brussels. He’s 18 and on a backpacking holiday when he vanishes in May 2019. Behind the scenes local volunteers who’ve never met Theo begin searching and investigating with his family, parallel to a major police investigation. At the request of Theo’s family, T...

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1 - Lost in Byron Bay

October 31, 2019 • 47 mins

Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez dropped into Byron Bay in late May 2019, enticed by the town's unique allure of bohemian life, beautiful surf beaches and a sprinkling of international celebrity glamour. Then he disappeared without a trace. As it dawns on his family that he’s been silent online for six days, they mobilise a search, aided by Byron locals who never knew Theo but refuse to accept a visitor to their town could simply vani...

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2 - Tracked

November 7, 2019 • 60 mins

As word of Theo Hayez's disappearance spreads around Byron Bay, concerned locals leap into action. One local suspects drink spiking and leads a small search party through bushland near the centre of town, where there’s a maze of occupied and abandoned homeless camps. But leads are sparse, and the police are baffled. The real information is hidden in Theo's online accounts. His family sets about cracking into that digital vault, des...

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3 - Ransom

November 15, 2019 • 60 mins

Once Theo's family cracked his online accounts, they had a clearer picture of his path on the night he disappeared. So, aided by the local community, they begin to retrace his steps. But after the local police abandoned their search, and psychics stepped in, things become confusing for those on the ground.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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4 - Into the dark

November 22, 2019 • 59 mins

Byron Bay is known as an tourist town where celebrities and influencers spend their summers. But as the locals know, there's a darker side to life here. Retracing Theo's path through the Arakwal National Park raises more questions and contradictions about what happened the night he disappeared, and reveals a hidden community that most visitors to Byron never see.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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5 - The cliffs

November 28, 2019 • 63 mins

The mystery of an abandoned campsite next to the Tallow Beach sand dunes adds new urgency to the search for Theo. Who lived there, and did they know anything about what happened to him the night he disappeared? And some recent history around the Cosy Corner cliffs presents a possible scenario for what may have happened to Theo.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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6 - The way forward

December 5, 2019 • 64 mins

Six months after Theo’s mysterious disappearance, fresh revelations are opening new possibilities on what happened that night in Byron Bay. His father Laurent returns to Australia to walk through the bush at night for the first time, and the local community organises a ceremony to maintain momentum.

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Introducing: The Breakdown

March 28, 2021 • 39 mins

Australian rugby once had $40 million in the bank. Crowds over 100,000. TV audiences of 3 million. Today the Wallabies have sunk to their lowest world ranking ever. Off the field rugby is a "war zone" with a $20 million deficit last year alone.

The Breakdown is a gripping podcast investigation from The Australian, exploring just how far "the game they play in heaven" has fallen - and why. Jessica Halloran and Claire Harvey have int...

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It's back: The Teacher's Pet returns for Australian listeners

June 29, 2023 • 35 secs

The Australian's global smash-hit podcast Teacher's Pet returns for Australian audiences on July 1.

You can find it wherever you got this podcast. Just search for "The Teacher's Pet".

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Introducing Dear Rachelle

April 9, 2025 • 3 mins

For two decades, the family of murdered 23-year-old woman Rachelle Childs have fought for answers. Though her killer is still at large, they believe her case case can be solved.

Dear Rachelle is hosted and investigated by journalist Ashlea Hansen, together with retired detective and cold case specialist Damian Loone, who appeared in The Australian’s award-winning podcast series The Teacher’s Pet and The Teacher&rs...

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Transcript

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