Weird Crap in Australia

Weird Crap in Australia

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.

Episodes

February 22, 2026 70 mins
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, we didn’t even have an R18+ category for games — meaning adult players were restricted by a system built for something else entirely.

In this episode, we trace the history of video game censorship in Australia — from early classification battles to moral panic...
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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 grindhouse classics and modern cinema, Australia developed a reputation as one of the most restrictive film-censoring countries in the Western world.

Join Holly & Matthew as they trace the history of Australian film censorship, from early morality laws and cus...
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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 grindhouse classics and modern cinema, Australia developed a reputation as one of the most restrictive film-censoring countries in the Western world.

Join Holly & Matthew as they trace the history of Australian film censorship, from early morality laws and cus...
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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 grindhouse classics and modern cinema, Australia developed a reputation as one of the most restrictive film-censoring countries in the Western world.

Join Holly & Matthew as they trace the history of Australian film censorship, from early morality laws and cus...
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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, the controversies, the odd little production quirks, and the lingering weirdness that’s cropped up since.

If you’ve ever wanted to watch the film armed with far too much context (and a healthy sense of unease), this one’s for you. Hit play, sync up, and c...
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January 18, 2026 54 mins
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 accepting lifts, their movements barely noticed until the pattern became impossible to ignore. What followed would expose a trail of violence, manipulation, and institutional blind spots that still haunt the case today.

Join Holly & Matthew as they unravel th...
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January 12, 2026 57 mins
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 accepting lifts, their movements barely noticed until the pattern became impossible to ignore. What followed would expose a trail of violence, manipulation, and institutional blind spots that still haunt the case today.

Join Holly & Matthew as they unravel th...
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January 4, 2026 48 mins
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 that reflects how we once taught our youngest readers about nature, danger, and survival Down Under.

Join Holly & Matthew as they explore the beginnings of Australian identity, the birth of a franchise, and one of the only surviving examples of an extinct...
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December 28, 2025 59 mins
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 deeply divisive Ben Hall, the gang carried out a daring string of robberies that humiliated police, terrified settlers, and turned bushranging into front-page news. But this was no romantic Robin Hood tale. As pressure mounted and the government introduced b...
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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 backdrops, talking animals, and Cold War-era messaging.

From the peculiar pacing to the international diplomacy-through-cartoon logic, we explore how this film tried to reimagine Dot’s bushland origins on a global stage — and how the hybrid animation style both charm...
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December 14, 2025 48 mins
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 deeply divisive Ben Hall, the gang carried out a daring string of robberies that humiliated police, terrified settlers, and turned bushranging into front-page news. But this was no romantic Robin Hood tale. As pressure mounted and the government introduced b...
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December 7, 2025 43 mins
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 into the legend of Australia’s Flying Terror — from swooping season strategies and infamous attack hotspots to the science behind why these monochrome missiles pick their targets.

Join Matthew & Holly as they explore the birds' surprising intelligence, th...
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November 30, 2025 65 mins
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 the victims of a tragic late-night accident. Police found no skid marks. No witnesses. No sign of another vehicle. Within hours, the case was closed.

But nothing about the scene truly added up. 

Why were two cautious, routine-driven people out so late? Why d...
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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 still knocks the wind out of us every single time we watch it

Join Holly and Matthew as they revisit one of Australia’s most enduring war dramas. From the larrikin charm of its opening act to the stark, sobering descent into the trenches, we’ll explore what ma...
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November 16, 2025 53 mins
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 German and Italian forces, these men held the Libyan port town of Tobruk for eight gruelling months, defying the odds, the desert, and the propaganda of the Axis powers.

What began as an insult from Nazi radio became a badge of honour. The Australians dug in...
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November 10, 2025 45 mins
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 German and Italian forces, these men held the Libyan port town of Tobruk for eight gruelling months, defying the odds, the desert, and the propaganda of the Axis powers.

What began as an insult from Nazi radio became a badge of honour. The Australians dug in...
Mark as Played
November 2, 2025 37 mins
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 German and Italian forces, these men held the Libyan port town of Tobruk for eight gruelling months, defying the odds, the desert, and the propaganda of the Axis powers.

What began as an insult from Nazi radio became a badge of honour. The Australians dug in...
Mark as Played
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 television icon, captured the hearts of generations with his wobbly lines, friendly charm, and boundless creativity.

Travel back to the earliest age of Australian TV to explore how Norman Hetherington’s quirky puppet became a national treasure. From his humble begin...
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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 for comfort - especially for Holly.

In this Spooktober commentary track, join Holly and Matthew as they revisit one of Australia’s most chilling modern horror films. From the eerie performances to the quiet dread that creeps under your skin, we’ll unpack what ...
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October 12, 2025 57 mins
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 representing some of the country’s most notorious criminals. Her name was tied to dozens of figures on both sides of the law, leaving behind a trail of questions about loyalty, ethics, and justice.

By living a double life, she jeopardised the very foundation of the...
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