The true crime podcast craze is absolutely not slowing down. If anything, it’s just becoming more massive. We can’t get enough, it seems – whether it’s investigations into cold cases (Up & Vanished), in-depth tales of heinous crimes (Dirty John) or just some folks shooting the breeze about criminal cases bc they, like us, are completely fascinated by them (My Favourite Murder).
Australia is producing some of the best goddamn poddys in the game at the moment – with the added benefit that a lot of them are re-opening cases that either went overlooked. We’ve rounded up our fave Aussie true crime podcasts in one spot – bingeing imminent, friends.
1. All Aussie Mystery Hour
You guys! Of course we’re being mildly assholey and putting our baby up first! Can you blame us? We’re proud of it! Join Josie (Head of Editorial) and Mel (Senior Style and Features Editor) each week as they discuss a different Australian unsolved crime or mystery. Sometimes grim, sometimes funny, sometimes creepy. Always full of wild assumptions. Some crimes and mysteries to look forward to? The Lithgow Panther, Ivan Milat’s secret accomplice, Azaria Chamberlain, The Somerton Man and the Coogee Bay Hotel poo incident.
2. Bowraville
The Australian’s investigation of the Bowraville murders, which saw three Indigenous youth killed within five months who all lived on the same street. It’s harrowing and will leave you frustrated and infuriated at the injustice of it all. The podcast led to the case being reopened, and the families of the deceased are currently waiting for a ruling.
3. Unravel
This ABC podcast is a phenomenal and heartbreaking look at how Indigenous deaths were (and still are) often ignored or overlooked. The first season recently finished, and centres on the unsolved death of 17-year-old Mark Haines in Tamworth.
4. Teacher’s Pet
Another beauty from The Australian, this true crime podcast covers the unsolved disappearance of Lyn Dawson, who went missing under suspicious circumstances in the 80’s and the secrets within her community and marriage that potentially hold clues to her murder — her husband, Chris Dawson, was recently arrested but it’s still well worth a listen if you haven’t got around to it yet.
5. Trace
The ABC are back again, with this semi-old poddy covering the murder of Maria James in Melbourne, 1980. Maria was stabbed to death in the back of her own bookshop, and her killer has never been found.
6. Casefile
We could NOT talk Aussie crime podcasts and not include Casefile. One of the most renowned crime podcasts in the WORLD, they may not always cover Aussie crimes (although they have done, and done an excellent job) but the hosts voice is so quintessentially Aussie, it has to get a shout out in here.
7. Wrong Skin
The Age are behind Wrong Skin, which only recently premiered, covers the disappearance of Indigenous couple Richard Milgin and Julie Buck in the ’90s near the small WA town of Looma.
8. Lost In Larrimah
This interesting The Australian crime podcast focuses on the disappearance of Paddy Moriarty from the 11-man town of Larrimah, one of the last true Aussie “middle of nowhere” spots. The in-fighting of the townsfolk and the wild characters make this more light-hearted than most disappearance-based podcasts, but the mystery will have you gripped.
9. SBS True Stories
It’s season 3 of this overall-phenomenal podcast that gets it a spot in this list. It covers the infamous gay-hate murders of South Australia, a series of horrific targeted attacks on homosexual men over the last four decades.
10. Phoebe’s Fall
This podcast from SMH looks into the mysterious death of Phoebe Handsjuk, who was found dead in the garbage room of a Melbourne apartment complex where she lived with her boyfriend. Given her death involved her going down the apartment garbage chute feet-first, resulting in her death, it’s easy to see why the case is baffling.
