Gripping tales from across the ditch

Australia’s booming podcast scene has a few homegrown series that are worth a listen. One of the most infamous child disappearance cases in Australian history is featured in A Perfect Storm: The True Story of the Chamberlains.

Nine-week-old baby Azaria Chamberlain went missing at Ayers Rock in August 1980. Her mother Lindy Chamberlain, who said she heard her baby cry out and saw a dingo leave the tent where a large amount of blood was discovered, was arrested and convicted of Azaria’s murder, before being cleared in 1986, after Azaria’s jacket was found near a dingo den.

Seven news journalist John Buck spent almost a year investigating the miscarriage of justice, and this podcast reveals hidden documents, unheard police recordings, and new eyewitness accounts. It’s a gripping look at the mistakes in the police investigation and the motives behind pursuing Chamberlain as a suspect.

Meanwhile, Byron Bay is the backdrop for The Lighthouse, produced by The Australian newspaper.

The Lighthouse looks into the disappearance of 18-year-old Theo Hayez, a young Belgian tourist who vanished from a bar in the town in May 2019. Local volunteers started searching and investigating with his family, and asked crime reporter David Murray to join the unofficial search party and raise awareness for the case.

Many theories have emerged about what happened to Hayez. Everything in the podcast is based on original interviews, memories are still fresh, and they are looking for witnesses.

Finally, the origins of the iconic Australasian music festival, the Big Day Out, are the focus of the foot-stomping, headbanging Inside the Big Day Out podcast. Double J host and producer Gemma Pike takes listeners on a journey that starts in the 1990s, with booking Nirvana for the first show, to the festival’s end in 2014.