Share
Forgotten Australia
Farewell, Henry Lawson... World's First Screenwriter?
On this day in 1922, Henry Lawson died at the age of 55. In this episode, we revisit his death and the pomp, circumstance and furore of his funeral, while also weighing the claim the Aussie bard of the bush was actually the world’s first screenwriter.
Bonus episodes available as soon as you support the show via patreon.com/forgottenaustralia
* The Mad Bomber of Boulder: in February 1942 the goldfields of WA were rocked by one of the worst mass murders in modern Australian history.
* Sydney, Spanish Flu and Covid-19: a live talk at MEDfest, held at the State Library of NSW in July 2022.
* Hanging Ned Kelly: an audio preview of my upcoming book, comprising the prologue, author’s note and first chapter. Note: this will be released on regular platforms in late September. You can pre-order Hanging Ned Kelly and read a chapter sampler for free here: https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/
* All Hail, Megaethon: the bizarre story of Australia’s first road trips - in the mid-1850s!
* Last of the Bushrangers: an addition to the regular episode Young Ned Kelly, this tells the story of another young outlaw in country Victoria in 1922.
* The Rats Must Die: a live talk about Bubonic Plague, delivered at the Sydney Festival in January 2022.
* Black Thursday: the tale of the 1851 bushfires that burned out one-quarter of Victoria.
* To Sir, With Hate: who murdered a teacher in 1928 in the tiny town of Wolumla on the NSW south coast?
* The Body in the Barwon: in 1953, Australia was shocked by the discovery of a headless body, with the crime committed by a truly bizarre crook.
* Revolvers & Razors: a three-part episode about a grisly 1927 murder in the Blue Mountains that had links to the infamous razor gangs.
* The Wreck of the Errol: an addition to the Mysteries of Mystery Island episode, this is the tale of a 1909 shipwreck and the horrors that followed.
* Detective McRae vs the Lady in Grey: a two-part real-life noir that pits Sydney’s top homicide cop against a drop-dead gorgeous femme fatale.
* Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Spiritualist Tour Down Under: the creator of Sherlock Holmes came to Australia in 1920-21 to chase ghosts. Best heard in tandem with The Guyra Ghost.
* The Bones & The Beast: the case that made Det-Sgt McRae a homicide investigation hero… and the ghastly case that confronted his sometime partner in crime-solving, Det-Sgt Joe Ramus, who were met in The Human Glove Mystery.
More episodes
View all episodes
86. The Runaway Plane – Part One: “There’s No Pilot!”
35:41||Season 10, Ep. 86In August 1955, Sydney was suddenly under threat from a rogue plane.Had it really taken off by itself? Would it crash into the city?What were the RAAF doing about it?Be sure to check out my new true crime show Australian Murder.Find it wherever you get your podcasts.Support Forgotten Australia for a few bucks per month for ad-free early and exclusive bonus episodes and the chance to win prizes.To use a free trial and get immediate access:Patreon: patreon.com/forgottenaustraliaApple: apple.co/forgottenaustraliaEmail: forgottenaustraliapodcast@gmail.com
85. Introducing Australia Murder
04:24||Season 10, Ep. 85I'm launching a new true crime podcast called Australian Murder.Here's the lowdown.Check out Australian Murder wherever you get your podcasts.Follow to get the first episode as soon as it's released next week!
84. Talking History – Musquito: The Real Story of a Legendary Colonial Warrior
57:54||Season 10, Ep. 84Who was Musquito, the Aboriginal warrior feared by colonists in Sydney and Tasmania? Historian Naomi Parry Duncan's new book takes us behind the myths for a better understanding of this remarkable man.But Musquito: The Real Story of a Legendary Colonial Warrior is much more than a biography – it also tells the entwined stories of Naomi's own colonial ancestors.Booktopia Awards:https://www.booktopia.com.au/booktopia-book-award/promo4387.htmlSupport Forgotten Australia for a few bucks per month for ad-free early and exclusive bonus episodes.Patreon: patreon.com/forgottenaustraliaApple: apple.co/forgottenaustraliaEmail: forgottenaustraliapodcast@gmail.comCheck out my books!They’ll Never Hold Me:https://www.booktopia.com.au/they-ll-never-hold-me-michael-adams/book/9781923046474.htmlThe Murder Squad:https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-murder-squad-michael-adams/book/9781923046504.htmlHanging Ned Kelly:https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922992185.htmlAustralia’s Sweetheart:https://www.booktopia.com.au/australia-s-sweetheart-michael-adams/book/9780733640292.html
83. Australian Frankenstein – Part Two: The Infernal Machine
32:08||Season 10, Ep. 83Having successfully toured Australian cities with Frankenstein, Professor Hornburg invents a new machine man that uses a new energy source. But he and his creation – called Adam Iron, first man of iron – will have to share the limelight with a snake charmer and his nest of vipers. Two showmen scientists. Deadly serpents and an infernal machine. What could possibly go wrong?Support Forgotten Australia for a few bucks per month for ad-free early and exclusive bonus episodes and the chance to win prizes.Patreon: patreon.com/forgottenaustraliaApple: apple.co/forgottenaustraliaEmail: forgottenaustraliapodcast@gmail.comCheck out my books!They’ll Never Hold Me:https://www.booktopia.com.au/they-ll-never-hold-me-michael-adams/book/9781923046474.htmlThe Murder Squad:https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-murder-squad-michael-adams/book/9781923046504.htmlHanging Ned Kelly:https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922992185.htmlAustralia’s Sweetheart:https://www.booktopia.com.au/australia-s-sweetheart-michael-adams/book/9780733640292.html82. Australian Frankenstein – Part One: The Steam Man
46:14||Season 10, Ep. 82Just as the Iron Outlaw Ned Kelly is going to the gallows, Australians are astonished by a walking automaton called ‘Frankenstein - The Steam Man’. Professor Hornburg’s invention is intriguing, ingenious and imaginative. But is it really ‘the greatest piece of mechanism in the universe’? How much is science and how much is showmanship? To put it bluntly: Is Hornburg a Humbug?Step right this way and all will be revealed!All true and all bizarre, this is a strange parable for our own age of Gods and Monsters.Australian Frankenstein – Part Two: The Infernal Machine is available now early & ad-free to Forgotten Australia supporters.If you're using Apple, click on that episode and follow the instructions for a free trial.Or go to:apple.co/forgottenaustraliaTo access via Patreon (and listen on other podcast apps):patreon.com/forgottenaustraliaapple.co/forgottenaustraliaTo see the 1880 'Steam Man' poster: https://cyberneticzoo.com/steammen/1876-steam-man-mechanical-horse-hornburg-australian/Email: forgottenaustraliapodcast@gmail.com81. Mysteries of the Sea – Part Three: Beyond Human Knowledge
57:27||Season 10, Ep. 81In March 1912, Australia was stunned to learn that Koombana was missing in nearly identical circumstances to Yongala. In this final episode, we look at how good and bad luck again decided who lived and who died, how the Koombana story crossed over with the loss of Titanic, and how the Adelaide Steamship Company put greed over need.80. Mysteries of the Sea – Part Two: Dead Unlucky
01:04:11||Season 10, Ep. 80Alongside Yongala, the Adelaide Steamship Company prided itself on its luxury vessel Koombana, designed especially to work the Western Australian coast. But this was a seemingly cursed vessel, where anything that could go wrong did, from disappearing and dead passengers, to collisions, fires and a broken loaf of bread that not only triggered a national crisis but sent a handful of men to their fates.Part Three – Beyond Human Knowledgeis available now ad-free for Apple and Patreon supporters.Patreon: patreon.com/forgottenaustraliaApple: apple.co/forgottenaustraliaEmail: forgottenaustraliapodcast@gmail.com79. Mysteries of the Sea – Part One: More Haste, Less Speed
48:37||Season 10, Ep. 79In March 1911, with the loss of the ship Waratah still fresh in memory, a big passenger liner went missing in a cyclone off northern Queensland. As a massive search began, Australia tried to believe that ‘no news is good news’. Incredibly, a year later almost to the day, the same scenario played out again – involving a ship from the same company, in the same conditions, in the same latitude. In this three-part miniseries, we look at the entangled tales of the Adelaide Steamship Company’s coastal vessels Yongala and Koombana – and how these tragedies were bookended by Waratah and Titanic.Part Two – Dead Unlucky and Part Three – Beyond Human Knowledgeare available now ad-free for Apple and Patreon supporters.Use a free trial to hear them now!Patreon: patreon.com/forgottenaustraliaApple: apple.co/forgottenaustraliaEmail: forgottenaustraliapodcast@gmail.com78. Short – The Mystery of the Waratah
21:59||Season 10, Ep. 78I’m re-releasing this short as background for the new miniseries, Mysteries of the Sea.In July 1909, the world wondered what had become of the SS Waratah, last seen off coast of South Africa with more than 200 souls aboard. This grim mystery was even more sensational for featuring a double murderer, a passenger plagued by prophetic visions and a veteran sea captain with a charmed reputation. But once all hope was lost, a likely explanation for the disaster was to come from a former Waratah passenger: Australian professor William Bragg, who a few years later would win the Nobel Prize.