Harry Harbord Morant is one of the most controversial figures in Australian military history. A soldier, horseman, poet and convicted war criminal, his name has become synonymous with the brutality of the Boer War and the question of whether he was a scapegoat for the actions of the British Empire.

Join Holly & Matthew as they explore the life of Breaker Morant, the events surrounding his court martial and execution in 1902, and the legacy of a man whose story has been retold, debated and reinterpreted for more than a century.

Was he a ruthless soldier who crossed the line, or a convenient target for an empire trying to distance itself from its own conduct? The story is more complicated than the legend.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.

Harry Harbord Morant is one of the most controversial figures in Australian military history. A soldier, horseman, poet and convicted war criminal, his name has become synonymous with the brutality of the Boer War and the question of whether he was a scapegoat for the actions of the British Empire.

Join Holly & Matthew as they explore the life of Breaker Morant, the events surrounding his court martial and execution in 1902, and the legacy of a man whose story has been retold, debated and reinterpreted for more than a century.

Was he a ruthless soldier who crossed the line, or a convenient target for an empire trying to distance itself from its own conduct? The story is more complicated than the legend.


Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.

We’ve been telling you weird Australian stories for years, but what happens when the story keeps going after we’ve finished recording?

In this episode, Holly & Matthew revisit some of our older episodes to catch up on the developments that have happened since we first covered them. New evidence, fresh investigations, court developments and discoveries can change how we understand a case, sometimes years after the original story made headlines.

We’re digging back through the archives to see what’s changed, what’s been uncovered, and which questions are still unanswered.

Because covering a story once doesn't mean it's finished.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.

We're heading back into the Australian outback, and this time, Mick Taylor is waiting.

Join Holly & Matthew as they watch Wolf Creek 2 (2013), Greg McLean's sequel to the Australian horror film that gave a whole generation of travellers another reason to be nervous about taking a wrong turn in the outback.

Expect outback horror, questionable tourist decisions, an uncomfortably familiar brand of Australian hospitality, and our usual commentary as we talk through the film, its place in Australian horror, and the things that catch our attention along the way.

Because watching a horror film about an Australian serial killer in the outback is one thing. Watching it with us talking over the top is another.

Grab your copy of Wolf Creek 2, press play, and watch along!

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.

In 1936, a man disappeared from the small New South Wales town of Grenfell. More than a decade later, a travelling shearer named Fred McDermott found himself at the centre of a murder investigation that would change his life forever.

Join Holly & Matthew as they explore the disappearance of Harry Lavers, the investigation that followed, and the extraordinary case against Fred McDermott. With conflicting evidence, unanswered questions and a murder that seemed to have no body, the case would become one of the more remarkable chapters in Australia's criminal justice history.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.

In 1936, a man disappeared from the small New South Wales town of Grenfell. More than a decade later, a travelling shearer named Fred McDermott found himself at the centre of a murder investigation that would change his life forever.

Join Holly & Matthew as they explore the disappearance of Harry Lavers, the investigation that followed, and the extraordinary case against Fred McDermott. With conflicting evidence, unanswered questions and a murder that seemed to have no body, the case would become one of the more remarkable chapters in Australia's criminal justice history.









Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.

Fred Hollows was a surgeon who believed that eyesight shouldn't be determined by where you were born or how much money you had. His work took him from Australia to some of the world's poorest communities, where he helped establish eye-care programs and trained local medical staff to continue the work.

Join Holly & Matthew as they explore the life and legacy of Fred Hollows, from his early career in ophthalmology and his work with FIrst Nations communities in Australia to the international foundation that continues his mission today. It's a story about medicine, social justice, and one very stubborn Australian who decided that preventable blindness shouldn't be something people simply had to accept.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.

Fred Hollows was a surgeon who believed that eyesight shouldn't be determined by where you were born or how much money you had. His work took him from Australia to some of the world's poorest communities, where he helped establish eye-care programs and trained local medical staff to continue the work.

Join Holly & Matthew as they explore the life and legacy of Fred Hollows, from his early career in ophthalmology and his work with FIrst Nations communities in Australia to the international foundation that continues his mission today. It's a story about medicine, social justice, and one very stubborn Australian who decided that preventable blindness shouldn't be something people simply had to accept.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.

What happens when you take one of Australia's most beloved coming-of-age stories and put Holly & Matthew in a room with it?You're about to find out.

Join us as we watch Looking for Alibrandi (2000), the Australian film adaptation of Melina Marchetta's much-loved novel. Along the way, we talk about family, identity, growing up, Italian-Australian culture, class, religion, and all the other things this film manages to cram into the life of one teenager.

We'll also be doing what we always do with these commentary tracks: stopping to talk about the history, the cultural references, the filmmaking, the things that have aged beautifully, the things that haven't, and probably several things that have absolutely nothing to do with the film.

Grab a copy of the movie, press play, and watch along with us.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.

What do you get when a bunch of Australians decide to hold a boat race in the middle of the desert, where there isn't actually any water?

The Henley-on-Todd Regatta.

Join Holly & Matthew as they head to Alice Springs to explore one of Australia's strangest sporting traditions, where competitors race across the dry Todd River in boats that never actually touch the water. What started as a joke has become an annual event featuring everything from bottomless boats to elaborate costumes, ridiculous races, and a very Australian willingness to commit to a terrible idea.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.

For decades, death cap mushrooms were regarded as a rare but deadly hazard, claiming lives through tragic mistakes and misidentification. But in recent years, two Australian cases thrust these lethal fungi into the national spotlight for very different reasons.

Join Holly and Matthew as they examine the mysterious Canberra poisonings of 2012 and 2014 before turning to the case that captivated the world: the Erin Patterson mushroom lunch. They explore the biology of Amanita phalloides, how these toxic mushrooms found their way into Australia, the investigations that followed, and why a simple foraging mistake can have devastating consequences.

From accidental poisonings to one of Australia's most infamous criminal cases, this episode uncovers the deadly history of the world's most notorious mushroom.


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