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Forgotten Australia

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Rating
★★★★★
4.8
from
112 reviews
This podcast has
421 episodes
Language
English
Explicit
No
Date created
2018/11/16
Latest episode
2026/10/25
Average duration
44 min.
Release period
4 days

Description

Created by Michael Adams, author of The Murder Squad and Hanging Ned Kelly, Forgotten Australia delves deep into bloody crimes, dark histories, unsolved mysteries, eccentric personalities and bizarre happenings that are almost always stranger than fiction. Each episode brings to life people and events that were once known to everyone but are now barely remembered by anyone. Based on intensive original research, Forgotten Australia is crafted with a novelist’s eye for character and detail to create gripping narratives that sound so fresh it's like they're ripped from today's headlines. This is the history you wish you’d been taught in school. You can get early ad-free access and bonus Forgotten Australia episodes by subscribing at Apple or supporting at Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Check latest episodes from Forgotten Australia podcast


The Runaway Plane – Part Two: “Shoot It Down!"
2026/10/25
With the Auster Archer over Sydney, and everyone freaking out, the RAAF scrambles to do something… anything… but their responses are 100% inept and 0% intercept. Luckily, a couple of other Top Guns are ready to fly into the Danger Zone... Be sure to check out my new true crime show Australian Murder. Find it wherever you get your podcasts. See the TV segment on this story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ehAQVhOL3k Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Runaway Plane – Part One: “There’s No Pilot!”
2026/10/22
In 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/forgottenaustralia Apple: apple.co/forgottenaustralia Email: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Introducing Australia Murder
2026/10/18
I'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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Talking History – Musquito: The Real Story of a Legendary Colonial Warrior
2026/10/16
Who 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.html Support Forgotten Australia for a few bucks per month for ad-free early and exclusive bonus episodes. Patreon: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia Apple: apple.co/forgottenaustralia Email: [email protected] Check out my books! They’ll Never Hold Me: https://www.booktopia.com.au/they-ll-never-hold-me-michael-adams/book/9781923046474.html The Murder Squad: https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-murder-squad-michael-adams/book/9781923046504.html Hanging Ned Kelly: https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922992185.html Australia’s Sweetheart: https://www.booktopia.com.au/australia-s-sweetheart-michael-adams/book/9780733640292.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Australian Frankenstein – Part Two: The Infernal Machine
2026/10/12
Having 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/forgottenaustralia Apple: apple.co/forgottenaustralia Email: [email protected] Check out my books! They’ll Never Hold Me: https://www.booktopia.com.au/they-ll-never-hold-me-michael-adams/book/9781923046474.html The Murder Squad: https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-murder-squad-michael-adams/book/9781923046504.html Hanging Ned Kelly: https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922992185.html Australia’s Sweetheart: https://www.booktopia.com.au/australia-s-sweetheart-michael-adams/book/9780733640292.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Australian Frankenstein – Part One: The Steam Man
2026/10/09
Just 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/forgottenaustralia To access via Patreon (and listen on other podcast apps): patreon.com/forgottenaustralia apple.co/forgottenaustralia To see the 1880 'Steam Man' poster: https://cyberneticzoo.com/steammen/1876-steam-man-mechanical-horse-hornburg-australian/ Email: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mysteries of the Sea – Part Three: Beyond Human Knowledge
2026/09/29
In 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mysteries of the Sea – Part Two: Dead Unlucky
2026/09/27
Alongside 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 Knowledge is available now ad-free for Apple and Patreon supporters. Patreon: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia Apple: apple.co/forgottenaustralia Email: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mysteries of the Sea – Part One: More Haste, Less Speed
2026/09/24
In 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 Knowledge are available now ad-free for Apple and Patreon supporters. Use a free trial to hear them now! Patreon: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia Apple: apple.co/forgottenaustralia Email: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Short – The Mystery of the Waratah
2026/09/24
I’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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Short – Good Evening and Welcome to Television: The Real Story Behind An AI Slop Promo
2026/09/15
This week marks the 70th anniversary of regular television broadcasting in Australia. Channel Nine recently 'recreated' the 'Good Evening and Welcome to Television' moment in a fakes-over-facts promo generated by artificial intelligence. In this short, we look at the strange evolution of Australian TV, which started in colonial times. It’s a rich history, and one that deserves better than cheap slop that flattens understanding. 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/forgottenaustralia Apple: apple.co/forgottenaustralia Email: [email protected] Check out my books! They’ll Never Hold Me: https://www.booktopia.com.au/they-ll-never-hold-me-michael-adams/book/9781923046474.html The Murder Squad: https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-murder-squad-michael-adams/book/9781923046504.html Hanging Ned Kelly: https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922992185.html Australia’s Sweetheart: https://www.booktopia.com.au/australia-s-sweetheart-michael-adams/book/9780733640292.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Talking History – Blackbirding: A Reckoning With the Australian Slave Trade
2026/09/07
Blackbirding – A Reckoning with the Australian Slave Trade. We talk about the practices and policies that led to a staggering death toll – and how we don’t remember because our forgetting was engineered by language and laws meant to obscure and hide the true horrors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Australia’s Slave Ship Massacre – Part Three: Confessions of Mass Murderers
2026/09/07
Dr James Patrick Murray kidnaps and kills more people, and goes mad and is nearly murdered himself, before returning to Australia to be acclaimed as a saviour during a smallpox outbreak. But the hero becomes villain overnight when the truth of the massacre is revealed. Yet the doctor – dubbed ‘the worst demon of them all’ – still has diabolical tricks to play. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Australia’s Slave Ship Massacre – Part Two: Shoot Them All
2026/09/06
Dr James Patrick Murray takes the brig Carl to the sunny South Seas and into a heart of darkness beyond the imagination of even Joseph Conrad. In this nightmare of his creation, shooting dozens of defenceless men is only the start of the atrocities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Australia’s Slave Ship Massacre – Part One: Doctor Evil
2026/09/06
Dr James Patrick Murray ranks as one of the most evil characters in Australian history. In September 1871, he ordered the massacre of 70 men that his slavers had kidnapped from Bougainville and imprisoned aboard their ship. In Part One, we look at Dr Murray’s background – and how he became widely hated across Australia long before he became a mass murderer. Originally released in 2021. Re-released to accompany the new Talking History episode called Blackbirding – A Reckoning With the Australian Slave Trade Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Podcast reviews

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4.8 out of 5
112 reviews
★★★★★
Noseroht 2026/08/05
Love this show
Soothing voice, no AI, pays respects to indigenous peoples, elders, and aunties.
★★★★☆
Lyna4290 2026/05/26
Good content
I like the content but can’t get past the narrater’s voice influx and the end of every sentence.
★★★★★
MJB0821 2025/07/30
Excellent!
I have enjoyed the times I’ve heard Michael Adams on Australian True Crime and decided to start his podcast from the beginning. It has not disappointe...
★★★★★
Flyguy459 2025/04/08
Koningdam speaker
Michael tells his stories from his research and is very good!
★★★★★
History fan1 2024/07/25
Best history podcast
I’m not from Australia nor have I been there, but this podcast is so well researched and written it has made me want to visit so I can experience loca...
★★★★★
J16340 2022/11/14
Good Old Fashioned Storytelling
The narrator goes to great lengths to get facts and details that make you truly feel in the moment, like you know the victims or perpetrators. Love th...
★★★★★
GFK16 2022/07/19
Can’t get enough
Not Australian but that does not make these stories any less riveting! I love the author/narrators tone and it is just a joy to hear him tell these pe...
★★★★★
Blossom Teal-Olsen 2022/06/06
Arizona Ryan
I read your story on Arizona Ryan. I am his granddaughter (I was adopted by his daughter late in her life, Martha Elizabeth Ryan) the picture in the a...
★★★★★
TizzieNewton 2022/05/13
Forgotten Australian
Fantastic series, great reader/creator.
★★★★★
Mrs. Gummybear 2022/02/23
What wonderful storytelling
Obviously well researched … great storytelling cadence … interesting blend of historical tales with a bit of true crime blended … a big ole well done ...
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