The Mysteries of Mystery Island — Part One

The Mysteries of Mystery Island — Part One

In 2018 I found and reunited with my biological family, discovering that my people go back to 1842 on Lord Howe Island. On my first visit that Christmas, I became fascinated by the mystery surrounding the early talkie Mystery Island, which was shot on Lord Howe in 1936. Why did its leading man Brian Abbot — who had everything to live for — try to sail to Sydney across the treacherous Tasman Sea in a tiny motor launch? Was he mad, like they said, or was there something else at play?


In the past few months, my investigations have unearthed dozens of startling stranger-than-fiction stories that each shine a different light on this question. So, strap in for an eight-part epic series. You're going to meet Hollywood hopefuls, surf rescuers, plucky canoeists, turf tricksters, war heroes, daredevil aviators, shipwreck survivors and a handful of accused killers. Then there’s one chap who wrestled an octopus, rode sharks, hunted a humpback whale in Sydney Harbour, tried to reel in an Olympic swimming champion and led an expedition to catch a mysterious sea serpent — twice. Underlying all of these dramatic, tragic and comic tales is a haunting question: what role does “the element of luck” play in who lives and who dies?


In Part One, we meet young George Rikard-Bell, who rejected his privileged upbringing to become an adventurer and a conman in the Great Depression — before reinventing himself as the actor Brian Abbot. Part Two will be released on Thursday. Instalments will be out on Mondays after that. But you can binge all eight parts now by becoming a Forgotten Australia supporter for just a few bucks per month — go to: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(318)

Short: Australia's Worst Shipwreck

Short: Australia's Worst Shipwreck

180 years ago this month, Australia suffered what is still our worst civil maritime disaster when the emigrant ship Cataraqui struck a reef off King Island and sank in Bass Strait. Of the 409 aboard, ...

29 Aug 202513min

Short: From Dead Heart to Inland Sea

Short: From Dead Heart to Inland Sea

With Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre now flooded, we look back on the first time this happened in white history. Seventy-five years ago, Australia’s driest and most inhospitable region became a huge inland sea ...

27 Aug 202513min

This Week in 1931: The Man Who Fell To Earth – Part Three

This Week in 1931: The Man Who Fell To Earth – Part Three

Having enjoyed a trifecta of splashy Sydney skydiving successes, Stanley makes a new start in Melbourne only to learn that disasters come in threes.It’s easy to get a free trial that will give you acc...

24 Aug 202553min

This Week in 1931: The Man Who Fell To Earth – Part Two

This Week in 1931: The Man Who Fell To Earth – Part Two

After Stanley Thomas’s rapid rise to parachuting success in Sydney, his career starts to stall with a series of jumps that are erratic and dangerous.*Part Three is available now early and ad-free for ...

21 Aug 202529min

This Week in 1931: The Man Who Fell To Earth – Part One

This Week in 1931: The Man Who Fell To Earth – Part One

Stanley Thomas was a young parachutist who made himself into a star in Sydney in the early years of the Great Depression. In public, he thrilled with his daredevil stunts. In private, he wrestled the ...

17 Aug 202549min

This Week in 1906: The Golden Rule Axe Murder

This Week in 1906: The Golden Rule Axe Murder

When John Hassett was murdered in his Adelaide hotel room, Australia wasn’t faced with a whodunnit but a whydunnit.Why had his wife Ada committed this cold-blooded crime?Is she was insane, what had br...

7 Aug 20251h 6min

The Curious Case of the Two-Headed Baby – Part Two

The Curious Case of the Two-Headed Baby – Part Two

Reuben Doodeward faces court, but he’s not backing down, and neither is the NSW government, with the fight over the fate of the two-headed baby headed for the High Court… and beyond.It’s easy to get a...

27 Jul 202555min

The Curious Case of the Two-Headed Baby – Part One

The Curious Case of the Two-Headed Baby – Part One

In 1906, Australia was scandalised that Sydney showman Reuben Doodeward (pictured) had exhibited a two-headed baby preserved in a bottle of spirits. Yet he was only doing what his dear old dad had don...

21 Jul 202541min

Populært innen Historie

rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
henrettelsespodden
rss-katastrofe
rss-historiske-romanser
rss-benadet
historier-som-endret-norge
rss-nadelose-nordmenn-gestapo
historier-som-endret-verden
sektledere
aftenposten-historie
rss-frontkjemperne
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
rss-gamle-greier
med-egne-oyne
vare-historier
undersattene
historiepodden-ww2
taakeprat
sannhet-eller-konspirasjon
historiepodden