If These Trees Could Talk

 The Dismantling of an International Sex Trafficking Network   This episode begins in Cairns, Queensland, and follows the international child exploitation case involving Peter Truong and Mark Newton. From encrypted hard drives to coordinated cross-border law enforcement, this is the story of how a global trafficking network was exposed and dismantled. At a time when the handling of high-profile se...

In this second and final part of our conversation, and the first episode of What Would They Say, Rob reflects on the life that followed those two days in 1977 and the quiet, complicated aftermath of surviving something so public and so traumatic. He speaks about the years that came after the siege in Wooreen, Victoria, the lingering impact of being taken hostage by escaped gunman Edwin John Eastwo...

A Classroom Kidnapping in Rural Victoria. In February 1977, Rob Hunter was just 20 years old and nine days into his first teaching role when an armed gunman entered his classroom at Wooreen, Victoria. Rob and nine students were taken hostage. In part one of this two-episode conversation, Rob recounts the events of that day and the responsibility placed on him in an unfolding crisis. Content note:...

Many men are taught how to be strong — but not how to be supported. In this episode, we sit down with Dan Repacholi, Federal Member for the Hunter and Special Envoy for Men’s Health, for a deeply personal conversation about shame, responsibility, resilience, and vulnerability. Drawing on his own experiences and public role, Dan reflects on identity, pressure, and the quiet courage it takes to ask...

Words for the Year, Wildlife Encounters, Survival, Growth and Momentum  A new season of If These Trees Could Talk begins in the space between presence and momentum. In this season-opening episode, we share our words for the year, introduce the evolving direction of the podcast, and welcome a new branch of storytelling. Through Australian wildlife encounters, survival instincts, and the symbolism o...

This episode marks the Season 2 finale of If These Trees Could Talk — a pause at the end of a long, heavy, meaningful year. We’re reflecting on the places we’ve walked, the stories that found us, and the moments that changed how we see the world. Some of this year unfolded quietly, some of it hit hard, and not all of it came with neat answers, but every step left its mark. This is also our thank y...

This episode asks a simple question with a definitive answer: What does showing up really look like? From the rolling hills of Deepwater to the everyday Australian homes where people quietly fight their battles, we explore how connection can be a shield, a comfort, and sometimes the difference between holding on and letting go. We’re joined by Stuart O'Neill — Suicide Prevention Advocate, Public S...

The horror of John Price’s murder sent shockwaves through Aberdeen and across Australia. In this final episode, we follow the case from Knight’s arrest to her courtroom, exploring the psychological assessments, her personality disorder diagnosis, and the intense public scrutiny that followed. We also look inside her life in prison; where she’s both feared and respected and consider the wider lesso...

Part two of this shocking story is about the brutal murder of John Price — a killing so gruesome it shocked even the most seasoned investigators. We trace the final, terrifying days leading up to his death, when obsession turned to rage and love curdled into violence. Through police reports, witness accounts, and psychological insights, we reconstruct the night Katherine Knight crossed the final l...

Before she became Australia’s most infamous female killer, Katherine Knight was a child shaped by chaos, violence, and neglect. Part one of this 3 part series dives deep into her early years — from a brutal and scandalous family history to a childhood marked by trauma and cruelty. We explore the people, places, and patterns that molded her: the violent home she grew up in, her disturbing fascinati...

In this episode, we’re pulling up a seat around the campfire to share some of Australia’s eeriest stretches of asphalt. From the ghostly lights that chase drivers along Lemon Tree Passage Road, to the whispered tales of the Street with No Name in Glebe, and the long, lonely expanse of the Newell Highway where travellers have reported seeing things that defy explanation, these are the roads where t...

High in the Blue Mountains, the road at Mount Victoria Pass twists steep and narrow through rock and mist. By day, it’s breathtaking. But by night, it carries a darker reputation. Travelers whisper of a woman’s ghost drifting through the fog. Her story etched into the stones of the pass nearly two centuries ago. This is the story of Caroline Collits. A child of the early colony whose short life wa...

In honour of World Suicide Prevention Day, we share the story of Don Ritchie, the “Angel of The Gap,” whose quiet compassion saved hundreds of lives. We explore what it really means to be present for someone in crisis, and how connection can be life-saving. We also look at the real-life Patch Adams, the man behind the movie and why he challenged Hollywood’s portrayal of mental illness. Along the w...

In this episode, we head to Beowa National Park, to uncover the lesser-known stories behind one of Australia’s most infamous colonial figures, Benjamin Boyd- whose dicey legacy is literally etched into the landscape.  We explore a life of ambition, influence, and wealth—and the human cost that history has often left unrecorded. From the lives of South Sea Islanders coerced into labor to the whitew...

From defying his millionaire father to racing in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, Peter Warner lived a life that refused to follow the map. His life reads like fiction - except every word is true. In this episode, we follow the remarkable journey of the man who rescued six Tongan boys from the island of ‘Ata - a story that made headlines around the world. But that was just one part of a life spent...

What does it really take to live close to the land, to find strength in stillness, and resilience in simplicity? In this episode, we are joined by Eva Angophora — a rewilding facilitator, ancestorial skills practitioner, and deep believer in nature as teacher. Eva feels most at home outdoors, immersed in the rhythms of the wild: foraging, building, tanning hides, and guiding others back to connect...

Hidden deep in Tasmania’s remote west coast, Sarah Island was once one of the most feared penal settlements in the Australian colonies. Surrounded by dense wilderness and raging seas, it was a place of secondary punishment — a last stop for the resisters who refused to fall in line. In this episode, we are joined by Kiah Davey from the Round Earth Company to take a closer look at the history of Sa...

During our recent trip to Tasmania, we had a surprising highlight.  Our hike to The Confluence — the meeting place of two rivers — and what we found was confronting. The Queen River, once flowing clear through the Tasmanian wilderness, is now known as Australia’s most polluted waterway.   Decades of mining in Queenstown left more than a scar on the land — they poisoned the water, stripped the hill...

In the vast, unforgiving landscape of outback Australia, strange lights have been appearing for over a century, hovering, following, and vanishing without a trace.  In this episode, we head deep into the red desert to explore the legend of the Min Min lights.

In this episode we step into the truth of our History, tracing the events of June 1838, when 28 unarmed Wirrayaraay people were brutally murdered at Myall Creek Station. We explore what happened, how it happened, and the long shadow it cast over the nation, one that still lingers today. This episode was recorded during Reconciliation Week. It is in our act of remembering, reckoning and honoring tr...

In this episode, we join Anne and Renata from Newcastle Ghost Tours, legends of the Aussie paranormal scene, for an after-dark investigation of Tomago House.  Nestled deep in the wetlands, this grand colonial homestead has seen nearly two centuries of ambition, heartbreak, resilience. Built by barrister and reformer Richard Windeyer, and kept alive by the unbreakable will of his wife Maria, Tomago...

Join us as we explore the natural beauty and charm of Patonga and then dive into the darker waters of its history. Because not far from this picture-perfect shoreline, its waters once gave up a secret it had been holding onto for years: a man strapped to a steel crucifix, known only as Rack Man. In this episode, we unravel the eerie mystery that ties this unsolved murder to the river’s depths, and...

In every corner of history, desperation has driven women into impossible choices. From the lonely banks of the Paterson River to the locked wards of the Newcastle Industrial School. From whispered agreements on Oakhampton Road to courtroom trials designed to shame. We trace the hidden stories of women like Ada Murray and Mary Ann Hughes. We look back, not because history is a lesson, but because i...

A UNESCO World Heritage listed wonder where dramatic mountains meet turquoise lagoons, and time seems to slow down. Just 11 kilometres long and home to only a few hundred lucky residents, Lord Howe feels like stepping into another world, rich with rare wildlife, untouched beaches, and incredible coral reefs. I share our adventures, including our brush with fame on the tarmac as well as our discove...

In this episode, we uncover the forgotten stories of the first plague victims, the struggles of Sydney’s working poor, and the city’s sluggish response to a looming health crisis. As we look back, we ask: what has really changed? From 1900 to 2019, from the Black Death to COVID—have we learned from history, or are we doomed to repeat it?