All Aussie Hour

This week, Mel tells Josie about saltwater crocodiles - those terrifying, dinosaur creatures that inhabit pretty much any body of water you'd fine in the Top End of Australia. Cunning, smart and absolutely ginormous, they've terrorised Aussies forever - but they're pretty cool, if you forget about how they can swallow you whole. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this long-awaited, much-delayed by illness and (technological) misadventure episode, Josie talks Mel through the mysterious origin story of Australia's national dance - The Nutbush. We recorded this as a livestream for our Patreon supporters so if you want to watch us record the next ep, get involved here for just $5 a month: patreon.com/thezestishistory Video of the Nutbush for any non-Aussie...

We're back! We're doing mysteries! It's like All Aussie Mystery Hour except it's not! This episode, Mel takes Josie through The Button Man, a mysterious guy who lives in the Victorian High Country area for periods each year. The thing is, there have also been several eerie disappearances in the same area over the last few years. Cue media suspicion of The Button Man - but is he just a prankster fr...

What is the charge? Eating a meal? Josie takes Mel through the long and convoluted story behind the bloke whose wild arrest in the 1980s went super viral in the 2010s. Loathe zesty chit-chat? head to 26:24. CREDITS PEDESTRIAN.TV 2021 by Courtney Fry & Michael Di Iorio https://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainment/succulent-chinese-meal-guy-investigation/ Reddit thread by cammyjew https://www.reddit....

This week, Mel tells Josie about Shane Warne - one of Australia's greatest cricketers of all time. Shane was also known for his sexcapades, including plenty of sexting, an alleged threesome and a whirlwind romance with none other than Liz Hurley. CREDITS: Ninemsn, 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20071109155241/http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=298635 ABC, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web...

In this episode, Josie tells Mel the chaotic story of Lennie Gwyther, a 9-year-old boy whose parents let him ride his pony Ginger Mick 1000km to Sydney to see the opening of the Harbour Bridge. Shoutout to Nik from the Zest Is History Facebook group for suggesting this yarn! Hate any kind of zest? Skip straight to 20:20. CREDITS: SMH 2015 by Carolyn Webb https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-nineyea...

This week, Mel tells Josie all about the infamous B&S ball - once called Bachelor and Spinster Balls, now often called "Beer & Sex Balls". In the ye olde days, these events were about matchmaking - now, they're kinda a huge debaucherous festival. As always, love us please: Join The Zest Is History Podcast group on FB by searching for "The Zest Is History Podcast" on Facebook. Send us mail!...

CRIKEY, WE'RE BACK! Josie tells Mel the story of one her most favourite people: conservationist, larrikin and family man Steve Irwin. Can she get through it without crying? Probably not! For a bonus video of Josie answering Steve-related questions, head over to our Patreon ! To skip the zest, head straight to 20:45. CREDITS: 1992 Who Magazine article by Peter Castro: https://web.archive.org/web/20...

This week, Josie tells Mel all about the time in 1971 when a mysterious man called Mr Brown called QANTAS HQ and told them there was a bomb on a plane. That was already in the sky. And the bomb would detonate if the plane dropped below 20,000 feet... Wanna skip the zest? Head straight to 27:58. CREDITS: ABC News by Bridget Judd https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-23/qantas-bomb-hoax-1971-the-great...

This week, Mel tells Josie about Toots Holzheimer, Australia's first female truck driver who traversed the chaotic terrain of Far North Queensland (oh, and had like 400 babies while doing so). CREDITS: Toots: Woman in a Man's World by Donna Vawdrey Hooroo! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Part 2 of our second Sydney live show, Mel schools Josie on the most fearsome creature to never exist, the drop bear. You can find the pics for this episode in our Facebook group or on our Instagram page, details below! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, it's the first part of our second Sydney live show! In which Josie tells Mel all about Jessie Hickman, a female bushranger who kicked a supreme amount of ass. You can find the pics for this episode in our Facebook group or on our Instagram page, details below! CREDITS: Blog post by Di Moore https://www.openwriting.com/archives/2009/05/elizabeth_jessi_1.php ABC by Margaret Burin https://...

It's the second part of our first Sydney live show! This week, Josie tells Mel the whole, painfully '00s story of Princess Mary - just a gal from Tassie who ended up at a Sydney pub and happened to hook up with the Crown Prince of Denmark, leading to marriage and some really cute babies. You can find the pics for this episode in our Facebook group or on our Instagram page, details below! CREDITS:...

This week, it's a live recording of our first Sydney show! Mel tells Josie about Beth Maynard, a feisty old-timey gal who had 1,000 husbands and traipsed all over Australia, only to meet an untimely death in Silverton, NSW... was she killed? Or did she die of a broken heart? CREDITS: Odd History, Annie O'Reilly http://www.oddhistory.com.au/outback-south-australia-new-south-wales-queensland-and-the...

MERRY XMAS EVERYONE! As a special holiday treat, Josie tells Mel all about a creepy Icelandic Xmas tradition, the Yule Cat. If you want to see the video of the episode, join our Facebook group by searching The Zest Is History Podcast on FB. CREDITS: https://www.zmescience.com/other/feature-post/christmas-myths-yule-cat/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Josie tells Mel all about Errol Flynn, who left Tassie for the bright lights of Hollywood and ended up becoming a huge (and problematic) movie star in the 1940s. We also filmed the episode for Patreon supporters! Become a supporter at https://www.patreon.com/thezestishistory Can't bear the zest? Head straight to 15:15. CREDITS: Vanity Fair by Julie Miller, 2013 https://www.vanityfair.co...

This week, Mel tells Josie about the Granville rail disaster of 1977, the worst in Australian history with 84 passengers killed. It sparked mass reform across not just rail infrastructure, but the way we treat survivor and responder mental health after a traumatic incident. Credits: BBC article, 17 Jan 2017, no author https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-38645976 ABC article, 14 Jan 2017, Phil...

This week for Spin Us A Yarn, our zesty listener Danika sent us a horrific real-life tale about the cursed Pilliga area of NSW. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Josie tells Mel the tale of Harry Leo Crawford, a man who was actually born Eugenia Falleni in 1875 and whose story is studied by law students today. Wine pairing: 2019 Rocca di Montemassi Calasole Vermentino from the Tuscany wine region of Italy. Want to be boring and skip the zest? Head to 23:40. Credits: ABC Conversations episode from October 25, 2012: https://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/...

This week for Spin Us A Yarn, our zesty listener Karen sent in a story about cute old people that hits harder than The Notebook. Patreon supporters on certain tiers get a video version of this episode! Head to patreon.com/thezestishistory to find out more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Mel tells Josie about Kalkajaka Mountain, a super sacred (and super scary) granite mountain in Queensland where people, cattle and horses have gone missing over the centuries. Wine pairing: A spooky bottle from Supernatural Wine Co called Green Glow. We picked it up on DRNKS. Want to skip the zest? Killjoy. Head straight to 29.00. Credits: ABC, Brendan Mounter and Adam Stephen, 2018 htt...

It's still spooky season, so Josie tells Mel all about the graves that weren't deleted from Devonshire St cemetery - and how they just went ahead and built Central Station on top of them anyway. Wine pairing: Extremely alcoholic Take It To Your Grave Pinot Noir in a can. Want to skip the zest? Killjoy. Head straight to 16:50. Credits: Past Lives of the Near Future https://pastlivesofthenearfuture....

It's spooky season! We're continuing the spooks with Letta Me Out, a haunted doll living in Queensland that enjoys leaving scuff marks on floors and moving of its own accord! Love that for us all. Wine pairing: water because Mel can't get her act together. Want to skip le zest? Then head straight to 35.00. CREDITS: Listverse, Dana Angelo https://listverse.com/2014/04/04/10-freaky-dolls-you-dont-wa...

It's spooky season and aquatic mystery fan Josie is back on her waterlogged bullshit, scaring the bejesus out of Mel with the story of the Alkimos, a haunted shipwreck off the coast of WA. Wine pairing: a not too oaky chardonnay from The Hidden Sea Wines. Want to skip le zest? Then head straight to 22:46. CREDITS: Western Australia for Everyone: http://www.australiaforeveryone.com.au/files/wa/alki...

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussion of abuse and graphic murder. This week, Mel returns the gals to their All Aussie Mystery Hour roots, telling Josie the story of Katherine Knight, who infamously murdered her partner and left behind one of the most horrific crime scenes in Australian history. Credits: Blood and Stain, Peter Lalor 2002 NY Daily News, 2013, Mara Bovsun https://www.nyd...