Grave Tales Australia: the series

Once upon a wonder horse

Three men went into a pub … no it is not the start of an Irish joke, but it was the start of a syndicate that would turn racing on its head. This is the story of ‘three bushies’ and a publican who bought a bargain basement priced horse that turned out to be a champion. You may know the grey mare as Gunsynd.

Life at the asylum

Mental asylums were often regarded as feared places of suffering – but for one young girl and her family who lived at the asylum, the inmates provided a fascinating glimpse into the other world of the people who were sent there.

Back from the dead: the man who claimed to be Dan Kelly

Dan Kelly, brother of Ned, died in the 1880 Glenrowan shoot-out with police. So, who was the man living in Ipswich who claimed in 1933 that he was Dan Kelly?

The noose and the hands that shaped it

It was school holidays, December 1921 and 12-year-old Alma Tirtschke left home to run an errand in the heart of Melbourne. She was found the next day murdered. The man accused of her murder, Colin Ross, was hanged after witnesses, who pocketed rewards, lined up to add their testimonies. Eighty-six years later, in 2008, DNA results would find a different conclusion. This is Alma and Colin’s story and how they crossed paths on that fateful day.

The eccentric dreamer - Ben Lexcen

The winged keel wonder – Australia II and the eccentric mind behind it – Ben Lexcen was the man who engineered the only win over the USA at their own game in 132 years.

Murder of the Murphy siblings_cold case

Queensland’s oldest cold case – three Murphy siblings from Gatton were slain late on Boxing Day, their bodies left for all to see. The investigation was hampered by the public destruction of clues, mishandling of evidence and the numerous suspects.

The Land of Lost Children

The drowning of two little girls who were attracted by water lilies in a pond at Walloon, near Ipswich, inspired Henry Lawson to write his classic 1891 poem, The Babies of Walloon. With so much of our art, music and literature sharing the stories of missing youngsters, this story asks the question is Australia the land of lost children?

The Stretcher Bearer's Bluff

How did an unarmed stretcher bearer manage to capture 18 armed German soliders in the trenches of France in World War One? You won't believe it!

The Great Bookie Robbery and the carnage that followed

A $15 million prize was hijacked in what was the nation’s most brazen and probably biggest cash robbery ever. And despite the ruthless criminals involved, no-one was killed in the heist. But when the robbing was over the killing began.

The Ladies' Man: murderer Frederick Deeming

The woman who escaped him was called the ‘uncemented bride’. But those who loved him called him the gentlest of lovers. Several of them were buried under the hearthstone...