
8 episodes

Bondi Badlands SMH & The Age
-
- True Crime
-
-
4.5 • 203 Ratings
-
Bondi Badlands, a new podcast from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, investigates a series of murders and mysterious disappearances of gay men that happened on the southern headland at Sydney's Bondi Beach in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
When a high profile TV newsreader and weatherman disappeared on the Bondi cliff tops on a frigid winter's night in July 1989, it received nationwide news coverage but such a shoddy police investigation that links would not be drawn to a series of other murders at Bondi and across Sydney at the time.
More than a decade later, one police investigator would join the dots, revealing a dark mosaic of murder that would keep unfolding to this day.
-
A Newsreader Vanishes
On a freezing night in July 1989, Ross Warren, a newsreader from WIN TV in Wollongong, NSW, vanishes into thin air on the southern headland at Sydney’s Bondi. After a brief investigation, the case lies dormant for years until a detective at Paddington police station, moved by a bundle of letters from Ross Warren’s mother, picks up the case – and discovers a pattern of horrific violence on the headland.
If you value independent, quality journalism, please subscribe to the SMH or The Age. Thanks for listening and don't forget to check out more of our great podcasts here.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Murder of a Barman
Barman John Russell has just inherited $100,000 and is about to leave Bondi to build a house on his dad's property and travel Australia. But after farewell drinks with his best mate, Russell goes for a cliffside walk, where the 31-year-old gay man is set upon by his killers and hurled to his death.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Blood City
The savage killing on the Bondi clifftops of a Thai man, Kritchikorn Rattanajurathaporn, in July 1990 results in murder convictions for three young men. But as the spree of anti-gay violence and murder escalates across Sydney, the LGBTQ community starts to fight back: from staging a mass demonstration at the gates of state parliament, to street patrols along Oxford Street, to angry activists splattering red paint over public buildings.
More than a decade later, as Detective Sergeant Steve Page reviews the cold cases of the disappearances and murders on the Bondi headland, he begins to join the dots with other killings across Sydney in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Thrill Killers
As Detective Sergeant Steve Page closes in on a group of suspects in the likely murders of Ross Warren and John Russell, a new witness comes forward, one who narrowly escaped being thrown off the Bondi cliffs on a hot summer's night in December 1989. In a walk around the headland with the detective, retracing his steps on that fateful night, the witness returns to the spot where he was nearly hurled over. By suspicious coincidence, it's exactly the same location where John Russell was very likely thrown to his death.
Become a subscriber: our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe https://subscribe.theage.com.au/ or https://subscribe.smh.com.au/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Justice At Last
As a long line of persons-of-interest pass through the Coroners Court, Deputy State Coroner Jacqueline Milledge and Detective Sergeant Steve Page are in no doubt some of these men know the killers of Ross Warren and John Russell, if they aren't themselves the murderers. But was the anti-gay violence perpetrated only by teenagers and young men? According to one policeman’s harrowing account, officers were involved in some of the bashings, and when he tried to make a stand against the violence, he was subjected to a concerted bullying campaign at his station. Former footballer and actor Ian Roberts, our guest in this episode, talks about being attacked himself, and how the anti-gay crime wave of the late 1980s convinced him to postpone coming out.
Become a subscriber: our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe https://subscribe.theage.com.au/ or https://subscribe.smh.com.au/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Coming soon - Bondi Badlands
Launching Saturday October 2, Bondi Badlands, a new podcast from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, investigates a series of murders and mysterious disappearances that happened on the southern headland at Sydney's Bondi Beach in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
When a high profile TV newsreader and weatherman disappeared on the Bondi cliff tops on a frigid winter's night in July 1989, it received nationwide news coverage but such a shoddy police investigation that links would not be drawn to a series of other murders at Bondi and across Sydney at the time.
More than a decade later, one police investigator would join the dots, revealing a dark mosaic of murder that would keep unfolding to this day. Subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Customer Reviews
Very important!
I am so relieved that someone is telling these important stories! I found the narrators voice lacking in feeling, so enjoyed that it was broken up by interviews.
Jumpy timeline
Well spoken but story and timeline jumps all over the place. A lot of characters and guests are introduced and it’s hard to visual it all with the constant back and forth. Definitely not as good as Pong Su or Phoebes Fall.
Stories that need to be told
This reveals Sydney’s ugly underbelly. I remember a male acquaintance being bashed in Centennial park in the late 80s. Looking back, he may well have been the victim of gay hate crime also. :(
I thought the podcast was gripping and terrifying, particularly the testimonies of survivors and policeman who was trying to do the right thing. Thank you for drawing back the curtain on these horrors!