On June 23rd, 2000, just after midnight, Robert Paul Long set fire to the Childers Palace Backpackers Hostel in Queensland. He had recently been evicted for not paying his rent and in his anger, he sparked a tragedy.

There were 84 travellers in the hostel that night. They woke up gasping for air and choking on smoke in the pitch-black darkness.

15 people lost their lives, making this one of the deadliest fires in Australian history. Our guest, journalist Paul Cochrane, interviewed the survivors. In many instances, he was the only interview they gave.

Listen to Paul’s podcast Childers here.

Email us at truecrime@mamamia.com.au or send us a voice note to give us feedback or suggest a case for the podcast.

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CREDITS

Guests: Paul Cochrane

Host: Gemma Bath

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

GET IN TOUCH

Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review.

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What started as a typical sleepover in Wisconsin in 2014 turned into one of the most chilling true crime stories in America.

Twelve-year-olds Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier lured their friend, Payton "Bella" Leutner, into the woods with a plan to kill her as a sacrifice to Slender Man, the creepy internet figure.

Both girls were charged as adults in a case that stunned the world.

Now, with Morgan’s 2025 release from psychiatric care, the case is back in the spotlight, except this time we’re having conversations the media steered clear of at the beginning.

Why did this happen? How did this happen? And what was going on mentally and psychologically for those two little girls?

You can read Kathleen's book Slenderman: A Tragic Story of Online Obsession and Mental Illness here.

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Subscribe to Mamamia

CREDITS

Guests: Kathleen Hale

Host: Gemma Bath

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

GET IN TOUCH

Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at truecrime@mamamia.com.au or send us a voice note, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP.

Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review.

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The disappearance of The Beaumont Children is burned into the collective conscious of Australia. It’s one of the longest-running cases in the nation’s history and has baffled law enforcement for more than half a century.

Stuart Mullins grew up down the road from the Beaumont children in Adelaide. Over the years he has researched and co-authored investigative writing into their disappearance. He walks us through the case, and why he believes he knows just who is responsible for the disappearance of Jane, Arnna and Grant on Australia Day in 1966.

For photos, maps and further details on the case you can join our closed Facebook group dedicated to the podcast. Just search for True Crime Conversations on Facebook.

GUEST: Stuart Mullins
HOST: Jessie Stephens
PRODUCER: Elise Cooper

RESEARCH

• The Satin Man: Uncovering the mystery of the Beaumont Children, Alan Whiticker and Stuart Mullins https://bit.ly/2leQGNx
• Mother of missing Beaumont children, Nancy Beaumont, dies aged 92 - ABC News https://ab.co/2lfjDsE
• The Beaumont Children: What Really Happened, Channel 7 https://bit.ly/2lNMVyE
• The Beaumont Children Mystery: Crime Investigation Australia, Channel 7 https://bit.ly/2mIlwyu
• Beaumont children search: Police end today’s dig, having found no human remains, The Adelaide Advertiser https://bit.ly/2lbGUvr

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Email the show at truecrime@mamamia.com.au

True Crime Conversations is a podcast by Mamamia. Find more shows here https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.