Our Journalists

Bathers branded “indecent” caused such a stir in the 1900s that beach swimming was banned, until one cop swept away the wowsers’ worries.

Edward Hargraves was hailed as a hero for finding gold, but historian Jim Haynes says he was a crook who conned the colony.

Waltzing Matilda is Australia’s best-loved bush ballad, but the term originated as a bawdy joke on the battlefields of Germany.

William O’Meally was a killer, repeat escapee and the last man sentenced to be flogged in Victoria — but time in prison made him a “gentle soul”.

Joan Richmond was a pioneering racing driver at the pinnacle of her sport, until a shocking tragedy stole her love and tore her life apart.

The discovery of Lieutenant James Kennedy’s body in an unnamed grave in France is the final chapter in a remarkable wartime love story.

Laurie Nash’s omission from the Bodyline cricket series was a baffling decision that also ruined his shot at sporting immortality.

It wasn’t another jockey who likely robbed 12-year-old John Kavanagh of the 1865 Melbourne Cup – it was bad spelling.

A tragic fate awaited two rich Aussie adventurers on a quest to find one of the world’s most sacred treasures.

The Victorian brothers who joined an epic treasure hunt after one of them foiled an assassination attempt on Queen Victoria with his umbrella.