Your lockdown guide to true crime podcasts

Here in Melbourne, Australia like other parts of the world, we are under COVID-19 restrictions. We are allowed to exercise an hour a day, within five kilometres of our home. But that is still plenty of time to binge some compelling true crime podcasts.

Ever since the Serial podcast hit the airwaves in 2015, investigating the murder of Hae Min Lee, we cannot get enough of anything true crime related. The Serial podcast episodes has been downloaded over 80 million times.

I am one of those friends who has between two to five true crime podcasts on the go at anyone time. So I have put together a list of my five favourite true crime podcasts, to help you get through the pandemic.

1. A Perfect Storm - The True Story of The Chamberlains

Lindy Chamberlain was accused of killing her nine week old baby daughter at Uluru in the Northern Territory in 1980. She always said a dingo took her baby. She was charged with the murder of her daughter 'Azaria'. After new evidence came to light, she was eventually released after serving three years in jail. It remains one of the most high profile miscarriages of justice, in Australian legal history.

A Perfect Storm is a podcast from Seven West Media, one of Australia's leading media organisations. The podcast includes several interviews with Lindy and her husband, Michael Chamberlain at the time. The podcast also successfully gained access to previously unheard interviews and police recordings.

2. Bowraville

Bowraville is a podcast which covers the unsolved murders of three aboriginal children, in a small country town in New South Wales named, Bowraville. The three children all disappeared, separably after parties, during 1990-1991.

The podcast is presented by The Australian Newspaper journalist, Dan Box. Dan's investigation delves deep into the rumours and theories surrounding the small town mystery. Bowraville is a must listen.

3. Australian True Crime Podcast

Australian True Crime is a weekly podcast hosted by Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb. Laurie and Webb present interviews with true crime experts, authors, police, victim, victim's families and even some crooks. They cover a lot of well known crimes, as well as highlighting plenty of less known ones. Australian True Crime Podcast is a perfect podcast for your lock-down walks.

4. Murder in Oregon

This is by far my favourite non-Australian true crime podcast. Murder in Oregon is a 12 part podcast series from iHeart Radio, investigating the murder of Oregon Corrections Director, Michael Francke. Francke was found stabbed outside the Department of Corrections office in 1989. Murder in Oregon ticks all the boxes - murder, mystery and corruption.

5. Where's William Tyrrell?

William Tyrrell is a well known name here in Australia. Unfortunately, it is for the wrong reasons. William went missing from his foster grandparents' home in country New South Wales in 2014. William was three years old at the time. He is still missing.

Where's William Tyrrell is a investigative podcast from 10 Speaks, an arm of Network Ten, recently purchased by the CBS TV Network in America. The podcast includes several interviews with William's foster parents, previously not heard before. As well as comprehensive coverage from the police reporter that covered the story from the start, Lia Harris. This podcast is definitely sad, but compelling listening.

Have your say!

What is your favourite style of true crime podcast?