If These Trees Could Talk
With a deep-rooted passion for the forest, Shannon emotionally and hilariously guides listeners on a captivating exploration of the past, uncovering the forgotten narratives and hidden treasures buried beneath the earth’s surface. Shannon ventures into the realms of adventure, history, crime and unexplained phenomena. She pays homage to the wisdom of the land and its original custodians, honoring their deep connection to the earth and the timeless stories etched into its soil. Listen closely, for amidst the rustling leaves and whispering winds, the secrets of the past are waiting to be revealed. Welcome to ”If These Trees Could Talk.”
Episodes
30 minutes ago
Remembering the Myall Creek Massacre
30 minutes ago
30 minutes ago
In this episode we step into the truth of our History, tracing the events of June 1838, when 28 unarmed Wirrayaraay people were brutally murdered at Myall Creek Station. We explore what happened, how it happened, and the long shadow it cast over the nation, one that still lingers today.
This episode was recorded during Reconciliation Week. It is in our act of remembering, reckoning and honoring truth-telling, that we bring you this episode and the personal reflection that accompanies it.
Trigger Warning: Some content may be distressing. Please listen with care. This episode contains the names and experiences of Aboriginal people who have passed.
Sunday May 25, 2025
Tomago House
Sunday May 25, 2025
Sunday May 25, 2025
In this episode, we join Anne and Renata from Newcastle Ghost Tours, legends of the Aussie paranormal scene, for an after-dark investigation of Tomago House.
Nestled deep in the wetlands, this grand colonial homestead has seen nearly two centuries of ambition, heartbreak, resilience. Built by barrister and reformer Richard Windeyer, and kept alive by the unbreakable will of his wife Maria, Tomago House is more than a relic of the past. It’s a place where stories linger and, if you listen closely, where whispers of its former residents can still be heard through the silence.
Sunday May 11, 2025
Patonga and the The Rack Man Mystery
Sunday May 11, 2025
Sunday May 11, 2025
Join us as we explore the natural beauty and charm of Patonga and then dive into the darker waters of its history. Because not far from this picture-perfect shoreline, its waters once gave up a secret it had been holding onto for years: a man strapped to a steel crucifix, known only as Rack Man. In this episode, we unravel the eerie mystery that ties this unsolved murder to the river’s depths, and to the tranquil little town we thought we knew.
Sunday Apr 27, 2025
A Woman's Body is not a Lesson
Sunday Apr 27, 2025
Sunday Apr 27, 2025
In every corner of history, desperation has driven women into impossible choices.
From the lonely banks of the Paterson River to the locked wards of the Newcastle Industrial School. From whispered agreements on Oakhampton Road to courtroom trials designed to shame. We trace the hidden stories of women like Ada Murray and Mary Ann Hughes.
We look back, not because history is a lesson, but because it is a mirror.
Sunday Apr 13, 2025
Travel Diary - Lord Howe Island
Sunday Apr 13, 2025
Sunday Apr 13, 2025
A UNESCO World Heritage listed wonder where dramatic mountains meet turquoise lagoons, and time seems to slow down. Just 11 kilometres long and home to only a few hundred lucky residents, Lord Howe feels like stepping into another world, rich with rare wildlife, untouched beaches, and incredible coral reefs.
I share our adventures, including our brush with fame on the tarmac as well as our discovery of the Catalina A24-381 flying boat wreck — a haunting piece of history linked to Rathmines, not far from my own backyard.
It’s a place of natural wonders, and a reminder of just how extraordinary our corner of the world can be.
Sunday Mar 30, 2025
The Bubonic Plague Hits Sydney
Sunday Mar 30, 2025
Sunday Mar 30, 2025
In this episode, we uncover the forgotten stories of the first plague victims, the struggles of Sydney’s working poor, and the city’s sluggish response to a looming health crisis. As we look back, we ask: what has really changed? From 1900 to 2019, from the Black Death to COVID—have we learned from history, or are we doomed to repeat it?
Sunday Mar 16, 2025
Q Station
Sunday Mar 16, 2025
Sunday Mar 16, 2025
For over 150 years, Manly’s Q Station served as a quarantine site for those arriving in Australia, isolating the sick to prevent deadly diseases from spreading. Thousands of people passed through its doors, many never leaving, their final moments spent in its eerie hospital wards and secluded burial sites. Today, its historic sandstone buildings and abandoned corridors stand as a chilling reminder of its haunted past, with countless stories of ghostly encounters and unexplained phenomena.
We experienced this history firsthand on a ghost tour, walking through the shadowy hallways and dimly lit rooms where spirits are said to linger. From strange whispers in the darkness to sudden drops in temperature, the atmosphere was thick with an unsettling energy. Whether it was our imagination or something truly otherworldly, one thing was certain—Q Station’s past is far from silent.
Sunday Mar 02, 2025
Eugenia Falleni - Part 2
Sunday Mar 02, 2025
Sunday Mar 02, 2025
In 1917, Harry was convicted of murdering his first wife, Annie Birkett. The case was sensationalised, his gender identity exploited for scandal, and public discourse was shaped not by justice, but by shock and misunderstanding. At a time when even the most basic conversations about gender were unheard of, Eugene’s life was a painful testament to the cost of forced secrecy.
But as we examine his life and the events that led to that fateful moment, we must ask, how much of this tragedy was shaped by the world around him?
In a society where he could have lived openly, without fear, without persecution, would things have taken a different path? Would his life, and Annie’s, have reached a different ending?
Sunday Feb 16, 2025
Eugenia Falleni - Part 1
Sunday Feb 16, 2025
Sunday Feb 16, 2025
History often remembers its outlaws, its murderers, and its tragic figures, but it rarely asks - what could have been different? In this episode, we step back over a century to tell the story of Eugenia Falleni, who lived a life defined by secrecy, survival, and society’s rigid boundaries. Born in Italy in 1875 and later making his way to Australia, Eugenia lived as Harry Leo Crawford, a transgender man navigating a world that had no language, no acceptance, and no space for the truth of his identity.
Sunday Feb 02, 2025
The Button Man
Sunday Feb 02, 2025
Sunday Feb 02, 2025
For years stories have circulated about a mysterious man who roams Victoria's High Country known only as The Button Man. In this episode we ponder is he actually the Australian version of the Boogie Man as he has often been depicted, with people trying to connect him to the many disapearences in the remote region or is he just a man who we should all really look up to.