Show Notes
In December 2022, a routine missing persons check in rural Queensland turned into one of the deadliest attacks on police in recent Australian history. Two officers and a neighbouring resident were killed in a violent ambush at a remote property near the small community of Wieambilla.
In this episode, Holly and Matthew walk through the events as they unfolded — from the initial police attendance to the hours-long emergency response that followed. As investigators pieced together what had happened, the scale and planning of the attack became increasingly clear.
This is a careful reconstruction of the incident itself: the timeline, the confrontation, and the aftermath of a tragedy that shocked communities across Australia.
--- Sources used this episode (in appearance order): A Current Affair Staff. (2022, December). Grieving widow remembers hero neighbour husband killed in cop shooting. A Current Affair. Retrieved January 29, 2025, from https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/wieambilla-shooting-grieving-widow-heartbroken-by-treatment-of-husband-s-body-after-police-shooting/9484a2f5-2b10-4fe6-bcc6-d0e410756e76 Read, C. (2023, January 22). “Mum didn’t like guns”: Police killers’ daughter says her parents were gentle. Brisbane Times. Retrieved January 29, 2025, from https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/mum-didn-t-like-guns-cop-killers-daughter-says-her-parents-were-gentle-20230122-p5cell.html Nolan, M., Devon, E., & Burley, M. (2022, December 13). Neighbours describe hearing chilling gun fight “like World War III”. The Chronicle. Retrieved January 29, 2025, from https://www.thechronicle.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-toowoomba/residents-in-chinchilla-and-tara-are-coming-to-terms-with-the-horror-events-that-unfolded-last-night/news-story/e4fbe7f031cac6308037fc561a8429d7 Chamberlin, T., Kyriacou, K., Scott, S., Nolan, M., Philp, J., Devon, E., & Morri, M. (2022, December 17). Qld police shooting: Local cops formed extraction team to save colleagues. The Courier Mail. Retrieved January 29, 2025, from https://www.couriermail.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-qld/qld-police-shooting-local-cops-formed-extraction-team-to-save-colleague/news-story/bff3da3bcc6bfa446f9e6ea583f191b1 Brennan, A. (2022, December 14). Cold-blooded cop killers’ twisted final act after shooting police officers dead. News.com.au. Retrieved January 29, 2025, from https://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/crime/final-act-of-train-trio-who-executed-police-in-wieambilla-qld-siege/news-story/042ba4f3b07e94ff1c5ffe90f83c49fb Sutton, C. (2022, December 15). Our daring dozen. The Daily Mail. Retrieved January 29, 2025, from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11536289/Wieambilla-police-shooting-cops-saved-officer-siege-braved-kill-zones-booby-traps.html Silk. (2022, December 16). “We killed them”: Chilling video emerges of boasting cop killers. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved January 29, 2025, from https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/we-killed-them-chilling-video-emerges-of-boasting-cop-killers/news-story/a0fcf8635f50851ea14b6b2173cd53b1 Gillespie, E. (2022, December 21). Queensland shooting sparking “false flag” conspiracy theories, experts warn. The Guardian. Retrieved January 29, 2025, from https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/21/conspiracists-create-theories-to-avoid-uncomfortable-truth-about-queensland-shooting-expert-says AAP. (2022, December 14). Ambushed police thankful to survive attack. Canberra Daily. Retrieved January 29, 2025, from https://canberradaily.com.au/ambushed-police-thankful-to-survive-attack/ Coroners Court of Queensland. (2025, November 25). Findings of inquest into the deaths at Wieambilla. https://www.coronerscourt.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/888627/Findings-of-inquest-into-the-deaths-at-Wieambilla-Redacted-25.11.2025.pdf Kruk, C., Read, C., & Atfield, C. (2025, December 5). Wieambilla families launch damages claim against Qld, NSW police. Sydney Morning Herald.
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