Forgotten Australia

Dead Men Don’t Fill Out Census Forms – Part One: Murder at Scrubby Creek

Forgotten Australia

Show Notes

A shocking early result of our first national census was... murder! In 1911, a Cloncurry census collector's investigations into an unreturned form turned up a dead man, burned to bones in the vastness of the Never Never. But this cold-blooded crime was very likely not the killer's first murder – nor his last.

Get a supporter free trial here: Patreon: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia Apple: apple.co/forgottenaustralia

Forgotten Australia is created and hosted by Michael Adams, author of the acclaimed true crime books The Murder Squad, Hanging Ned Kelly and They'll Never Hold Me. He’s also a regular history commentator on ABC Nightlife and the podcast Australian True Crime.

Michael's books: They’ll Never Hold Me: https://www.booktopia.com.au/they-ll-never-hold-me-michael-adams/book/9781923046474.html The Murder Squad: https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-murder-squad-michael-adams/book/9781923046504.html Hanging Ned Kelly: https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922992185.html Australia’s Sweetheart: https://www.booktopia.com.au/australia-s-sweetheart-michael-adams/book/9780733640292.html

Email: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More from Forgotten Australia

Oct 22, 2026

In August 1955, Sydney was suddenly under threat from a rogue plane. Had it really taken off by itself? Would it crash into the city? What were the RAAF doing about it?

Oct 18, 2026

I'm launching a new true crime podcast called Australian Murder. Here's the lowdown.

Oct 16, 2026

Who was Musquito, the Aboriginal warrior feared by colonists in Sydney and Tasmania? Historian Naomi Parry Duncan's new book takes us behind the myths for a better understanding of this remarkable man. But Musquito: The Real Story of a Legendary Colonial Warrior is much more than a biography – it also tells the entwined stories of Naomi's own colonial ancestors.

Oct 12, 2026

Having successfully toured Australian cities with Frankenstein, Professor Hornburg invents a new machine man that uses a new energy source. But he and his creation – called Adam Iron, first man of iron – will have to share the limelight with a snake charmer and his nest of vipers. Two showmen scientists. Deadly serpents and an infernal machine. What could possibly go wrong?

Oct 9, 2026

Just as the Iron Outlaw Ned Kelly is going to the gallows, Australians are astonished by a walking automaton called ‘Frankenstein - The Steam Man’. Professor Hornburg’s invention is intriguing, ingenious and imaginative. But is it really ‘the greatest piece of mechanism in the universe’? How much is science and how much is showmanship? To put it bluntly: Is Hornburg a Humbug? Step right this way and all will be revealed! All true and all bizarre, this is a strange parable for our own age of Gods and Monsters.

See all episodes →