Whooshkaa launches true crime podcast, Ghost Gate Road

Staff Writer

There’s another true crime podcast in the mix, with Australia’s Whooshkaa launching Ghost Gate Road.

The podcast is the work of award-winning author and journalist Matthew Condon,

Ghost Gate Road grew out of Condon’s investigation into the murders of Barbara McCulkin and her two young daughters in 1974 in the aftermath of the firebombing of Brisbane’s Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub. 15 people died in the flames.

Condon has spent more than 10 years investigating the dark side of the sunshine state, peeling back layers of organised crime and corruption in Queensland and New South Wales, and piecing together evidence from hundreds of interviews.

A fresh inquest into the Whiskey Au Go Go firebombing is imminent, and Ghost Gate Road uncovers fresh details behind that tragedy. It also explains how Vincent O’Dempsey, “one of Australia’s most sadistic killers”, operated under the radar of law enforcement for decades.

Condon’s podcast opens up O’Dempsey’s personal and criminal life, from the formation of a psychopath in the Queensland country town of Warwick to his evolution as the most feared gangster in the Australian criminal underworld.

Condon’s research will take listeners to the real Ghost Gate Road, where he pins down the legend that O’Dempsey created a private graveyard to bury his victims.

Hedley Thomas, himself a Walkley Award winner for his true-crime podcast The Teacher’s Pet, said Condon is one of Australia’s most gifted storytellers.

“He is the journalist I always ask first when I’m seeking inspiration in the crafting of podcast episodes and long-form stories.

“Matt’s remarkable new podcast Ghost Gate Road, about a remorseless killer who terrified hundreds and snuffed out the lives of perhaps dozens of victims, is harrowing and addictive.

“Matt’s exceptional eye for detail, his empathy and his rare talent as an elegant wordsmith and now a narrator for audio are showcased brilliantly in this powerful story from his home state.”

He said the podcast was “utterly chilling”.

Episode 1 of Ghost Gate Road is available now on all podcast platforms.

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