In the grip of a crippling drought in the 1960s, Alice Springs sees an economic lifeline when America promises to build a 'space base' on the edge of town. But once Pine Gap's bizarre, oversized golf ball-like structures are finally built, mysterious things start happening - the 'space base' isn't quite what it seems.

02 Spies in the Outback | Politics, pressure and protest

Season 6 Expanse: The Nannup Four with Dominique Bayens

In 2007 four people disappeared from a blue farmhouse on the outskirts of the Western Australian town of Nannup, leaving behind the scatterings of a life, a note pinned to the door and a question: was the disappearance a choice… or murder?

As police and family try to piece the puzzle together to find the Nannup Four, what emerges is a bizarre story of secrets, hidden identities and rumours of a dark online cult.

In season six of ABC's award-winning Expanse podcast, host Dominique Bayens investigates the unsettling circumstances around the disappearance, speaking to the people left behind - who still question what they could have done differently. 

Because when something like this happens, and you're left staring back, how do you live with the choices you've made?

Expanse is an internationally award-winning podcast that explores big stories from across Australia — a vast continent where anything can happen.

In Series 5: Nowhere Man, Erin Parke followed the story of a young American who dumped his bicycle and walked out into the Great Sandy Desert in remote northern Australia. He was an Alaskan firefighter, seemingly with everything to live for. So why did he risk it all to go into the wilderness alone? And how do you search for someone who doesn't want to be found?

In Series 4: Uncropped, host Danielle O'Neal goes from a mosquito-laden lagoon in far north Queensland to the Australian government's classified UFO files, to the US Congress as she seeks to understand what happened, its legacy and why believable people say seemingly unbelievable things.

Spies in the Outback (Series 3) won the Excellence in Radio Broadcasting award at the Northern Territory Media Awards in 2024 for the story of Pine Gap, a secret US/Australian defence base hidden in the outback.

From the Dead (Series 2) won silver in the Documentary: History category at the New York Radio Festival awards. It delves into a wild tale of survival at sea off Tasmania's rugged southwest coast.

Pink Diamond Heist (Series 1) was shortlisted in the New York Radio Awards, Documentary: History category. This season takes you on a rollicking ride through Western Australia on the trail of a diamond heist.