Imagine a network of secret Cold War bunkers, underground spy headquarters, and hidden corridors large enough to drive through sitting right beneath Australia’s capital city. In this episode of The DownUnder Mystery Club, authors AJ Blythe and Ava Ness travel down into the urban legends of Canberra to unpack the persistent myths surrounding secret underground tunnels running beneath the city’s most iconic institutions.
Listen in as we separate fact from decades of local folklore—exploring mysterious subterranean networks beneath the Australian National University (ANU), the Department of Defence in Russell, and Old Parliament House, alongside a wonderfully weird conspiracy theory about the foundations of the Treasury building being layered with thousands of leftover meat pies from 1927. Then we head into the Mystery Book Club segment to chat about the best mystery novels this underground case brings to mind!
Do you think government officials are navigating hidden subterranean shortcuts beneath the capital, or are these just the pipe dreams of a purpose-built capital? Drop us a comment with your favourite conspiracy tales and current reading recommendations!
[Transcript in post below]
Book Links:
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The Secret of the Lost Tunnel by Franklin W. Dixon
Swamp Spirit by Jana DeLeon
The Italian Secret by Tara Moss
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
How to use psychology to write a best seller with Jennifer Lynn Barnes (podcast)
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References:
ABC News, 2016. ABC explores secret tunnels under Canberra. [Online] Available at: ABC News Special.
Barnes, J.L., 2020. The Inheritance Games. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Canberra Daily, 2022. Underground Canberra: What really lies beneath ANU. [Online] Available at: Canberra Daily ANU.
Canberra Daily, 2023. Underground Canberra: What really lies beneath Parliament House. [Online] Available at: Canberra Daily Parliament House.
Canberra Times, 2024. Canberra’s hidden tunnels and ghostly legends revealed. [Online] Available at: The Canberra Times .
Crabb, A., 2022. The House with Annabel Crabb. [Television Show] Sydney: Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
De Leon, J., 2017. Swamp Spirits. New York: Orion Publishing Group.
Dinniman, M., 2020. Dungeon Crawler Carl. Seattle: Matt Dinniman.
Dixon, F.W., 1929. The Secret of the Lost Tunnel. New York: Grosset & Dunlap.
Region Canberra, 2023. Tunnels under Lake Burley Griffin? More like Swiss cheese. [Online] Available at: Region Media .
Moss, T., 2016. The Italian Girl. Sydney: HarperCollins Publishers Australia.
Reddit, 2016. Are there secret tunnels in Canberra? [Online discussion] Available at: r/canberra thread .