History Or Hoarding? With Annabel Crabb

Episodes

• The unfortunate incident 27.05.2026 25m

  Every hoarder's nightmare… SMASHING an irreplaceable, precious antique. Annabel Crabb pieces together the tale of prospector Bernhardt Holtermann.  Gold Rush mogul. Early photography enthusiast. He found Australia's largest reef gold nugget (153kg!) and produced the world's biggest wet plate glass negative. Then something very bad happened. This episode's speakers: Margot Riley - Curator  Louise Anemaat — Executive Director, Library and Information Services and Dixson Librarian The photo for this episode is courtesy of State Library of NSW. Search for the Holtermann Collection in the SLNSW online catalogue. Presenter: Annabel Crabb Researcher: Julia O'Shea Audio Engineer: Harvey O'Sullivan Supervising Producer: Rachael Cusick Executive Producers: Eric George and Carmel Rooney Head of Audio on Demand: Jessica Radburn   To hear the rest of the History Or Hoarding? podcast series, or for more of the best history podcasts covering Australian history, global history including war, politics, literature and some of the most interesting people, moments and turning points in history, go to ABC listen Australia's history tab or the ABC Australia channel or wherever you get your podcasts. To add the History Or Hoarding? podcast to your playlist, just tap 'favourite' or 'follow' on your app and you'll never miss an episode.
• The giggle twins 20.05.2026 27m

  Violating the "quiet" rule. The extraordinary, hilarious, heart-warming story of two young Indigenous trainee library curators who started on the same day at the Library 35 years ago, and became best friends, found hidden stories on everything from the First Fleet to the Freedom Ride and as Annabel Crabb learns, revolutionised the State Library of NSW collections forever. This episode's speakers: Melissa Jackson - Librarian, Indigenous Engagement Branch Ronald Briggs - Senior Librarian, Indigenous Collections The photo for this episode is courtesy of photographer Daniel Boud. Presenter: Annabel Crabb Researcher: Julia O'Shea Audio Engineer: Harvey O'Sullivan Supervising Producer: Rachael Cusick Executive Producers: Eric George and Carmel Rooney Head of Audio on Demand: Jessica Radburn To hear the rest of the History Or Hoarding? podcast series, or for more of the best history podcasts covering Australian history, global history, including war, politics, literature and some of the most interesting people, moments and turning points in history, go to ABC listen Australia's history tab or the ABC Australia channel or wherever you get your podcasts.
• The strong room 13.05.2026 29m

  Long before the Internet introduced us to twinks and furries, the Victorian era had explored 'scandalous' gay porn via explicit love letters between men. The Library locked such filth away, lest it corrupt the people, yet curiously, simultaneously chose to preserve it. Annabel Crabb finds an erotic literary treasure, penned by Oscar Wilde's most famous and tumultuous lover, that was lost in the vaults for a century. This episode's speakers: Margot Riley — Curator Maggie Patton — Head of Collection Acquisition & Curation Richard Neville — Mitchell Librarian Damien Webb — Manager of the Indigenous Engagement Branch Search for Letter to Maurice Schwabe from Lord Alfred Douglas 1893 in the SLNSW collection. Presenter: Annabel Crabb Researcher: Julia O'Shea Audio Engineer: Harvey O'Sullivan Supervising Producer: Rachael Cusick Executive Producers: Eric George and Carmel Rooney Head of Audio on Demand: Jessica Radburn To hear the rest of the History Or Hoarding? podcast series, or for more of the best history podcasts covering Australian history, global history, including war, politics, literature and some of the most interesting people, moments and turning points in history, go to ABC listen Australia's history tab or the ABC Australia channel or wherever you get your podcasts. To add the History Or Hoarding? podcast to your playlist, just tap 'favourite' or 'follow' on your app and you'll never miss an episode.
• Australia’s greatest coin heist 06.05.2026 27m

  A charming restaurateur, ballroom dancer, coin collector and porn aficionado. A closely-guarded trove of colonial gold coins in the William Dixson collection. A daring heist! Annabel Crabb dives into the obsessive world of numismatics and finds the history of Australian currency is full of crooks. This episode's speakers: Jim Noble - Numismatist Julia O'Shea - ABC Researcher Oral History Librarian Rosie Block interviews librarian Joy Storie, 2005 What happened to the coins? The 23 coins and dies allegedly stolen by David Gee were discovered in 1982 by a caretaker cleaning out a storeroom at an apartment block where Gee had lived. They were returned to the Library in December 1982 under armed escort. A detailed listing of the Sir William Dixson numismatic collection is available in the SLNSW online catalogue. Presenter: Annabel Crabb Researcher: Julia O'Shea Audio Engineer: Harvey O'Sullivan Supervising Producer: Rachael Cusick Executive Producers: Eric George and Carmel Rooney Head of Audio on Demand: Jessica Radburn To hear the rest of the History Or Hoarding? podcast series, or for more of the best history podcasts covering Australian history, global history, including war, politics, literature and some of the most interesting people, moments and turning points in history, go to ABC listen Australia's history tab or the ABC Australia channel or wherever you get your podcasts. To add the History Or Hoarding? podcast to your playlist, just tap 'favourite' or 'follow' on your app and you'll never miss an episode.
• A very drunk history 29.04.2026 27m

  The grim history behind the NSW State Library's doors. Opened in 1826, exclusively to the rich white men who could pass a secret "blackballing" test, the doors were redesigned during World War II to depict Indigenous people. But their origin story is wild, as Annabel Crabb discovers. This episode's speakers: Damien Webb — Manager of the Indigenous Engagement Branch Richard Neville — Mitchell Librarian You can see the bronze doors at the Mitchell Library on Shakespeare Place in Sydney, or by searching for SLNSW portico doors. Presenter: Annabel Crabb Researcher: Julia O'Shea Audio Engineer: Harvey O'Sullivan Supervising Producer: Rachael Cusick Executive Producers: Eric George and Carmel Rooney Head of Audio on Demand: Jessica Radburn   To hear the rest of the History Or Hoarding? podcast series, or for more of the best history podcasts covering Australian history, global history, including war, politics, literature and some of the most interesting people, moments and turning points in history, go to ABC listen Australia's history tab or the ABC Australia channel or wherever you get your podcasts. To add the History Or Hoarding? podcast to your playlist, just tap 'favourite' or 'follow' on your app and you'll never miss an episode.
• I found a hair in my library 22.04.2026 26m

  Plagued by the question "Am I a hoarder?" journalist Annabel Crabb visits Australia's oldest library and learns that her own issues with 'collecting' historical items are MINOR. The State Library of NSW is known for books, but its underground vaults are teeming with oddities: Bits of Henry Lawson. Military antiques. HUMAN HAIR! This episode's speakers: Maggie Patton - Head of Collection Acquisition & Curation Louise Anemaat - Executive Director, Library and Information Services and Dixson Librarian Richard Neville - Mitchell Librarian Damien Webb - Manager of the Indigenous Engagement Branch  Search for this episode's treasures in the SLNSW collection: Mary Shelley Lock of hair 1851  Portraits of John and Harriet Blaxland attached to ropes of plaited hair - 1880s Sir Charles FitzRoy c 1855 - Henry Robinson Smith Bicorn, or cocked hat, belonging to Matthew Flinders ca. 1800 A Young Mount Pitt bird - Sydney Bird Painter 1792 An Aboriginal Man 1810-1821? - Unknown  To hear the rest of the History Or Hoarding? podcast series, or for more of the best history podcasts covering Australian history, global history including war, politics, literature and some of the most interesting people, moments and turning points in history, go to ABC listen Australia's history tab or the ABC Australia channel or wherever you get your podcasts. To add the History Or Hoarding? podcast to your playlist, just tap 'favourite' or 'follow' on your app and you'll never miss an episode. Presenter: Annabel Crabb Researcher: Julia O’Shea Audio Engineer: Harvey O’Sullivan Supervising Producer: Rachael Cusick Executive Producers: Eric George and Carmel Rooney Head of Audio on Demand: Jessica Radburn
• INTRODUCING History Or Hoarding? With Annabel Crabb 08.04.2026 5m

  Annabel Crabb — who personally struggles to declutter, just ask Annabel's husband — visits Australia's oldest library and immediately feels better about her own habits. Above ground, this place is all books. But below? There are letters, maps, old restaurant menus, military antiques, coin collections, stamps, walking sticks, an upsetting amount of HUMAN HAIR, and — most importantly — some incredible stories that capture our history in unique ways. Join Annabel as she dives into the secret stacks and collections of Australia's oldest library, State Library of NSW, uncovering strange, forgotten and fascinating National treasures. Episode 1 of the podcast will be available from 22 April 2026, tap 'favourite' or 'follow' now to add it to your podcast playlist on the ABC listen app, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presenter: Annabel Crabb Researcher: Julia O'Shea Audio Engineer: Harvey O'Sullivan Supervising Producer: Rachael Cusick Executive Producers: Eric George and Carmel Rooney Head of Audio on Demand: Jessica Radburn