Expanse podcast

Expanse

In 1999 a young American 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 2022, host Erin Parke became obsessed with the saga of Robert Bogucki, which became a media circus and prompted everyone involved to think about life, death and who we are when everything easy is stripped away. It's a story that spans three decades, two continents and a bizarre cast of characters. From booty-wearing bloodhounds, to a larger-than-life, cigar-chomping American named Gunslinger, the search for the missing man became a spectacle in itself. In season 5, Expanse: Nowhere Man, Erin sets out to discover why some people are pushed to lose themselves in the wilderness on a search for meaning. At a time when so many of us feel lost, just how far would you go to feel found? New episodes released each Wednesday. Expanse is an internationally award-winning podcast that explores big stories from across Australia — a vast continent where anything can happen. 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.

In 1999 a young American 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 2022, host Erin Parke became obsessed with the saga of Robert Bogucki, which became a media circus and prompted everyone involved to think about life, death and who we are when everything easy is stripped away. It's a story that spans three decades, two continents and a bizarre cast of characters. From booty-wearing bloodhounds, to a larger-than-life, cigar-chomping American named Gunslinger, the search for the missing man became a spectacle in itself. In season 5, Expanse: Nowhere Man, Erin sets out to discover why some people are pushed to lose themselves in the wilderness on a search for meaning. At a time when so many of us feel lost, just how far would you go to feel found? New episodes released each Wednesday. Expanse is an internationally award-winning podcast that explores big stories from across Australia — a vast continent where anything can happen. 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.

 

#32

BONUS Expanse: Nowhere Man | Gunslinger

The search for Robert Bogucki brought together a cast of colourful characters, including a... more

19 Aug 2025

23 MINS

23:29

19 Aug 2025


#31

06 Expanse: Nowhere Man | Lost and found

A quarter of a century after he survived the Great Sandy Desert, Robert Bogucki is back fo... more

05 Aug 2025

33 MINS

33:04

05 Aug 2025


#30

05 Expanse: Nowhere Man | Miracle in the desert

After almost six weeks in the desert, Robert Bogucki is found alive in what quickly become... more

29 Jul 2025

30 MINS

30:18

29 Jul 2025


#29

04 Expanse: Nowhere Man | Alaska

After years obsessing over the case, Erin Parke has made contact with the elusive and enig... more

22 Jul 2025

33 MINS

33:20

22 Jul 2025


#28

03 Expanse: Nowhere Man | The green berets

Robert Bogucki has been given up for dead, but the drama’s only just beginning.  

15 Jul 2025

31 MINS

31:01

15 Jul 2025


#27

02 Expanse: Nowhere Man | Trackers

The clock is ticking to bring Robert Bogucki out of the desert alive, and police turn to A... more

08 Jul 2025

29 MINS

29:07

08 Jul 2025


#26

01 Expanse: Nowhere Man | Ghost in the desert

When a bicycle is found abandoned on a remote track in the Great Sandy Desert it triggers ... more

01 Jul 2025

29 MINS

29:12

01 Jul 2025


#25

INTRODUCING — Expanse: Nowhere Man

It’s 1999, and a young American man is missing in the Australian outback. Police soon real... more

24 Jun 2025

03 MINS

03:00

24 Jun 2025


#24

05 Uncropped | The legacy

A bombshell is dropped in US Congress that makes a lot of people start thinking about UFOs... more

25 Nov 2024

38 MINS

38:36

25 Nov 2024


#23

04 Uncropped | UAP in the USA

Despite an alarming coincidence being uncovered in the government’s UFO files, a young int... more

25 Nov 2024

31 MINS

31:57

25 Nov 2024


#22

03 Uncropped | The UFO files

The Tully phenomena spreads, with unexplained circles starting to crop up around the count... more

25 Nov 2024

35 MINS

35:45

25 Nov 2024


#21

02 Uncropped | Who is visiting?

Hoards of people descend on the Pennisi property to take a look at this ‘saucer nest’, sen... more

18 Nov 2024

35 MINS

35:25

18 Nov 2024