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In 1931, an ordinary farmhouse on the Isle of Man became the centre of one of Britain's strangest paranormal mysteries.

The Irving family claimed they were being visited by a mysterious creature that called itself Gef—a talking mongoose with a sharp wit, an endless stream of stories, and a habit of appearing just out of sight.

Gef insisted he was "an extra, extra clever mongoose," capable of speaking multiple languages, predicting events, and spying on the neighbours. To some, he was a supernatural entity. To others, an elaborate hoax. Nearly a century later, the debate continues.

In this episode of The Eclectic, we explore the legend of Gef the Talking Mongoose, the investigations that followed, and the evidence that has kept one of Britain's most bizarre mysteries alive.

Because sometimes... the strangest stories are the hardest to explain.

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In Part One, we followed fifteen-year-old friends Marianne Schmidt and Christine Sharrock on what should have been an ordinary summer day at Cronulla Beach—a day that ended in one of Australia's most infamous unsolved murders.

Now, the investigation begins.

From the mysterious teenager known only as "The Surfy" to convicted murderer Alan Bassett, serial killer Christopher Wilder, and Australia's notorious Derek Percy, detectives pursued every promising lead in their search for justice.

We explore the suspects, the missed opportunities, advances in DNA technology, and why, more than sixty years later, the Wanda Beach murders continue to haunt Australian criminal history.

Will this mystery ever be solved?

Join The Eclectic as we conclude our two-part investigation into one of Australia's greatest unsolved cases.

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On a warm January morning in 1965, fifteen-year-old friends Marianne Schmidt and Christine Sharrock boarded a train to Cronulla for what should have been an ordinary day at the beach.

They never came home.

Hours later, the girls vanished into the vast Wanda Sandhills, accompanied by a mysterious teenage boy seen only by Marianne's seven-year-old brother. By the following afternoon, one of Australia's most haunting murder investigations had begun.

In Part One of this two-part series, we follow Marianne and Christine's final journey, uncover the disturbing discovery that shocked Sydney, and examine the enormous police investigation that followed. Thousands of witnesses were interviewed, countless leads were pursued, and a nation became captivated by one question...

Who was the mysterious "Surfy"?

Join The Eclectic as we explore one of Australia's most enduring unsolved mysteries.

🎧 Part Two continues the investigation, examining the suspects, modern DNA evidence and the theories that still divide investigators more than sixty years later.