Trial by Water

The Age and Sydney Morning Herald•podcasts.smh.com.au

Trial by Water is an investigative podcast series about Robert Farquharson, who has been locked up for decades for an unthinkable crime: murdering his three sons in a dam on Father’s Day, 2005.

Now scientists and lawyers are asking the question: did we get it wrong? And is this man in prison for a crime he didn’t commit?

Last refreshed: June 30th, 2025 at 5:41 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

Coming soon - the 40/20 NRL podcast

40/20 is a brand new NRL podcast from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. During this year's State of Origin and Finals series we'll be breaking down the biggest stories from across the game with the best journalists and NRL insiders from around the country. We'll be giving you press pass access as we breakdown the latest news, controversy and performances from the biggest matches in the Rugby League calendar. To listen to our episodes as soon as they drop follow 40/20 wherever you listen to ...

May 19, 2025•47 sec

Bonus Episode: Farquharson Inside

Robert Farquharson has now spent nearly two decades in prison for murdering his three sons. We've made multiple requests to Corrections Victoria to interview Farquharson, but each request has been turned down. So today, we turn to two of his longest-standing supporters, who speak to and visit Farquharson regularly, to understand what his life is like on the inside. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Apr 06, 2025•27 min•Season 1Ep. 8

Bonus Episode: The Psych Report

When we first released this podcast, we found a gaping hole in the evidence against Robert Farquharson. It seemed like nobody had done a psychological evaluation of a man who was said to have murdered his three sons out of a desire for revenge. But now, a Freedom of Information request we submitted to police has come back. It turns out there was a psychological report -- of sorts. So what did it say? And what was its effect on the case? Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.a...

Dec 19, 2024•24 min

Bonus Episode: Your questions answered

Since releasing the Trial by Water podcast, we’ve been contacted by a lot of people. Some have wanted to ask questions, some to give feedback – positive and negative – and others to tell their stories. The evidence in this case is so broad-ranging that we couldn’t touch on everything in the series itself. But there are themes to the questions and comments, so in this bonus episode, Trial by Water host Michael Bachelard sits down with the show's executive producer, Ruby Schwartz, to talk through ...

Jul 25, 2024•41 min•Season 1Ep. 6

Episode 5: The Golden Thread

As lawyer Luke McMahon prepares a new fight for Robert Farquharson’s release, we discover something new: that Farquharson and his ex-wife believed that police investigators were trying to pin the crime on him just days after the crash. So would it be a problem if the system had a strong impression, right from the start, that Farquharson was guilty? For exclusive content and additional reporting on the case, available to subscribers of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, visit theage.com.au/tr...

Jul 05, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 5

Episode 4: The Dad Test

In the story of Robert Farquharson, there's one thing that’s hardest to understand: his behaviour in the minutes and hours after the crash. Because on that night, his actions seemed so far outside normal behaviour for a father that the police, the media and the general public all came to the conclusion that he must have murdered his three sons. But is that true? Or is there some other explanation for his unsettling behaviour that night? For exclusive content and additional reporting on the case,...

Jun 28, 2024•58 min•Season 1Ep. 4

Episode 3: Bad Memories

There were two key witnesses in the Robert Farquharson case. The first was Greg King, an old friend of Farquharson, and the story he told provided police with something they desperately wanted for their case - a motive for murder. The other witness, Dawn Waite, came forward four years after the crash. She said she had actually seen Robert Farquharson on the night of the crash, as he was sizing up his exit from the road. But how reliable are they? And how much can we trust our memories? For exclu...

Jun 21, 2024•57 min•Season 1Ep. 3

Episode 2: Strands of the Rope

A day after Robert Farquharson drove his car into the dam with his three sons, the homicide squad took over the investigation. Sceptical of his story and suspecting Farquharson's motive was revenge, they began delving into every aspect of his account. Had he really coughed and passed out? Or would the evidence show he deliberately steered off the road and into the dam to murder his children? For exclusive content and additional reporting on the case, available to subscribers of The Age and The S...

Jun 14, 2024•59 min•Season 1Ep. 2

Trial By Water, Episode 1: Father's Day

On Father’s Day, 2005, Robert Farquharson crashed his car into a dam. He survived, but his three children who were in the car with him didn’t. At first it seemed like a tragic accident. But quickly, it turned into a murder investigation. For exclusive content and additional reporting on the case, available to subscribers of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, visit theage.com.au/trialbywater or smh.com.au/trialbywater. Subscribe now to access the special Good Weekend investigation, which feat...

May 31, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 1

Introducing: Trial by Water

From The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, Trial by Water is a new investigative podcast series about Robert Farquharson, who has been locked up for decades for an unthinkable crime: murdering his three sons in a dam on Father’s Day, 2005. Now scientists and lawyers are asking the question: did we get it wrong? And is this man in prison for a crime he didn’t commit? Episode 1 will arrive on Saturday, June 1. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener f...

May 26, 2024•4 min

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