Seeking Sydney

What to do with a hippopotamus skull? One month ago, four rare animal skeletons were nabbed from The University of Sydney's Haswell Teaching Museum. Despite the best efforts of police, the thieves have yet to be caught. In the latest episode of Seeking Sydney, Max Tillman looked into how such a crime could have occurred and where the missing bones could be.

For years, town hall steps was notorious for being the hangout spot for Sydney’s emo kids...but today, they are nowhere to be seen. Nadine Silva took to the Sydney streets to answer a question sent in by Ellen: “Where did all the emo kids that used to hang out at town hall steps go?”

Nigel Love was one of Australia’s most famous aviators, but his name is rarely mentioned in schools and textbooks.Two years ago, Sydney Airport unveiled a bridge with his name on it in a quest by a proud son to honour his late great father’s achievements.

This week on Seeking Sydney...why does Sydney have a building height limit, and how might our skyline look if our buildings had no limitations?

Just outside Gosford in Kariong, there are almost 300 engravings on two sandstone walls.Some believe these carvings are an example of an early form of Egyptian writing, and signify early Egyptians visited Australia years and years ago.But an Egyptologist from Sydney’s Macquarie University has rejected any new claims about one of the most mysterious and controversial sites on the New South Wales Central Coast, known as the ‘Gosford Hieroglyphs’.

On the 19th of November 1941, the Royal Australian Navy’s greatest warship, and Sydney’s namesake, the HMAS Sydney was sunk by the German ship, the Kormoran.More than 600 crew members aboard the Sydney were lost at sea, and with no survivors alive to give their account, many Australians do not believe the German account of the battle.Today on Seeking Sydney, our listeners want to know – what really happened to the Sydney?

Have you ever been down at the local park and been hit with an unpleasant, wafting odor that reminded you of your last trip to the toilet?Well, at least one of you has.This week on Seeking Sydney, you guys wanted to know. Why it is that our parks and urban environments can sometimes smell like sewerage?

Ever since Captain Cook set foot at Kurnell in 1770, the land now known as Australia has been completely turned on its head.The impact of colonisation in Australia is a hot button political issue, and one that Australia has consistently struggled to gain a consensus on.Adding to this earlier in the year, The Federal Government announced $50 million tax-payer dollars for a revamp of Cook’s 1770 landing place, to turn it into a major tourist attraction and include a $3 million statue of Cook himself.So is why is the Government doing this?

What do you want to happen to your body when you die? If you’re hoping for a burial in Sydney, you might look to Rookwood, Australia’s largest cemetery, and the largest necropolis in the southern hemisphere. We look into Rookwood’s history, how it came to span an area bigger than the Sydney CBD- and why all that space might not be enough

After Sydney was inundated with Share Bikes last year. Many of which ended up in trees and rivers.One of our 2SER listeners wanted to know:Where have all the bikes gone?So we got to work to find out.

The differences in accents between Adelaide and Sydney are subtle, but to a keen ear, easily heard.But what about the rest of Australia? Could you tell the difference between someone in Sydney and someone in Melbourne?Seeking Sydney this week explores the accent variations.

The notorious bin chicken is met with mixed feelings for Sydney-Siders.With a beak in the bin and a mangy wing flapping to hold balance, the Australian white ibis has become a cultural mainstay of our city.Seeking Sydney investigates why there are so many ibis in Sydney.

Every month a cinema in North Sydney puts on a fifteen year-old film described as the “Citizen Kane of bad movies”Despite the film’s abysmal critical response, hundreds of people turn out to watch it every screening and yell along with every line of cringe worthy dialogue.So how has The Room, an American film directed by a mysterious figure called Tommy Wiseau, created a cult-following in Sydney?

Do you know where your fruit and veggies come from? Have you ever wondered if it’spossible to buy produce that’s actually grown right here in Sydney?Hydroponic farms are dotted all around the Sydney area. These are crops that are grownwithout soil and in a glasshouse.

Hey Sydney-Siders, our Seeking Sydney team has answered a new question for you this week.Does Sydney have a native meal?Anything come to mind?Listen in to find out the answer!

This week we answered one of the most exciting questions to date!Does Sydney have an underground BDSM Culture?Does it?Our reporter Monica Samayoa set out to the streets of Sydney to find out more about BDSM and if in fact there is an underground culture.What did she find out?Tune in!

Reporter Miles Herbert went out to talk to the Marrickville Aboriginal Community to find out the original name and the importance of the Cooks River.

Sydney, you asked and we answered!This week Monica Samayoa went out into the Sydney Harbour to investigate how Fort Denison was built on such a tiny island.What did she uncover?There is a lot of history to tell in that tiny island.Tune in!

This week for our Seeking Sydney Segment we answer Lauren’s question about Aboriginal language and culture.Reporter Monica Samayoa speaks with different people from different Aboriginal cultures to get answers about where can we learn more about Aboriginal culture and where to go to learn a new language.

This is our first official voted in question sent in by Jonathon Troy from Canberra!"As an ex-Sydney Sider, how are low income people getting by with high housing costs? Has there been an increase in people leaving?"Our reporter Monica Samayoa set out to the streets of Sydney to talk to locals to investigate if people are leaving Sydney, how are they managing their budgets, commutes and well, life!

Ever wondered why there’s a Bruce Lee statue in Kogarah? Did you know there was a Bruce Lee statue in Kogarah? Our Seeking Sydney reporters went to Kogarah to find out why. Produced by Ellen Leabeater, Emma Lancaster, Nic Healey and Miles Herbert