Expanse

Host Alex Barwick hears just how far Pine Gap’s reach is today, uncovers the secrets of stolen land and explores what it means for Australia to have a spy base hidden in the heart of the country. Host: Alex Barwick Supervising producer: Piia Wirsu Sound engineer and producer: Grant Wolter Executive producer: Blythe Moore Additional production and research: Elsa Silberstein Special thanks: Eric George, Robert Mailer, Tim Roxburgh, Jane Connors, Mark Maley, Elizabeth Beal, ABC Alice Springs, and everyone who agreed to speak with us  Further reading: David Rosenberg - Inside Pine Gap Brian Toohey - Secret Kieran Finnane - Peace Crimes Desmond Ball - A Suitable Piece of Real Estate

The Cold War has finally ended but Pine Gap, or ‘The Base’ as it’s become known, is expanding and it’s getting involved in conflicts across the world. Host Alex Barwick finally goes inside Pine Gap and meets a spy who has spent years working within the perimeter.  

Nuclear fear prompts thousands to flood to Alice Springs in the 1980s to try and close Pine Gap and reveal its secrets. This time the woman are in charge and they don't want Australia involved in nuclear war.

As the Cold War enters the 70s, it becomes clear that Pine Gap is really a spy base with eyes on the Soviets – and it's putting Alice Springs in the nuclear crosshairs.  

In the grip of a crippling drought in the 1960s, Alice Springs sees an economic lifeline when America promises to build a 'space base' on the edge of town. But once Pine Gap's bizarre, oversized golf ball-like structures are finally built, mysterious things start happening - the 'space base' isn't quite what it seems.

When America promised to build a space base in outback Australia in the middle of the 1960s space race, few suspected it would put Australia in the nuclear cross-hairs in decades to come. 

That space base, just 18ks from Alice Springs, would come to be known as Pine Gap - possibly the most secretive place in Australia.

Three of the remaining crewmen set off on a do-or die mission to find help, and fate steps in.

In this final episode of From the Dead, the impacts of the disaster are felt long after the event.

The search is called off and the men are declared dead, leaving loved ones reeling.

But on the raft, the men have one final hope for salvation.

In this episode time runs out for the men, as they have a make-or-break opportunity.

When the Blythe Star fails to turn up at port as scheduled, the authorities are left scratching their heads.

Meanwhile, the families of the crew reel at the news the ship is missing.

In this episode, bungles, bickering and birthday cards create mayhem on land.

When the Blythe Star fails to turn up at port as scheduled, the authorities are left scratching their heads. Meanwhile, the families of the crew reel at the news the ship is missing. In this episode, bungles, bickering and birthday cards create mayhem on land.