Jun 28, 2026

Foretold: Australia's Whiskey Au Go Go Fire - Part 4

Episode 117

As the weeks leading up to the Whiskey Au Go Go fire unfold, John Stuart desperately tries to convince police, journalists, and nightclub owners that a deadly protection racket is about to erupt in Brisbane. But with his stories constantly changing, his refusal to name names, and increasingly erratic behavior, detectives are left wondering whether they're dealing with a genuine informant or a deeply paranoid career criminal. When Stuart's prediction of an empty nightclub fire comes true, the warnings become harder to ignore—but by then, time is running out. In Part 4, we follow the increasingly bizarre trail of warnings, missed opportunities, and strange coincidences that culminate in the night the Whiskey Au Go Go burned.

Sources for this episode include Geoff Plunkett's excellent book, The Whiskey Au Go Go Massacre: Murder, Arson and the Crime of the Century, along with contemporary reporting and historical records. If you'd like a much deeper dive into the case, we highly recommend the book.

As always, keep your exits clear and your fire escapes free of storage.

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Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments:
Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Melanie Curtis, Jenny Mercer, Laura Pisciotta, and Jason Wolfe for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes.

Listener discretion is advised.

Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated 

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Comments (5)
Mark Bolton

1 months ago

PS. I should qualify that ”pissed” in Australia means drunk

Mark Bolton

1 months ago

Hi. Loving your podcast so far--Geoff Plunkett sent it to me last night. Your objectivity too impresses me because you are questioning a lot of the things that make no sense to me either. I just want to correct something, though. As far as I’m aware, dad (Brian Bolton) approached a police inspector at Fortitude Valley Police Station (not far from the WAGG), It wasn’t Basil Hicks who he asked for the gun. I’m still unsure if THAT police inspector is the one who allegedly warned a young constable at that time to NOT follow through on information he had gained through an informant that would have stopped the Torino firebombing, or, at least cornered the arsonists. The young constable, now retired gave his evidence at the coronial inquest back in 2022--after Geoff’s book was released. Therefore, I’m unsure if dad asking for the gun story is true. I’m also not denying he may have--it does sound like dad when he was pissed. But the cops knew that about dad too. And for the record, although dad was a serious alcoholic, drinking was his way of getting stories. A few drinks and lips loosen. He had an amazing ability to retain every detail of information despite his alcohol intake. On a personal level, I’d like to clarify from Ep 3...when he helped out Billy Phillips (wife and toddler injured from the letterbomb), the groceries was a genuine act of kindness. Billy himself told me that. Despite my father’s many flaws, he was an incredibly decent and empathetic man when sober. As you made mention, you might require 12 episodes. Minimum. Queensland truly was THAT bad back then! Thank you, and I look forward to the next one. Cheers. Mark

Sofie Brown

1 months ago

Crazy, crazy, crazy

Just Becky

1 months ago

Another great podcast on a fascinating case!

Kevin Tarrant

1 months ago

Great episode April great show! I’m one of your biggest fans and have been listening to Crime To Burn for quite awhile now. 🖤🌹

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