Annabel Crabb — who personally struggles to declutter, just ask her husband — visits Australia's oldest library and immediately feels better about her own habits. Above ground, this place is all books. But below? There are letters, maps, old restaurant menus, military antiques, coin collections, stamps, walking sticks, an upsetting amount of HUMAN HAIR and — most importantly — some incredible stories that capture our history in unique ways.
Join Annabel as she dives into the secret stacks and collections of Australia's oldest library, State Library of NSW, uncovering strange, forgotten and fascinating National treasures. Episode 1 of the podcast will be available from 22 April 2026, tap 'favourite' or 'follow' now to add it to your podcast playlist on the ABC listen app, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Presenter: Annabel Crabb
Researcher: Julia O'Shea
Audio Engineer: Harvey O'Sullivan
Supervising Producer: Rachael Cusick
Executive Producers: Eric George and Carmel Rooney
Head of Audio on Demand: Jessica Radburn