Premium Podcast: The search for Smithy

written by Jake Nelson | January 16, 2026
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith with the Lady Southern Cross in October 1935.

He was Australia’s greatest aviator – and became one of Australia’s greatest aviation mysteries. Pioneering pilot Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, the namesake of Sydney Airport, disappeared along with his co-pilot Tommy Pethybridge over the Andaman Sea in 1935.

For decades, the exact fate and location of Smithy, Tommy, and their plane the Lady Southern Cross remained a mystery – but now, one Australian writer, filmmaker and explorer is sure he’s found their final resting place.

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