Neil Mercer

Barrenjoey Road Neil Mercer

Bordered on one side by the glistening blue of the Pacific, hemmed by pristine sandy coves, and on the other by the rugged bushland of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, it was the kind of place where everyone knew everyone. No wonder the area was known as 'the Insular Peninsula'. So, when popular local 18-year-old Trudie Adams disappeared one night while hitchhiking home from the surf club dance, her family, friends and community were devastated. It just seemed wrong that something so terrible could happen in a place so picturesque.

But as police began to investigate, the underbelly of the peninsula was exposed. It was a place where surfers ran drugs home from Bali, teenagers hitchhiked everywhere due to a lack of public transport, predatory men prowled the streets, and countless young women were abducted and raped, crimes rarely reported or, if they were, rarely investigated.

Inspired by the Walkley Award-shortlisted #1 podcast and acclaimed ABC TV series, and containing information never previously revealed, Barrenjoey Road is a compelling exposé of why the disappearance of Trudie Adams was never solved.