Australian True Crime – Shortcut: Forgotten Bombs: The Other Bali Bombings

Date: January 5, 2026
Host: Meshel Laurie (A)
Guest: Joe Frost (B), survivor and creator of "Forgotten Bali 2005" podcast

Episode Overview

This episode centres on the often-overlooked second Bali bombings of 2005 at Jimbaran Bay and Kuta—three years after the infamous 2002 attacks. Survivor Joe Frost recounts the harrowing experience of witnessing the bombings firsthand as a young Australian travelling with a multi-generational group from Newcastle. The episode explores the immediate aftermath, the discrepancies in perception and reality, and the enduring trauma and memory gap associated with these attacks—an event largely absent from public consciousness.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Scene: The 2005 Bombings

• Background: After the 2002 Bali bombings, Australians quickly resumed travel to Bali. By 2005, a Newcastle teens’ trip evolved into a supervised holiday with over 40 people, including parents and young children.
• The Night of October 1st, 2005: The group dines at a popular Warung on Jimbaran Bay, nestled between major resorts, enjoying a typical beachfront meal (03:37).

2. The Bombings: Chaos and Confusion

• Sequence of Explosions:
  • A massive bang erupts to the north; immediate confusion ensues, with many assuming a simple gas explosion (04:41–05:13).
  • A second bomber targets Frost’s group at their table on the southern end—deliberately selecting “white people,” per recovered plans (08:55).
• Immediate Reactions:
  • Many rush toward the water in panic, unsure of the true danger.
  • Frost’s account emphasizes how the mind defaults to denial in crisis, downplaying the threat to maintain calm (05:32).
  • “No, no, it's probably just a gas bottle exploding from one of the barbecues. Stay calm.” – Joe Frost (05:32)

3. Surviving the Attack: Sensations and Survival

• Physical and Psychological Impact:
  • Frost describes feeling “face down in the sand,” confused, in shock, and convinced his legs were on fire—actually sand burns from the blast (07:03).
  • The group’s instinct is to search for loved ones amidst chaos: “I was in the water and I just started to yell her name...” (10:27).
• Memorable Quote:
  • “When something so otherworldly happens, your body goes into shock… your brain sort of says, yeah, it hurts, but we're not gonna, that's, that's not important right now. There's more important things.” – Joe Frost (06:07)

4. Aftermath: Searching, False Hope, and Grief

• The Search for Friends & Family:

  • Frantic attempts to locate one another—assuming the worst, fearing more devices (“it was a minefield… any one of these is another bomb…” 11:12).

• Kindness from Locals:

  • A Balinese man shelters the survivors, embodying compassion amid trauma (12:08).

• Dawning Realities:

  • Returning to the hotel, families reunite but misinformation circulates. Frost, not yet aware of the tragedy's depth, unwittingly reassures others with “false hope” (13:33).
  • At the hospital the next morning, the truth emerges: severe injuries, deaths, and a stark contrast to previous optimistic assumptions.
  • “He described Paul Anasich as basically that he didn’t expect him to survive… And then he said, and Jennifer Williamson, she hasn’t survived. She passed away.” – Joe Frost relaying his father’s words (15:58)

5. Reflection: Memory, Media, and the "Forgotten" Nature of the Attacks

• Lack of Awareness:

  • The attacks fade from public consciousness compared to 2002:
    • “The more you listen to this podcast, the more you feel the pain of the title.” – Meshel Laurie (16:24)
    • Frost discusses how the attack targeted Australians (and “white people” per plans), yet the story has been largely overlooked.

• Depth of Research & Personal Impact:

  • Meshel praises Frost’s podcast for its in-depth investigation into the attackers, local and political context, and for giving voice to the survivors' trauma (16:30).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the Sudden Violence:
  “And then the next thing I knew I was just face down in the sand. And it was pain but… your brain sort of says, yeah, it hurts, but... We'll deal the pain later.” – Joe Frost (06:07)

• On False Hope: “These guys have turned up with a bag full of fireworks and have given us the fright of our lives. But everyone’s okay, so you don’t need to worry about your parents.” – Joe Frost, reflecting on the night (14:15)

• On Repeating Trauma:
  “At that point we just said, look, dad, what's going on? And he proceeded to tell us that everything was not all right and that our assumptions of the evening before were pretty wide of the mark.” – Joe Frost (15:35)

• On the Importance of Remembering: “The more you listen to this podcast, the more you feel the pain of the title.” – Meshel Laurie (16:24)

Important Timestamps

• 00:00 – Episode introduction, overview of 2002/2005 Bali bombings
• 02:14 – Setting of the trip, group makeup, atmosphere in Jimbaran Bay
• 04:41 – Description leading up to the first explosion, immediate confusion
• 05:32 – Panic vs. denial and “pop gun terrorist” disbelief
• 07:03 – Joe’s direct experience of the blast and resulting injuries
• 08:55 – Targeting of the group; description of bomber’s intention
• 10:27–11:12 – Searching for loved ones; walking through the “minefield”
• 12:08 – Hospitality from local Balinese family
• 13:33–14:15 – Misinformation, returning to hotel, “false hope”
• 15:35–15:58 – Reality revealed at the hospital; details of injuries and deaths
• 16:24 – Reflection on the episode’s title, importance of remembering
• 16:30–17:12 – Praise for Frost’s podcast and in-depth research

Tone and Delivery

• First-person, reflective, and raw survivor testimony (Joe Frost)
• Empathetic, investigative, and context-providing host (Meshel Laurie)
• Unflinching in confronting trauma, but respectful and focused on narrative clarity

Further Resources

• Joe Frost’s podcast: Forgotten Bombs, Bali 2005 (link provided in show notes)
• Support resources for trauma and grief: Lifeline, 1-800-Respect, 13Yarn (services listed at close)

In Summary:
This episode powerfully revives the human and emotional reality of the 2005 Bali bombings through Joe Frost’s personal account. It highlights how major events become “forgotten” and underlines the importance of survivor voices in preserving the real, lived impact of international tragedies that touch even distant Australian suburbs.