Mums Mysteries & Murder · Marti & Cheryl

The Tromp Family Mystery

·1 hr 17 min·4 clips

Rhianna climbed into a ute in Goulburn and was found in a catatonic state an hour later.

1. Mums Mysteries & Murder covers the Trump family mystery, a 2016 road trip that turned into a police case. 2. Marty and Effie host the discussion, trade Christmas banter, and introduce the story as one where “no one died.” 3. The episode asks what happened to Mark Trump, Jacoba, Rihanna, Mitchell, and Ella after they left a redcurrant farm outside Melbourne. 4. On Monday, 29th of August 2016, Mark Trump and Jacoba set off with their three adult children for a “tech-free road trip.” 5. The family drove north in Ella’s car, and the trip reached more than 995 miles before the police became involved. 6. Mark and Jacoba lived on a farm on the outskirts of Melbourne and also ran an earth-moving business at the property. 7. The host says the family had recently had “loads of renovations” on their house and that it had a pool. 8. Sylvan is described as a small town in Victoria with a 2021 population of 1,323 people. 9. Mitchell was the only child who kept his phone, and the parents made him throw it out the car window about 30 kilometres from home. 10. The parents believed the phone was being used to track them, and they were said to have become increasingly paranoid. 11. Mitchell later said he went along to keep his eye on his parents and to make sure the family would be safe. 12. The host says Mitchell also described his parents as becoming “really difficult to deal with” and increasingly delusional. 13. The family drove all day and night until they reached Bathurst, about 800 kilometres away and west of Sydney. 14. Mitchell left the family at Bathurst on Tuesday morning and took a train home. 15. Rihanna and Ella then headed to Goulburn, where Ella later returned to the farm and Rihanna hid in the back of a ute. 16. The driver found Rihanna in what he called a catatonic state, and she did not know her name or where she was. 17. The hosts discuss the Jenolan Caves, calling them the largest and most famous tourist caves in Australia and noting their 340-million-year age. 18. The style is conversational, informal, and heavily intercut with personal stories, Christmas opinions, and side discussions about places like Brighton and the Blue Mountains. 19. Listeners who like Australian true-crime stories, family breakdowns, and odd road-trip cases. 20. Listeners wanting a tight, spoiler-light history of a family crisis.

As heard by us

A loose Christmas episode that finds its best stretch in a childhood memory.

Christmasy and loose, the episode moves from Wham jokes into a childhood story about an imaginary friend and a pen-made companion. Marty and Effie have easy chemistry, and the conversation works best when it drifts toward the personal detail instead of staying on rails.

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Why you'd press play

Christmas banter, imaginary friends, and a holiday chat that wanders happily off track.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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