Feeling lost in life? Want to know what it means to be a Scoprio? Ring a psychic hotline in the late hours of the night.

Astrology and Psychic Matters was a 1990s Australian radio show broadcast at night on 3KND between 8:00 and 9:00 pm. Psychics and the occult have a long, entwined history with radio – reaching back to the broadcast ‘mentalists’ and telepaths of the 1940s.

Beyond the spooky eternal questions of ghosts and an unseen world, this excerpt illustrates how psychic matters could be delightfully mundane. A guest has a humorous exchange with the clairvoyant host, alternating between earnest questions about her life and an interrogation about how this psychic business all really works. With laidback humour, the moment captures the intimacy of late-night radio, and the inherent human struggle between scepticism and belief.

This excerpt comes from the episode ‘The Journey Beyond’, where key presenter and clairvoyant Sharon Barnes, along with guest astrologer and psychologist Jill, discuss lunar cycles and astrology as a logical pathway to promote wellness and understanding your place in the world. In between Aboriginal music, the hosts talk to listeners about their careers, lives, love and how clairvoyants do their work. 3KND Kool 'N' Deadly is Melbourne's first Indigenous-owned and managed radio station, providing a platform for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Explore more of After Dark – a Deep Dive into Australian nightlife that draws on decades of material from the NFSA collection.