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Featured Events in Melbourne

FEATURED

Life of Davo

Sat 9th Jul, 2022 Melbourne , Carlton
Davo: King of the Unimpossible brings his incomparable bogan magic styles for the very first time to the Melbourne Magic Festival. Crazy comedy and astonishing magic that
FEATURED

SEVENTEENx Melbourne 2022

Thu 25th Aug, 2022 Melbourne , Victoria
SEVENTEENx is returning to Melbourne in 2022 after a 2 year hiatus from our last event in 2019. We'll be back in the CBD with our venue hosts Chartered Accountants ANZ wi
FEATURED

Cherry Farrow Comedy Hypnosis

Fri 15th Jul, 2022 Melbourne , Victoria
Amazing hypnotic FUN by the one and only Cherry Farrow! South Australia's (possibly Australia's) only Female Comedy Stage Hypnotist brings you a show full of belly laughs
WORLD FOOD CHAMPIONSHIPS AUSTRALIA

Sun 10th Jul, 2022 Melbourne , Victoria
Visit the ultimate foodie feast. 3 days of food competitions, food, and drinks!
City of Melbourne's ArtPlay presents Island

Thu 14th Jul, 2022 Melbourne , Melbourne
Children will be given the unique opportunity to escape to a surreal desert island with this latest interactive exhibition from ArtPlay.
Tim Credible’s Family Magic Show

Sat 9th Jul, 2022 Melbourne , VIC
Get ready for Fun, Laughter and Amazement for the whole family with Tim Credible and Douzie the Dragon.
The Melbourne Magic Festival

Sat 9th Jul, 2022 Melbourne , Vic
The Melbourne Magic Festival casts its spell across Melbourne from June 27 to July 9, 2022, and promises to take you to the extreme end of visual theatre with over 130 pe
Winter Night Market

Wed 6th Jul, 2022 Melbourne , CBD
At last, after far too long. a welcome return to the Winter Night Market happening next week!
Melbourne Houseplant Festival 2022

Sun 21st Aug, 2022 Melbourne , Victoria
The Melbourne Houseplant Festival 2022 will be a massive celebration of houseplants with talks, workshops and stalls!

Gangsters, Brothels and Lolly Shops Tour

Sightseeing Tours Tours Culture & History Tours

Take a 2-hour walk through Melbourne’s former seedy underbelly, an era when Melbourne’s downtown crime district was run by women. Learn about the battle for supremacy, and madams who stood their ground against gangsters such as Squizzy Taylor.

Highlights

Explore the streets and alleys of Melbourne's former slums & brothel district c. 1870s to 1930s
Stop outside the home, brothel and gang headquarters of Australia's most famous gangster Leslie 'Squizzy' Taylor
Discover buildings which were lolly shop (candy store) brothels 100 years ago
See former opium dens and cocaine cafes and learn about the people who frequented these premises
Visit the last remaining single storey cottage in Melbourne's back lanes

Description

Take a walk through downtown Melbourne and learn of an era in which there was much more on offer at the local confectionery store than just lollies and soft drinks. Explore Melbourne’s underworld circa 1870s-1930s, an era in which Melbourne’s downtown slum district, ‘Little Lon’, was mostly run by women. Learn about the battle for supremacy, madams who stood their ground against well-known gangsters such as Squizzy Taylor, and an all-female crime syndicate known as ‘The Combine’. Stop outside buildings which were once brothels and sly grog shops (speak easies), and hear the stories of what occurred within their walls and on the streets and laneways around them. You can also see examples of former opium dens and all night cocaine cafes, and learn of the characters who frequented these establishments. You will hear of shootings, bombings, bashings, brothels, robberies, opium, cocaine and sly grog (speak easies), on a tour designed and delivered by writer and historian, Michael Shelford.