Melbourne Dark History Walking Tour: Explore Crime, Gangsters and 'Little Lon' Era

Uncover the dark and intriguing history of Melbourne on a walking tour led by writer and historian Michael Shelford. Explore the crime, gangsters, and ‘Little Lon’ era of the city, filled with shootings, bombings, brothels, and more.

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Little Lon Distilling Co. - Little Lon Distilling Co is a Gin Distillery which operates from Melbourne CBD’s only surviving single story cottage. It also happens to be a former house of ill repute. You will hear stories of the cottage’s former inhabitants, sourced from original police files.
What's Included
  • Tour booklet with character photos
What's Not Included
  • Please bring along your own food and drinks.
Additional Information

Join us as we delve into Melbourne’s history, navigating through the years when a corner shop offered much more than just candies and fizzy drinks. Discover the city’s shadowy past from the 1870s to the 1930s, a time when Melbourne’s downtown poorer quarters, known as ‘Little Lon’, were majorly controlled by women. Understand the struggle for power, the…

Location
282 Exhibition St
Exhibition Street
We meet at the Coopers Inn Hotel, 282 Exhibition St, Melbourne CBD. The Coopers has great food, drink, and a friendly Australian pub atmosphere.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(100 Ratings)
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Utel481
Nov 19, 2024
Exploring Melbourne's Shadowy Past: Crime, Gangsters & Lolly Shops - We had an incredible time on this walking tour with Michael. Meeting at the corner of Copper Inn, our small group of four was perfect for an intimate exploration of Melbourne's colorful past. Michael's storytelling brought to life the intriguing history of the Red Light District in the earlier days of Melbourne. His knowledge and passion for the city's history made the tour both informative and engaging. I highly recommend this tour to other visitors in Melbourne who are looking to uncover the city's lesser-known, yet fascinating, stories. Don't miss out on this unique experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
D1064atrebeccal
Nov 9, 2024
Wonderfully interesting - Truly recommend. Michael was extremely knowledgeable and very interesting. It was great to get to know a lot more of my home town’s history!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chrissym1965
Nov 2, 2024
Melbourne history - Fantastic tour, very informative with great storytelling from our guide. Loved being taken to parts of the city/buildings I never knew about. Very easy paced tour over a 2 hour time period. Would definitely recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Forestwooda
Oct 20, 2024
History comes alive - Highly detailed account of the history of Melbourne's Little Lon from Michael. Well conducted and friendly. Well worth it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mariesusanne_k
Sep 23, 2024
Michaels knowledge and... - Michaels knowledge and enthusiast for guiding us and story tell was captivating. I will remember this tour, I can only highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Michael_h
Sep 22, 2024
Recommend! - Great Tour! Michael was elaborate and had great detail & knowledge for all involved. Couldn’t ask for a better guide/tour. Exceptional enthralling story telling, kind and more than willing to answering any questions guests had throughout.
Review provided by Viator
Lindafl8206xr
Aug 20, 2024
Fantastic, Fun, Learning Experience. - A fantastic tour with a fun, knowledgeable tour guide. Not only did I love hearing about the characters of early 1900's gangsters, but I also loved hearing about Michael's research. As a researcher myself, hearing him talk about the processes he goes through was really interesting. I found the walk easy to do, as someone with dodgy knees and bad hearing, I wondered whether I would be able to keep up with everything, but it was great. Michael did a great job of making everyone feel included. Thoroughly recommend this tour, and I will be booking into another one soon.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andrewdx8937vs
Aug 18, 2024
Enjoyable couple of hours - A really interesting and enjoyable couple of hours. Michael's passion, amazing depth of knowledge and relaxed style were a pleasure. Definitely recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maggotguts
Jul 14, 2024
Brilliant Tour about the history of Melbourne most people don't know about. - Our business had an activity day as a reward for a years hard work and included a private tour from Michael. It's always hard to to cater for a wide range of ages, individuals preferences, physical abilities and interests - but this tour was brilliant. Michael knows his stuff and weaves it into a compelling and engaging commentary. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the tour and I couldn't recommend it, and Michael, highly enough. I plan to bring family and friends back.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tanya_o
Jun 23, 2024
Awesome!!!!!! - Discovered so much about Melbournes history in the Little Lon district, especially at the final stop it was so great to discover what is hidden amongst the modern city Highly recommend Thanks Michael
Review provided by Viator
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