The Melbourne Files
Welcome to our archive of Melbourne History articles.
The Disappearance of Willi Koeppen
In 1976, celebrity chef Willi Koeppen disappeared from his restaurant in the Dandenongs. The case has never been solved.
Salvatore: The Yarra Seal
Salvatore, the Yarra Seal, is currently frolicking around the river in Richmond and Abbotsford. He has been visiting, on and…
Prince at Bennetts Lane
In 2003, a world famous musician played a secret gig at a small Melbourne night club. This is Prince at…
Wirth’s Circus
For 70 years, Wirth’s Circus stood where the Arts Centre is now, and was one of Melbourne’s top attractions. It…
Northcote’s ‘Carnegie Library’
In 1911, an American philanthropist gifted a library to Melbourne. Northcote’s ‘Carnegie Library’ still stands on High Street, and is…
Underground History: The Degraves Street Subway
The Degraves Street Subway is a thirty metre underpass, connecting Flinders Street to Flinders Street Station, with a long and…
Hotel Hell: A History of The Gatwick
From upmarket apartments, to a low budget boarding house, and back again: this is the story of The Gatwick Hotel.
Television City: The Bendigo Street Studio
The Bendigo Street Studio has a long history: it was a piano maker's, a Heinz factory, and the most famous…
Williamstown Racecourse
Bayside Williamstown is one of Melbourne’s oldest suburbs. Until the 1940s, it was home to one of the city’s most…
The Toorak Terrorist Attack
In November 1986, the Turkish embassy in Melbourne was bombed. This is the Toorak Terrorist Attack.
Yarra Bend Asylum and the Lost Cemetery
Yarra Bend Asylum was Melbourne's first, and biggest, mental hospital. The grounds are now a public park, but traces still…
Melbourne’s Most Unusual Laneway Names
Melbourne is a city of laneways and many of these have exotic, and unusual, titles. Here are Melbourne's most unusual…