Melbourne's Little Lon Crime Tour

Walk through the historic 'Little Lon' district to see where the slums, brothels, and courtrooms of 19th-century Melbourne housed the city's most notorious figures.

Listen to this tour in the Mira app →

1. Punch Lane Wine Bar & Restaurant

The dark green timber facade of Punch Lane marks the spot where a former theatre costume shop now houses a wine cellar. In the mid nineteen nineties, the owners transformed this space by installing an extensive, floor-to-ceiling wooden…

2. 32 Lonsdale St

The heavy, rust-colored brick facade of the building at thirty-two Lonsdale Street stands out against the surrounding glass towers. This structure once functioned as the headquarters for the Metropolitan Fire Brigade in the early twentieth…

3. Casselden Place

Casselden Place is defined by the sheer, reflective wall of the forty-three story skyscraper that dominates the northern end of the block. Behind that glass, the modern tower hides a tighter, grittier past. Before the high-rise rose in the…

4. Little Lon Distilling Co.

The brick cottage housing Little Lon Distilling Company features a distinct, narrow profile that stands apart from the surrounding modern high-rises. Built in eighteen seventy-seven, this house survived the demolition of the surrounding…

5. Exploration Lane

Exploration Lane is a narrow, paved thoroughfare tucked between two large, modern office towers in the Melbourne Central Business District. It serves as a stark, quiet break in the dense city grid. During the nineteenth century, this exact…

6. Building 20 - RMIT University

The building features an irregular, fragmented facade of weathered steel and jagged glass panels that contrast sharply with the neighboring brickwork. Designed by Lyons Architects, it sits on the site of a former cold storage facility and…

7. City Watch House

The City Watch House in Melbourne holds a grim reputation behind its stark, bluestone facade. Built in nineteen oh nine to replace an earlier lockup, it served as the city’s primary holding cell for decades. Men and women arrested for…

8. Old Melbourne Gaol

The Old Melbourne Gaol is identified by its heavy bluestone walls and the high, arched gatehouse that looms over the corner of Russell and Victoria Streets. It opened in eighteen forty-two to house the colony’s criminals, debtors, and the…

The audio tour continues in the Mira app →