Melbourne Historical Crime Tours

Join in a Melbourne true crime tour - created and hosted by writer and historian Michael Shelford as featured on ABC Radio, BBC Radio, SBS television Secrets of our Cities and numerous other radio and podcast shows. His true crime articles have been published in newspapers such as the Herald Sun and the Guardian along with various magazines. Take a trip back to the early 1900s when Melbourne’s inner-city crime district was controlled by female syndicates, Fitzroy was home to Australia’s largest-ever gang war, and Melbourne's Chinatown was targeted by police for illegal gambling and opium. Night tours feature a handheld laser projector, used by your host to project images of the historical characters discussed onto the buildings and streets they once inhabited. The two-hour walking tours take place every Saturday late morning (Melbourne CBD), every Saturday afternoon in Chinatown and every Sunday late morning (Fitzroy). There is also a Melbourne CBD night tour on the first Friday of each month. Included as part of the tour is your own copy of the official tour booklet, which contains photos of the criminals discussed and other interesting information. Please book online in advance via the website or on Facebook.