Category: The Melbourne Files

In March 1978, armed gunmen took over a Melbourne restaurant demanding Chopper Read be freed from jail. This is the Waiter’s Restaurant Siege.

In December 1921, a shocking crime stunned Melbourne. A hundred years later the question remains: who killed Alma Tirtschke?

In the 1880s, Impressionism was at the cutting edge of the art world. And in Australia, local Impressionists headed to the beach.

The east end of Collins Street is often called, The Paris End of Melbourne. The label can be traced to a long demolished café, and its cosmopolitan owner.

The Princess Theatre is one of Melbourne’s most iconic buildings. It is also home to one of the world’s most famous ghosts.

The top part of Russell Street, Melbourne, features one of the city’s most stylish buildings. It was also the setting for one of its most notorious crimes. 

In 1993, the world’s biggest band came to Melbourne: this is Guns n’ Roses at Calder Park, an event that would go down in local infamy.

Standing atop a building in Abbotsford is one of Melbourne’s most iconic symbols; the Skipping Girl Vinegar sign. And for a piece of neon, this girl has led an eventful life.

Evan Dando was an indy rock star with a well-known drug problem, His 2003 meltdown at a gig in Melbourne became the stuff of local music legend.