Melbourne Historical Walking Tour: Crime, Gangsters & Lolly Shops

We really enjoyed the crime tour. It was a really interesting way to spent a couple of hours.

An excellent walk. Michael was well informed and presented historical information in a very engaging way. I've been telling anyone who will listen how worthwhile the walk is. Thank you!

Michael was a wonderful story teller and historian. We enjoyed his walking tour very much and we highly recommend it! Thank you for sharing Melbourne's history with us Michael.

Outstanding tour, so interesting and very well run. Michael truly is an expert in the field and was able to entertain us with wonderful stories supported by years of research. Highly recommend.

If you’re intersted in history that is both factual yet quirky this is for you. It’s not Art Galleries or scenic landscapes it’s set in small areas of Melbourne and delves to bring alive the streets and buildings around. Fascinating and a must do!

Michael was so enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the area we covered. Such an interesting tour with so much information. The way Michael explained the lives and historical events of the residents in the area gave us a good understanding of what their daily lives were like.

Very informative tour of the early 20th century crime scene in the Lonsdale St area. Michael's extensive research and clear delivery ensured a factual and fascinating experience. Would recommend to all visitors.

Wonderful tour with lots of interesting information. The guide is a great storyteller and I enjoyed learning about the little known past of my home city. Highly recommend!!

Michael has done a lot of research. The historical stories are entertaining and informative. This walk involves stories about women in the 'slum area' and how they survived and adapted their business model to survive over many years.

AMAZING!! We learnt so much about the crime history of the tiny little district of Lonsdale Street. Our guide had so much knowledge from years and years of his own research and told the stories in such a fun way, bringing the people and spaces to life through projected images. It would be hard to know the full extend of the stories without jumping on the tour, and we wouldn't have found many of the buildings without the help of a guide. Highly recommend for anyone with an interest in history and crime.

Michael was great very informative and knew a lot. As a person that lives in Melbourne I learnt a lot of things I didn’t know and had fun

Michael is a very knowledgeable guide who's spent many years researching historical crime from police reports dating back to the late 1800s. On this tour, he passionately recounts the stories behind the buildings and lives of the madams, gangsters and police who operated in the Little Lon district of Melbourne. A fascinating and entertaining tour. I highly recommend it!

Highly recommend this tour and all the tours that he does. Very knowledgeable and so interesting to know what life was like back in the late 1800s. Also stopping in front of buildings to know the history behind it. We had a private tour as it turned out that it was only my husband and I and our 2 friends. It was really good 👍

We chose the night version of this tour with Michael and he shows a number of interesting facts by projecting slides on the walls which is great. Michael knows his stuff and is so knowledgeable and helpful with no question too silly to ask. You learn so much about the area and its characters, my favourite would be Sarah Dalvean. The only thing that makes me sad is the fact most of the area is now redeveloped unlike Sydney’s dubious areas. This tour is great for history buffs, tourists and locals wanting to learn more about their city. It is suitable for those in wheelchairs as well.

Excellent! Learnt a lot about the history of Melbourne. Michael was a great storyteller. Lots of stops so an easy walk.

Fantastic experience! Great pace to the tour. Lots of interesting facts that I didn't know about. Michael is a great storyteller as well with a passion for the topic, it made it a good blend of fun and interest. I am looking forward to doing his other tours of Chinatown and Fitzroy.

We had a fantastic morning with Michael learning all about the Gangsters and Madams of Melbourne's "Little Lon" area. It was also so lovely to see some of the original buildings still standing and still being used, albeit for more law abiding activities. The little booklet that Michael provided was such a great idea and really helped you picture these real life criminals. If you have a few hours to spare, give this a go. Michael was knowledgeable and although it was serious content, he still made it humorous.

Excellent tour with a very informative and knowledgeable guide, well done

Amazing tour! Michael has so much knowledge and delivered it so well, making content relatable and humours. Such an asset to Melbourne. We thoroughly enjoyed it, will recommend to anyone. Thank you so much.

Wonderful and informative. Michael was very friendly and made me feel very welcome. Would highly recommend this tour.

The highlight of my Melbourne trip. An absolute must do. Great value for money with well researched, well delivered commentary.

What a great tour - Michael is really entertaining and informative. Went on the tour on the final evening of our Melbourne holiday - it was a great finisher. Hope to take others of his tours in future visits.

Great knowledge and entertaining walking tour. Gave historical context as well as some fun information. Loved the experience.

We have lived in Melbourne for decades and learned much more about our cities historically past from this experience. We highly recommend you join his tour.

Thanks Michael, We had a fantastic time exploring Melbourne with you. Your extensive knowledge and engaging storytelling made the tour both enjoyable and informative. We're definitely booking another tour with you on our next visit

An absorbing and interesting insight into the Melbourne underworld and their abodes. Well researched and presented by Michael.

Our second tour with Michael (Crime, gangsters..) was equally informative and entertaining as the first (Fitzroy..). So much information to digest but delivered with enthusiasm plus. Thank you Michael.

Michael was impressively knowledgeable, in part due to his own research. Well presented and well paced session, most informative . Highly recommended

Great stories about the local area that were very interesting and at times hard to believe that this could be the same place. Gritty, colourful and intriguing. The stories were well researched and well told. Michael was very engaging and genuinely interested in this topic and tour. Well worth the effort.

My husband and I participated in the walking tour held on Saturday, 6th September, and found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable and informative experience. The tour commenced promptly as scheduled and concluded on time The guide was articulate and delivered comprehensive information throughout the tour. Their storytelling was engaging, with anecdotes and historical insights that were both relatable and memorable. The balance between factual content and narrative made the experience accessible and enjoyable for a diverse audience. Overall, the tour was well-executed and provided valuable insights into the area’s history and culture. We would highly recommend it to others seeking a meaningful and well-guided exploration.

A fantastic look into the seamier side of Melbourne at the turn of the last century. The host was so knowledgeable. This is an easy walk punctuated with interesting stops along the way.

Most certainly would recommend this tour to anyone visiting Melbourne. Very interesting and informative. Michael was a great host, very knowledgeable

A very historical and interesting tour. It was great to be part of and would recommend to anyone in the area. The guide was full of energy and very knowledgeable.

Fabulous tour, so much information, Michael paints a vivid picture of this colorful area of Melbourne, loved it, thankyou!!!

It was a very informative experience about history that is long forgotten. Tour guide was very knowledgeable.

3 of us attended Michael's walking tour and throughly enjoyed the historical story of Melbourne's Seedier times. Micheal transported us back into the era with his expert knowledge and humour. Will definitely be doing more tours with him.

Fantastic look into a tiny but amazing part of Melbourne history. Loved the depth of knowledge of our guide.

A very informative and interesting tour of Melbourne's history. You get to hear about the colourful people of the crime kings who ruled the streets.

We loved it, it was a great experience, we would 100% recommend if you love true crime stuff. The tour guide was great, he was full of knowledge.

Michael did a fantastic job of sharing his deep historical knowledge about a part of Melbourne we knew nothing about despite living here all of our lives! The firsthand accounts and anecdotes brought the stories alive. Would really recommend this tour.

Informative and engaging tour. Michael brought the era to life. The booklet supports Michael’s information. We had a great time. Two hours of information as result of Michael’s research.

Thankyou, we really enjoyed the tour. Michael was there waiting for us, tour ran on time. Held our attention for the whole tour. at no stage did he waffle. It was a very cold and windy morning, Michael was very considerate of our comfort. Really enjoyed his passion for his subject. Learnt a lot. Totally recommend the tour

A fantastic walking tour filled with so many interesting stories of Melbourne's wild past. Michael has an amazing knowledge of Melbourne's crime history and also knows how to make the characters he speaks about come alive so that the information is not dry and boring. It was also great to learn about the original uses of so many buildings that you would walk past today and not have a clue about the dubious activities which went on in them in the past! You also get a nifty booklet of great photos to take home I'm hooked so will be booking in for one of his other tours as soon as I can!

We found the tour very interesting - full of facts and stories of the wild side of Melbourne Little Lon district back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. And we were very surprised at finding out about the lolly shops! Good fun...

We had a great time on our tour around Downtown Melbourne! Michael is extremely entertaining and knowledgeable, he leads a great tour! Would highly recommend

This tour is terrific and very immersing. The time flies as Michael takes you back into the seedy past of Melbourne. All the tour had a reference photo compilation of the colourful characters outlined in Michael's discussions. Hopefully next time I am in Melbourne I can go on the other tours Michael offers. Well done.

Michael kept the tour very interesting. Learning about the history of Melbournes underworld was very informative

Michael was an excellent tour guide. Lots of knowledge about the area and so many stories about the personalities that used to live there. A great way to explore a new aspect of the city.

Given as a gift, this tour proved to be a most enjoyable experience. Michael was incredibly knowledgeable and presented the history/material with passion. We would definitely recommend this tour to both locals and those coming from further afield. Many thanks, K and G.