Adrift in Melbourne

Melbourne’s streets have always been marvellous—but the proud facades of the nineteenth-century boom aren’t the half of it.

What about the stories behind them?

The great corset scandal of Melbourne’s belle epoque;

The heritage-listed toilets out the back of the Rialto;

The exploits of the women who ran the brothels in Little Lonsdale Street;

The reason George Mallaby starred in Homicide wearing a hat two sizes too small.

This book contains a series of walks created by Robyn Annear to showcase the hidden histories we might scurry past every day, the buildings now gone and the extraordinary characters who inhabited them.

Charming, erudite and frankly gossipy, Annear’s highly entertaining guide to Melbourne past and present need not be experienced on the move. But whether you enjoy it from a tram stop or an armchair, Adrift in Melbourne will inspire you to unleash your inner flâneur on the lurking surprises of this great city.


Robyn Annear is the author of six books of history, including Bearbrass: Imagining Early Melbourne, Nothing but Gold: The Diggers of 1852 and, most recently, Nothing New: a History of Second-hand. Her podcast ‘Nothing on TV’ presents stories from Trove historical newspapers.

‘Annear tackles her sprawling subject matter with her trademark wit and her knack for singling out the perfect historical reference. Nothing New is one of those books that will annoy the hell out of anyone who isn’t actually reading it because you can’t help but blurt out, ‘‘Listen to this bit’’.’ Sydney Morning Herald/Age on Nothing New