One upon a Time and Crime in Paddington
Delve into the depths of Paddington's peculiar past. This history hunt will expose the crimes before the cafes and the slums before the chic. Exploring hidden alleys, terraced streets, historic pubs, we'll connect with odd identities, local legends and unusual architecture. Don't miss this 2hour Historian led tour.
Paddington is a beautiful suburb with a dark past. Once the birthplace of Australia’s first legal distillery, the area urbanised at a rapid rate as row upon row of elegant terrace houses, corner pubs and narrow laneways grew to define its streets by the late 19th century. But suddenly: the crash. How dramatically things would change as a national depression brought inner city suburbs like Paddington to a standstill and resulted in the sudden exodus of well-to-do property owners. By 1920, a health inspector reported that destitute tenants of the “disgusting slums” in Paddington should “shoot their landlords” as they would be better off in gaol than in these places”.
Uncovering this forgotten chapter, this tour will forge a connection between Paddington’s past and present as we investigate local murderers, cat-burglars, push gangs, pet-nappers, sly-groggers, swindlers, legends and larrikins.
Your host, Max Burns-McRuvie is a local crime historian and owner of Journey Walks.