The world of 'Little Lon'
Every city has its dark side: a place that respectable citizens scare themselves with.
In Melbourne from 1860 one such place was 'Little Lon', the crowded streets and lanes bounded by Lonsdale, Spring, and Exhibition and La Trobe streets. Prostitutes, families with children, drunks, nuns, tradesmen and recent immigrants – all could be found living at Little Lon.
Much of life was lived out in the open, on the streets and laneways, and residents had to find ways to share the public space with their neighbours.
You are invited to enter the nineteenth century world of Little Lon. Alleys, backyards and part of two houses are recreated here – one of a very poor family, the other better off.
Archaeological evidence has revealed how dwellings were laid out and what people used in their daily lives.
But much is left to our imagination – little is known about the lives of the people of Little Lon.