The colourful life of old Melbourne’s larrikin boozy bard
Born into wealth and power, Marcus Clarke never adjusted to life as a working man after the family fortune vanished into thin air.
In Black and White
How stowaway became first Aussie woman in Antarctica
Artist Nel Law made history after she was smuggled aboard the Magga Dan, and captured her adventure in watercolours and oils.
‘The Souvenir King’ of WWI who looted enemy trophies
It was rumoured Anzac ‘Wild Eye’, aka, John “Barney” Hines’ light-fingered antics drew the ire of the monarch of Germany himself.
How Aussie nurses overcame horrors of POW camp
Rather than let imprisonment drag them down, a group of brave WWII nurses banded together to lift morale in a surprising way.
More Stories
The man who sent Ned Kelly to the noose
The story of the Kelly Gang may have had a very different ending if not for Constable Thomas McIntyre, the lone survivor of the Springbark Creek ambush.
Tattoo led family on 40-year hunt for the truth
There were few clues about Henry Bernard’s dark past in Nazi death camps but his son would unlock the truth of seven decades of torment.
Ugly fish named after Melbourne VIPs sparks feud
When explorer William Blandowski named two ugly fish after local luminaries, complete with disparaging descriptions, they were unimpressed.
Royal couple’s disaster-plagued Australian tour
When the Queen’s parents visited in 1927, the royal tour was marred by a bizarre string of RAAF air tragedies that killed five.
Melbourne’s red atom bomb spy
A bright young scientist banished from Australia during the Cold War remained baffled until the day he died about his harsh treatment.
Macabre showman’s grisly Chamber of Horrors
Melbourne’s answer to waxworks pioneer Madame Tussaud made his fortune from gruesome scenes of murder and torture.
The winged warrior of WWII who rescued the troops
He was notoriously bad at his job but when soldiers were trapped by enemy fire on Manus Island, all hope rested on a pigeon named Q.
Old Melbourne’s most twisted murder tales
Seven of Melbourne’s most gruesome tales of murder, including the Schoolgirl Strangler and the Baby Farmer of Brunswick.
Melbourne’s most eccentric characters in history
Victoria’s history is dotted with tales of eccentric and colourful characters, from psychics to entrepreneurs and women ahead of their time.
The psychic fraud who became Attorney-General
Despite burning a seance client to death and shooting a clergyman while drunk, Thomas Walker gained a life of power and privilege.
Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/in-black-and-white/page/10