Melbourne lockdown: the fallout

The lockdown has left Melbourne with an undercurrent of anger, despair and division. Some say it will take many years to heal.

Journalist Cameron Stewart returned to his hometown of Melbourne in March after four years living in Washington DC as this newspaper’s US correspondent. The world, of course, is vastly changed by Covid-19 and of all the places in Australia Melbourne has been disproportionately affected – not just by its long, hard lockdown, but also by the number of deaths (820) and infections (about 20,000).

Anecdotally, Melburnians have spoken of a subtle shift in the mood and soul of a city still getting back on its feet, so Cameron hit the streets to take the temperature of the place. Restaurants are filling up again, tourists are returning and office workers are dribbling back to the CBD, but he found an undercurrent of anger, despair and division. Some say it will take many years to heal.