Down the Yarra Podcast

BGM_Down the Yarra Trailer Season 3

From Robert Hoodle’s iconic Grid to Naarm- Melbourne’s notorious Hook Turns, the lost Eastern Market and bathhouse, the East End Theatre District, long-forgotten jobs, and Eastern Hill’s State Parliament-this season dives deep into the stories that have and continue to shape the city. Whether you’re a local or just curious, join us as we uncover the secrets, legends, and the lasting legacy of Old Melbourne.

BGM_From the Melbourne Hospital to QV Square: A Legacy of Care and Change

From the pioneering hospital to the groundbreaking women’s healthcare institutio, and now a bustling shopping precinct-this episode of Down the Yarra takes you through the fascinating transformation of one of Naarm - Melbourne’s historic sites.
We began in 1848 with the founding of Melbourne Hospital (later named to the Royal Melbourne and relocated to Parkville precinct), before diving into the revolutionary Queen Victoria Hospital, a medical facility run by women, for women. We’ll explore how Dr Constance Stone and her fellow female doctors defied the odds to create a space where women could receive proper care and where female doctors could train and practice.
But by the late 20th century, the Queen Vic’s days were numbered. What led to its closure? And how did the once-thriving hospital end up as QV Square, one of the CBD’s major retail hubs?
Join us as we uncover a story of resilience, reform, and the relentless march of progress in Naarm -Melbourne. Plus, stay tuned for a teaser for our next episode, where we leave the city behind to explore Gulf Station, one of the oldest working heritage farms in the Yarra Valley.
Trigger Warning: This episode discusses medical history, including the challenges faced by early patients and the struggles encountered of women’s healthcare in Melbourne’s past.

BGM_Melbourne Museum & IMAX: Past, Present, and Future

Step inside Melbourne Museum, the largest museum in the entire Southern Hemisphere, where history, science, and culture collide. From the prehistoric giants to Pharaoh Lap’s selection, from the Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Center to the rainforest growing indoors, we explore the museum’s biggest exhibits, hidden gems, and its future.
Plus, we’ll take a short detour next door to IMAX Melbourne-the biggest screen in the Southern Hemisphere-and look at how it’s shaping immersive experiences beyond the movies.
Trigger Warning: This episode discusses colonial history, First Nations displacement, and human remains.
And stick around for a teaser on our next episode: the slums of Lil’ Lon, where Naarm -Melbourne’s underworld and the city’s first call girls made their mark.

BGM_Bottlom Feeders: A Victorian Controversy

In the late 19th century, Naarm - Melbourne was rocked by a scandal that combined politics,, satire, and censorship. It all started with an anonymous book-Bottom Feeders-that took a brutal aim at the city’s politicans, branding one particular Victorian figure as nothing but a political scavenger. What followed was a fierce legal battle, a government crackdown, and a wettest of free speech in Australia.
In this episode, we dive into the fallout from the Bottom Feeders controversy, the political muddling, and the outrage that ensued, and how censorship only fuelled the book underground popularity. We also explore how this episode shaped the future of political satire in Australia.
Trigger Warning: This episode discusses defamation, political scandals, and government censorship in 19th century Victoria
Plus, stay tuned for a teaser on our next episode, where we step inside the grand Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Garden, home to world fairs, influenza outbreaks, and also a rather smelly controversy from Melbourne’s past.
Follow Down the Yarra now for more untold stories from Naarm - Melbourne and South Central Victoria.

BGM_Bottom Feeders: The Political Controversy That Stank Up Victoria

In the late 1800’s, Victoria’s politics were a breeding ground for corruption, greed, and scandal-and nothing summed it up more a the Bottom Feeders controversy. In this episode of Down the Yarra, we dive into the political storm that truely rocked Naarm’ - Melbourne, where certain individual MPs were accused of feeding off public funds while infrastructure crumbled and land speculation ran wild. But the corruption wasn’t just in Parliament-it was also-down the Birrarung (Yarra River), bottom feeders of a different kind thrived as the Birrarung became a toxic dumping ground for industry as well as government neglect.
Join us as we explore the potential scandals, environmental destruction, and the public outrage that forced changed. Plus, we teaser our next episode on the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens-where politics, power, and prestige shaped one of Naarm - Melbourne’s most iconic landmarks.
Trigger Warning: This episode discusses political corruption, environmental degradation, and historical government misconduct.

BGM_Lil’ Lon Slum and the Origins of Call Girls

In the shadows of Naarm -Melbourne’s grand Victorian architecture once lay the district of Lil’ Lon-a notorious slum where crime, vice, and survival went hand in hand. This episode of Down the Yarra delves into the history of Melbourne’s first call girls, the hidden brothels and the shy grog shops that fueled the underworld economy, and the powerful madames who knew Melbourne’s deepest as well as darkest secrets.
We also uncover the bizarre tale of the stolen parliamentary spectre-vanished into the streets of Lil’ Lon, its fate still wrapped in mystery today.
Plus, we remember Look, History In the Eye Melbourne and their Madame M episode, a deep dive into one of Melbourne’s most infamous Madams. And don’t miss our next episode, where we explore the transformation of Melbourne Hospital into the Queen Victoria Hospital, and finally to QV Square.
Hit Follow and take a walk through Melbourne’s forgotten past.

BGM_The Royal Exhibition Building & Carlton Gardens: A GrandPast, A Living Present, and an Uncertain Future

Before Naarm - Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building became a World Heritage-Listed Icon, it was a symbol of progress, a political powerhouse, and-believe it or not-a flooded disaster zone. From its role in the 1880 and 1888 World’s Fairs to hosting Australia’s first Parliament, the historic landmark has seen it all. But did you know that the Carlton Gardens was once a dumping ground for Melbourne’s entire human and animal wast? Or that when the Yan Yean pipe was finally turned on, it actually completely flooded the site?
In this episode, we explore the hidden history of the Royal Exhibition Building and its gardens, from the lost pavilions, and secret structures to the festivals and events that keep it alive today. Plus, we’ll look at what the future holds for this archaeological masterpiece.
And stick around for a teaser about its famous next-door neighbours-Melbourne Museum and IMAX, where history and technology collide.
Whether you’re a local or just curious, this is an episode that you won’t want to miss.

BGM_Melbourne International Comedy Festival: Past, Present, & Future

Since 1987, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival has grown from a small local event into the world’s third largest celebrations of laughter. But how did it all begin? And where’s it heading?
In this special episode of Down the Yarra, we explore the festival humble origins, its rise to global fame, the comedians who make their mark, and the controversies that shook the scene. From the underground clubs of the 1980s to the digital revolution shaping today’s comedy landscape, we dive into the past, present, and future of Melbourne’s funniest festival.
Plus, we unpack what’s in store for MICF 2025, including this year’s must-see acts, the growing influence of digital comedy, and how Melbourne continues to push the boundaries of stand-up.
Trigger Warning: This episode discusses themes that are related to censorship, free speech in comedy, and past controversies that maybe sensitive to some listeners.
Tune in for a journey through Naarm - Melbourne’s comedy scene-where the punchlines never stop!

BGM_Gulf Station: The Yarra Valley’s Living Time capsule

Just outside of Naarm -Melbourne, hidden among the rolling hills and vineyards of the Yarra Valley, sits one of Victoria’s oldest and most intact heritage farms: Gulf Station. Build by William and Agnes Bell and family in the 1840’s, this working farm has survived bushfires, floods, depressions and development threats to become a rare living time capsule of early colonial life.
In this episode finale, we dive into Gulf Station’s origins, its Scottish Founders, its hidden stories-including the women who kept the place running-and the truth about its place being stolen Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung land. We also explore what the future holds for this historic site and how it could become a place of deeper reconciliation and storytelling.
Trigger warning: This episode includes references to colonisation and the displacement of First Nations people.
Plus-we’re talking about short break, but Down the Yarra will return with Season 3 on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. Follow now, so you don’t miss an episode.

BGM_From Public Fountains to Coffee Palaces

Before Naarm - Melbourne became the cafe capital of Australia, the city was shaped by a very different kind of drinking culture-one that had nothing to do with coffee. In this episode of Down the Yarra, we’re diving into the history of Naarm’s public drinking fountains and the subsequent rise and fall of Melbourne’s grand coffee palaces.
Why did the temperance’s movement push for public drinking fountains? How did Melbourne’s coffee obsession evolve from alcohol-free palaces to today’s laneway espresso bars? And what’s the story behind those little plates that still come with some coffees?
Plus, stick around for a teaser on our next episode, the tragic and shocking true crime story of Jean Lee, the last woman to be publicly excused in Australia at Pentridge Prison in Coburg.
So grab your flat white, long black, or however you take your coffee-because we’re about to take a journey Down the Yarra.