Brothels and sex workers: variety, complexity and change in nineteenth-century Little Lon, Melbourne

The neighbourhood of Little Lon, in Melbourne, first attracted historians’ attention as a ‘slum’ area whose occupants in the nineteenth century were characterised as ‘outcasts’. Later archaeological work characterised Little Lon as a poor working-class area housing factories and low rent accommodation for labourers and immigrants. In both cases the presence of sex workers and brothels was acknowledged but their role was played down or considered in relation to criminal activities in the area. In this article a closer look at the sex workers’ lives and the variety of brothels in Little Lon allows for a more nuanced appreciation of the sex work industry within the social and legal context of the era.