Your tour guide and tour designer, Michael Shelford

Michael Shelford is a writer, freelance journalist and private historian based in Fitzroy. He has written for the Herald Sun and Guardian newspapers, and other publications including The Victorian Writer, Traces, and Time Out magazines. In 2012 he was the writer in residence for Writers Victoria's Cells for Writers program, during which he occupied a prison cell at Old Melbourne Gaol for 4 weeks. In 2014 he was the first writer to be awarded a mentorship under Writers Victoria's Personal Patrons Scheme.
He has been featured on SBS TV's Secrets Of Our Cities and on ABC Radio National through the Books and Arts and Into the Music programs. He has been featured on Radio National's Australian Gothic - an episode of the Earshot series, and live on ABC Melbourne's Drive program. He has also been a featured guest on Melbourne Triple R.
In 2019 he was the researcher for the groundbreaking augmented reality game Misadventure In Little Lon.
In 2019/2020, Michael wrote a series of 6 articles for the Herald Sun: 'Gangsters of Melbourne'. The 6 articles each have an accompanying podcast episode. To have a listen to these episodes, follow this link to the Herald Sun's 'In Black and White' with Jen Kelly.
Michael is currently completing 2 true crime books about Melbourne’s underworld in the years 1890 -1920. As the proprietor of Melbourne Historical Crime Tours, he conducts walking tours based on knowledge acquired through research for his writing.
He has spent over 14 years researching Melbourne's crime history and has sifted through more than 400 boxes of dusty old police files along the way.

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Michael Shelford's Articles

 Michael Shelford article in the Guardian about Ted Whiting, a gangster who is featured on the Melbourne Historical Crime Tours.

Michael Shelford Guardian article about one of Essendon FC's first trainers - the quack doctor, athlete and suspected murderer Carl von Ledebur.
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Michael Shelford article in The Victorian Writer magazine about his time writing in Old Melbourne Gaol. It features serial killer Frederick Deeming.


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Michael Shelford interviewed on ABC Radio National

Podcast of ABC Radio National interview with Michael Shelford from his cell in Old Melbourne Gaol

Podcast of Radio National interview featuring Russell Morris, Molly Meldrum, Peter Doyle and Michael Shelford. Squizzy Taylor and other historical Australian crooks are discussed.

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