The Conversation

From molten lava to cobbled laneways: how bluestone shaped Melbourne’s identity

Author: Stephanie Trigg, Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor of English Literature, University of Melbourne

Melbourne laneways are famous for its cobbled bluestone lanewaysUnsplash

If we think of the bluestone in Melbourne, we may first think of the famous cobbled laneways intersecting the urban grid.

Initially, these laneways were used for the collection of night soil – human excrement collected at night from buckets or privies – and they...

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