MELBOURNE (Naarm)
Finding Her City Melbourne
Walk the city streets to discover commemorative sites of seven inspiring Melbourne Women. Each site a story stop with a unique audio experience revealing the life and work of these significant women.
History is full of gaps, and women are often not visible, not because women weren’t there, but because their stories have been left untold. Throughout history, in these streets of Melbourne, women led dynamic lives. They painted, sculpted, and built entire worlds out of colour and instinct. They organised, marched, and refused to stay quiet. They broke into medicine when the profession barred them. They ran businesses on their own terms, built at the edges of respectability. And they fought – for disability rights, for recognition, for a fairer city – so often without being acknowledged or thanked.
This is a walking tour with a difference – you are following the footsteps of women who have shaped these lands and this city.
As you listen and move through these streets nestled into the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Boon Wurrung people, you are joining us as we write these women and their places back into history.
Across seven stories: artists, activists, doctors, advocates, and one unforgettable businesswoman. Some names you might know. Many you won’t. As one of Australia’s dedicated women’s museums, Her Place is steward of these stories.
Each story stands on its own, so you can listen to whichever is closest to you, or follow the whole route from start to finish, letting one place, one woman lead you to the next.
There is no history without her story.
Please be aware that some of these stories include words and attitudes from the past that we wouldn’t use today. You’ll also hear words that have been reclaimed and used warmly in some communities today that carried very different, painful meanings in these women’s own time. We’ve kept this language where it helps tell their stories honestly, in the context of the eras in which they lived.
Commemorative sites with Story Stops
To take the walking tour you can begin at any of the sites pinned on our map below and thread your way through the streets to each story stop, taking in the sounds of the city as you go. You may like to combine your walk with use of the city trams to get from one stop to another, and listen to Story Stop 1: Introduction.
Once you arrive at the place of commemoration put on your headphones and select the audio story. Each story lasts between 5-8 mins. A suggested route begins at Parliament station and follows the order listed below from Story Stop 1-8.
Itinerary
Listen to the start of your Audio Story Stop journey.
Parliament Reserve, Spring Street (Statue) &
56 Cunningham Street, Northcote (Mural)
Lady Gladys Nicholls was a leading Aboriginal Rights activist although she probably wouldn’t describe herself as one and instead she would have humbly said she just wanted to help her people. Gladys worked with strength, compassion and determination to advance Aboriginal and Women’s rights and to provide practical assistance to those living in poverty.
Amphlett Lane, Melbourne VIC, Australia
Chrissy Amphlett is remembered as an Australian rock icon whose influence transcended music. As the bold, captivating lead singer of the Divinyls, she challenged societal norms and redefined femininity. With her magnetic stage presence, unique voice, and unapologetic attitude, Chrissy became a global icon inspiring countless fans who continue to celebrate her legacy.
Born Christine Joy Amphlett in Geelong, Victoria, Chrissy’s mother Mary encouraged her to pursue performance from an early age. Having modelled from the age of three, Chrissy began performing with the Geelong Musical Comedy Company at age ten, where she was trained in stagecraft and vocal skills. Her cousin, Patricia Amphlett— known as 1960’s pop sensation Little Pattie—provided a glimpse into the life of a successful performer, further fueling Chrissy’s ambition. With her daring spirit, Chrissy busked her way through Europe at 17, before returning to Melbourne to captivate audiences as Linda Lips in the provocative musical Let My People Come.
Royal Lane, Melbourne VIC, Australia
Lesley Hall OAM was a powerful activist who dedicated her life to advocating for the rights of those living with disabilities, women, First Nations people, and those on low incomes. As a leading advocate for the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO), she played a major role in getting people living with disabilities involved in talks, lobbying, and campaigns. Thanks to her efforts, the National Disability Strategy and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) were successfully created, making a huge difference in support for people living with disabilities across the country.
123 Swanston Street, Melbourne VIC, Australia
Val Eastwood was a dancer, entrepreneur, and a leading figure in Melbourne’s arts and LGBTIQ+ history. Her café, Val’s Coffee Lounge on Swanston Street, became one of the city’s first social spaces for queer people, providing a welcoming and safe environment at a time when same-sex relationships were socially marginalised and public visibility could carry significant personal risk.
Queen Victoria Women’s Centre, 210 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Creative Resilience was commissioned by the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre Trust as part of commitments made to Reconciliation in its Reconciliation Action Plan. The fabrication of the work has been supported by the Victorian Government as part of the Victorian Women’s Public Art program (VWPA).
The forearm and basket depicted symbolise the strength and creativity of Aboriginal women in South Eastern Australia who have supported and nurtured families and communities through culture over tens of thousands of years.
Victorian Trades Hall, 54 Victoria Street, CARLTON
Zelda D’ Aprano spent her life fighting for equality for women.
One of Victoria’s most prominent equal pay campaigners, she chained herself to the doors of the Commonwealth Building in Melbourne in 1969 to protest for equal pay.
“No more male & female rates, only one rate,” her sign said.
Zelda spent her life in Melbourne, living and working in the heart of the city, after growing up and spending her childhood years in Carlton. She worked at the Melbourne Mail Exchange among others and set up the Women’s Liberation Centre in Little Latrobe St.
“Chain Reaction”, a figurative sculpture by artist Jennifer Mann, is a life-size bronze statue. The sculpture in bronze represents Zelda’s iconic protest against gender pay inequality.
Listen to Her Story.
Cowan Lane, CARLTON
Dr Ethel Mary Vaughan Cowan was born in Ballarat in 1868. After training as a nurse at Ballarat Hospital, she went on to study medicine at the University of Melbourne.
Six years after the first woman in Australia finished a medical degree, Ethel graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine as one of two women in her class in 1897. Following this, Ethel completed further study to acquire a Bachelor of Surgery and qualify as a fully trained doctor.
However, despite her strong academic record and professional references, Ethel struggled to secure hospital employment. Her application to return to Ballarat Hospital was unsuccessful. She also applied for a position at the Women’s Hospital, where her testimonials were described as outstanding, yet she was passed over in favour of male applicants. Sound familiar?
Listen to here story.
Acknowledgements
Finding Her City Melbourne Audio Story Stops were created by Vanessa Chapple and Camilla Maling, August 2026.
Composition, Narration, Studio Production: Camilla Maling and Vanessa Chapple
Additional composition Theme for Chrissie, Val’s Boogie: Felix Chapple
Voices of Women: Ngardang Girri Kalat Mimini, Zelda D’Aprano – Audio courtesy of the Victorian Government Department of Families, Fairness and Housing
Made possible thanks to Creative Victoria.
