Australia's 'famous' underworld figures

There is a lot of talk at the moment about whether or not Melbourne’s underworld figures like Mick Gatto, Roberta Williams and the like should be “enjoying” celebrity status. The finger is being pointed at the media and the producers of the hit television series Underbelly with accusations of having elevated these larger-than-life personalities to fame. But is it really the media and the film industry who’s to blame here? Perhaps it could be argued that this is not the case.

So, who really made these people famous? Could the answer to that question be sitting in our own lounge rooms? After all it was you and I who sat glued to our TV sets for thirteen weeks straight without ever missing a single episode of Underbelly. We even went out and bought the Underbelly Uncut DVD for archival purposes. It is us who buys the newspapers and magazines that run articles and interviews on Melbourne’s notorious underworld figures. It is us who visit the websites, blogs and forums to read even more about these identities. It is us who are so willing to contribute our opinions to online discussions while very carefully hiding behind untraceable aliases. It is us who search book shops and websites to collect yet another title for that ever growing personal library of true crime books.

Could it also be argued that what we are experiencing here is simply a case of supply and demand? By our actions we are suggesting to the media and the film industry that we have an insatiable appetite for underworld related material. Their reaction is to supply. That’s what businesses do. In a situation such as this, fame is inevitable.

Don’t think for one minute that this current situation is new to us. 120 years on and as a nation we still have a deep fascination with the course of events which lead up to the siege that took place in the pre-dawn at Glenrowan.

Feel free to respond.

Your Australian ganglands book portal

MelbournesUnderworld.com is your online true crime book search facility. Our search engine is capable of sourcing Australian ganglands crime books from all over Australia. When you perform a search on MelbournesUnderworld.com you will be searching the inventries of both on and offline book shops Australia wide. Many of these shops specialise in new and used books, hard to find books, rare books and out of print books along with newly released titles.

MelbournesUnderworld.com also stocks a selection of Australia's most popular underworld and true crime books which you can buy straight off the cyber shelf. We also have links to video and radio interviews with some of Australia's most infamous crime figures along with regular news updates as they come to hand.

We hope you enjoy the site.