There’s a fairly high chance you’ve never heard of the Public Record Office Victoria, the State Government of Victoria’s archives. In keeping with its location in the industrial, unfashionable end of North Melbourne, it’s the poor cousin of Victoria’s major arts institutions. And though lacking in trendy allure, skilfully channelled for instance by the recent Triennial Extra night festival held at National Gallery of Victoria or the studious splendour of the dome of the State Library, there’s reason enough to become better acquainted with the archives’ rich collection.

At least in size it’s no shirking violet; the collection extends to almost 100km. The documents, photographs, maps, plans and ephemera that make up the archives’ holdings are a fraction of the records that pass through the hands of our State’s public servants. These have been deemed worthy of long-term preservation. This includes over forty-five registered files pertinent to the life and horrific death of Mollie Dean in 1930, the subject of journalist and author Gideon Haigh’s most recent book. True crime is having a bit of a moment right now. Or so I’ve been told, though perhaps this ubiquity is really more a case of greater access to more content, driven by the on-demand gateways of Netflix documentaries, and my own field, podcasts.