A City Lost and Found: Whelan the Wrecker's Melbourne

“Old landmarks fall in nearly every block ... and the face of the city is changing so rapidly that the time is not too far distant when a search for a building 50 years old will be in vain.” —Herald, 1925.

The demolition firm of Whelan the Wrecker was a Melbourne institution for a hundred years (1892–1992). Its famous sign – ‘Whelan the Wrecker is Here’ on a pile of shifting rubble – was a laconic masterpiece and served as a vital sign of the city's progress. It's no stretch to say that ov...