Colonial Victoria was a place of great contrast. Wealth and glamour, lingering from the gold rush, contrasted with crime at an unprecedented rate. Highwaymen stalked the roads; people disappeared, brothels flourished, opium was rampant and drunken fights spilled out onto the street. In the midst of this, a figure emerged that would capture the popular imagination as Victoria’s own Sherlock Holmes: John Mitchell Christie.  

He was a Police Detective and Customs Detective Inspector, best known for using disguises to catch criminals, brandishing the sword concealed in his signature cane. He infiltrated Russian spies, solved notorious robberies, thwarted smugglers and counterfeiting rings, raided bootleggers and served as a bodyguard to royalty.