In the 30 years that I’ve lived in Sydney, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten off at Macdonaldtown Station, and I don’t know anyone who has ever told me they lived in Macdonaldtown.
There’s a reason for that, because there is no suburb called Macdonaldtown anymore—just the train station. There used to be a suburb, that is until a terrible mass killing occurred in the area back in October 1892.
I learned about this today on a history walk with Elliot Lindsay through his true crime walking tour group, Murders Most Foul.
The story goes that the quiet working-class streets were shaken to their core when workmen digging behind a terrace house on Burren Street made a horrifying discovery: the remains of infants buried in the backyard. This blew open the notorious “baby farming” ring run by John and Sarah Makin, a couple who took in unwanted babies for cash under the promise of adoption or care, only to murder them. Police ultimately linked the remains of 15 infants to properties the Makins had occupied across Sydney.
Ever since the ensuing scandal deeply scarred the local identity, the suburb of Macdonaldtown was effectively absorbed and renamed (largely becoming part of modern Erskineville), but the train station remained. It was fascinating to learn about that dark history alongside several other amazing stories I heard today for the first time.
We also learned about the dramatic 1906 King Street siege—a violent domestic dispute at a local dwelling that tragically resulted in the fatal shooting of First Class Constable John James Wallace by a man named Tanna, culminating in a tense standoff and shootout.
From there, we paid a visit to the old Camperdown Cemetery, stopping by a number of graves, including the final resting place of Eliza Emily Donnithorne. A true-life recluse whose fiancé failed to show up to their wedding in the 1850s, Eliza famously left her uneaten wedding feast on the dining table and shut herself away from the world for over 30 years—providing the uncanny real-life inspiration for Miss Havisham in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations.
It was so funny: as we enjoyed a post-walk beer at the Bank Hotel, Elliot observed that the three of us do one of these tours together every single year, always in October. He was actually able to go back and check the dates, realising we had done our very first tour with him—one of his first-ever tours—back in 2021.
Naturally, being a historian, he is great with dates, facts, and history, but he is also a genuinely wonderful storyteller. It was so interesting to see the evolution of his storytelling over the last few years. It was a lovely way to spend a Saturday, and I even managed to get around easily on my mobility scooter, including navigating the sometimes tricky grounds of the cemetery. It was such a beautiful day and a gorgeous environment.
Elliot mentioned that this was essentially the last time he’ll be running a tour in the cemetery for various reasons, which is a shame, but it was such a treat to be part of it. I really love these kinds of history walks—two or three hours where you get to learn so much more about the areas you either live in or visit all the time.
You should check out Murders Most Foul tours. My friends and I have done many of Elliot’s tours over the years, and we can thoroughly recommend them.
