Barbara Minchinton: Madame Brussels

Madame Brussels was the working name of Caroline Hodgson, Melbourne's elite brothel-keeper of the nineteenth century. Most of what was known about her had been written by her enemies until family memorabilia was donated to the State Library of Victoria, and further research told a different story. While the colourful tales of the men who hated her might have turned out to be fiction, the truth behind the legend was every bit as captivating.