With the discovery of gold in Sandhurst came a flood of hopeful diggers seeking to make their fortunes. The influx of people from diverse backgrounds led to a dramatic increase in crime. The goldfields became a hub of opium smoking and sly-grogging, of tensions between races and corrupt troopers. With urgency, a group of notable Bendigo men of extraordinary talent and great legal minds came together to implement a range of measures to create order in the region.

Crime and punishment: a history of Bendigo's law and order explored in brief the social history surrounding the evolution of Bendigo’s law and order - the court house, police barracks, lock-ups and gaol. It also explored humanity’s darker side and examined some of the more notorious crimes of the 1800s that resulted in the execution of the perpetrator.

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