A visual tour through the inner-Melbourne suburb of North Richmond, a suburb known for the strong presence of heroin and amphetamines.
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| View looking south towards Victoria Street from my favourite cafe, with the high-rise flats in the background |
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| In the gutter where we parked the car. And so it begins… |
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| A highly-visible police presence fails to drive away the drug traffic |
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| A friend, crippled by infection after being stabbed several times by an addict |
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| Rear of one of the Elizabeth Street walk-up flats |
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| Children’s playground, likely infested with used syringes |
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| View from the playground of the walk-up flats |
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| Rear entrance to the walk-ups. Many drug deals and injections take place here, where it is hidden from the street |
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| Typical back alley in North Richmond, strewn with debris from countless injections |
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| Syringe lid and a few of the balloons used to hold street deals of heroin |
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| This alcove off an alley and around the corner are fairly safe places to inject heroin, except that the cops tend to check them regularly |
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| Unusual type of syringe found abandoned underneath the ramp leading to North Richmond train station. As a rule, most addicts use 1ml insulin syringes; this is a 3ml syringe with detachable tip. Notice the protective cap left off, yet right next to the dangerous sharp tip |
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| A view down towards 106 block of the high-rise flats with the eternal police presence. This is the same block of flats shown from the same angle as the cover of Hammered: Memoir of an addict |
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| The needle-exchange at the North Richmond Community Health Centre. Thousands of syringes are passed out to addicts every week from this facility, helping restrict infection and the risk of disease due to dirty injecting equipment |
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| The bin outside the needle-exchange for disposal of dirty injecting equipment. It’s a real shame some addicts don’t use it, choosing instead to leave their remnants behind at injection sites |
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| Scattered syringes and an upside-down can (used for mixing up the drugs with water) left behind at a secluded spot behind a building in North Richmond |
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| The sheltered BBQ area between blocks 108 and 110 of the high-rise flats, designed for use by families, but more often used by dealers and addicts |
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| 108 block of the high-rise flats in Elizabeth Street, North Richmond. People from farming cultures living like caged hens. Check out the link HERE for more information on the high-rise project |
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| The new mini-police station being set up in North Richmond, in the heart of the drug area. Designed to limit the trade in illicit substances… like that’s gonna happen. This is purely to show the public that they are doing something. At the very best, the trade will just move a block or two further over |
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| The Bridge Detox Centre, funded and run by the Salvation Army in Abbotsford, about three hundred metres from the heart of the North Richmond illicit drug trade. I owe this facility my life |
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| The front gate of The Bridge. I went in there seven times, and came out still an addict six times |
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Geoff Brown -Writer 
This is an amazing portrayal of the culture many of us are blissfully unaware of Geoff.Its there, it exists on the fringe of our consciousness, but it doesnt touch our lives.Good on you for bringing it to the forefront with your writing! I know I'm looking forward to reading.- Rubes
Hi Geoff,I just had a stint at The Melbourne Clinic and we went for walks around the very streets you portray here. It is very much a drug culture in Richmond sadly. I stayed on the Detox floor for a week (whilst waiting for a bed on the floor below) and everyone seemed very nice, though I was warned by my doctor that many had Hep C and not to get too involved particularly since I have bipolar and this can manifest with sexual indiscretions when manic. It is to your credit that you got yourself onto the straight and narrow, are nursing writing and using your life experiences in a positive way. All the best to you xx I look forward to reading your book. My son is also doing a course in professional writing and editing and enjoying it.
Thanks for the kind words, Anonymous. Hope you stay well, and your son does real well with his course…