As mentioned in previous posts, Black Gold is a fanzine created by ‘Martin‘, documenting his epic search for “all the pre-1983 releases on No-future records” in Melbourne – with a copy of Diggin’ Melbourne acting as his “gloriously meticulous” tour guide. We were lucky enough to receive a couple of copies in the mail last week and shared them around at the map launch. We all had a laugh at Martin’s awesome zine – which he describes as “more of a stream of consciousness than a blow-by-blow review”.

After reading through Martin’s fanzine I wanted to share a little more information, and some tips about the Diggin’ Melbourne map. If you’re visiting Melbourne, please note: THE MAPS ARE NOT TO EXACT SCALE, and the scale of the store maps often varies to include surrounding landmarks. Case in point being Martin’s day in Williamstown (see below). Whilst we encourage using environmentally friendly modes of transport, there are some places you just have to drive to, and the Williamstown/Yarraville area is one of these. What appears like a few millimeters on a map can actually be a few kilometeres. Always refer to Greater Melbourne Map to get your bearings and assess your best mode of transport… Sorry Martin – and thanks for bringing this to our attention.

If you enjoyed reading that (and you’re not already in the car driving to Lost Ark), you’ll definitely enjoy the rest of Black Gold. Although, as Martin points out about all the stores in Melbourne, “two thirds of them don’t really deserve a mention so they don’t get one”, proving that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!

Black Gold is definitely one for the punk collectors out there, but still essential reading for anyone on the hunt for records in Melbourne. We’re not exactly sure where you can get a copy today – but as soon as that info comes to hand we’ll share it here. If you’re desperate to get a copy, email us at digmelbourne@gmail.com and we’ll put you in contact with the main man Martin.

Big thanks to Martin for sharing this with us, and apologies for making you “walk for an hour and a half in the baking sun”. Welcome to Melbourne!

Black Gold “Diggin for records in Melbourne”
By Martin. 2015.
Available at specially selected record stores in the near future. (see previous posts for a cover image)