Great Bookie Robbery

On 21 April 1976, six men carried out one of the most audacious heists in Australian history. The Great Bookie Robbery targeted the Victoria Club in Melbourne, stealing an estimated $15 million (≈ $80M today). No one was ever convicted. Within a decade, every man was dead.

This archive combines factual notes and images used in writing 11 Minutes, an Australian noir heist novel by Gregory M Carroll, touching on Ray “Chuck” Bennett, Ian Carroll, the Painters and Dockers waterfront wars, and the unsolved aftermath.

Read the story behind Australia's most daring heist 11 Minutes by Gregory M Carroll

Great Bookie Robbery

Part I – The Crime of the Century

Part II – Where It Began

Part III – The Making of a Legend

Part IV – The Aftermath

Part V – Retribution

Epilogue – Final Notes