In this book, the residents of Prahran, past and present, tell something of their own stories. These are as diverse as Prahran itself. There are tales of wine and roses at balls in Toorak, of playing cricket in the streets of Windsor and of campaigning against high-rise flats. Documentary sources are also used to build a collage of impressions of change in Prahran's streets, houses and factories, how its residents made a living, how they met and married, what they did for fun, and, of course, the changing patterns of shopping on Chapel Street and in the Prahran Market.

Any research and writing about Australian history and society is likely to touch at some stage on aspects of government. This book seeks to approach the subject in a fresh manner. It examines local government in a broad sociological, rather than merely administrative, context.