In 1930, Sybil Pace returns to wharf-side Woolloomooloo with two small children, no husband and in need of a job. Work is scarce. The wharves are quiet, but at night the sly grog shops and brothels come to life. Toughened by the poverty and violence that characterised Woolloomooloo, Sybil and her son, George do what they must to survive. Based on a true story, "Woolloomooloo Bad" tracks the lives of a working-class, inner-Sydney family through the great depression and into the war years. Epic in scope and rich in humanity, "Woolloomooloo Bad" weaves the colloquial, sardonic cultural norms of a bygone era into a wonderful and distinctly Australian story.