diff --git a/src/woo_publications/logging/admin.py b/src/woo_publications/logging/admin.py
index af368346..f7f92866 100644
--- a/src/woo_publications/logging/admin.py
+++ b/src/woo_publications/logging/admin.py
@@ -1,5 +1,91 @@
 from django.contrib import admin
+from django.http import HttpRequest
+from django.urls import reverse
+from django.utils.html import format_html, strip_tags
+from django.utils.text import Truncator
+from django.utils.translation import gettext, gettext_lazy as _
 
 from timeline_logger.models import TimelineLog
 
+from .constants import Events
+from .models import TimelineLogProxy
+
 admin.site.unregister(TimelineLog)
+
+
+@admin.register(TimelineLogProxy)
+class TimelineLogProxyAdmin(admin.ModelAdmin):
+    list_display = (
+        "message",
+        "show_event",
+        "timestamp",
+        "show_acting_user",
+        "content_admin_link",
+    )
+    # TODO: add filters/search on event and acting user
+    list_filter = ("timestamp",)
+    ordering = ("-timestamp",)
+    search_fields = (
+        "extra_data__acting_user__identifier",
+        "extra_data__acting_user__display_name",
+    )
+    list_select_related = ("content_type", "user")
+    date_hierarchy = "timestamp"
+    readonly_fields = ("get_message",)
+
+    def has_add_permission(self, request: HttpRequest):
+        # Not even superusers are allowed to make changes
+        return False
+
+    def has_change_permission(
+        self, request: HttpRequest, obj: TimelineLogProxy | None = None
+    ):
+        # Not even superusers are allowed to make changes
+        return False
+
+    def has_delete_permission(
+        self, request: HttpRequest, obj: TimelineLogProxy | None = None
+    ):
+        # Not even superusers are allowed to make changes
+        return False
+
+    @admin.display(description=_("full log message"))
+    def full_message(self, obj: TimelineLogProxy) -> str:
+        return obj.get_message()
+
+    @admin.display(description=_("message"))
+    def message(self, obj: TimelineLogProxy) -> str:
+        full_msg = strip_tags(self.full_message(obj))
+        return Truncator(full_msg).chars(100) or gettext("(no message)")
+
+    @admin.display(description=_("event"), ordering="extra_data__event")
+    def show_event(self, obj: TimelineLogProxy) -> str:
+        if (event := obj.event) == "unknown":
+            return gettext("Unknown")
+        return Events(event).label
+
+    @admin.display(description=_("acting user"))
+    def show_acting_user(self, obj: TimelineLogProxy) -> str:
+        acting_user, django_user = obj.acting_user
+        format_str = (
+            gettext("{name} ({identifier})")
+            if not django_user
+            else gettext("{name} ({identifier}, local user ID: {django_id})")
+        )
+        return format_str.format(
+            name=acting_user["display_name"],
+            identifier=acting_user["identifier"],
+            django_id=django_user.pk if django_user else None,
+        )
+
+    @admin.display(description=_("affected object"))
+    def content_admin_link(self, obj: TimelineLogProxy) -> str:
+        if not (obj.object_id and obj.content_type_id):
+            return "-"
+        ct = obj.content_type
+        admin_path = reverse(
+            f"admin:{ct.app_label}_{ct.model}_change", args=(obj.object_id,)
+        )
+        return format_html(
+            '<a href="{u}">{t}</a>', u=admin_path, t=str(obj.content_object)
+        )
diff --git a/src/woo_publications/logging/constants.py b/src/woo_publications/logging/constants.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a8610f63
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/woo_publications/logging/constants.py
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+from django.db import models
+from django.utils.translation import gettext_lazy as _
+
+
+class Events(models.TextChoices):
+    # generic events mapping to standard CRUD operations
+    create = "create", _("Record created")
+    read = "read", _("Record read")
+    update = "update", _("Record updated")
+    delete = "delete", _("Record deleted")
+    # Specific events
+    ...
diff --git a/src/woo_publications/logging/migrations/0001_initial.py b/src/woo_publications/logging/migrations/0001_initial.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a6c840eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/woo_publications/logging/migrations/0001_initial.py
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+# Generated by Django 4.2.16 on 2024-10-09 15:13
+
+from django.db import migrations
+
+
+class Migration(migrations.Migration):
+
+    initial = True
+
+    dependencies = [
+        ("timeline_logger", "0006_auto_20220413_0749"),
+    ]
+
+    operations = [
+        migrations.CreateModel(
+            name="TimelineLogProxy",
+            fields=[],
+            options={
+                "verbose_name": "(audit) log entry",
+                "verbose_name_plural": "(audit) log entries",
+                "proxy": True,
+                "indexes": [],
+                "constraints": [],
+            },
+            bases=("timeline_logger.timelinelog",),
+        ),
+    ]
diff --git a/src/woo_publications/logging/migrations/__init__.py b/src/woo_publications/logging/migrations/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/src/woo_publications/logging/models.py b/src/woo_publications/logging/models.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8e19e6dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/woo_publications/logging/models.py
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+from typing import Literal, TypedDict
+
+from django.utils.translation import gettext_lazy as _
+
+from timeline_logger.models import TimelineLog
+
+from woo_publications.accounts.models import User
+
+from .constants import Events
+
+
+class ActingUser(TypedDict):
+    identifier: str
+    display_name: str
+
+
+class MetadataDict(TypedDict):
+    """
+    Optimistic model for the metadata - unfortunately we can't add DB constraints.
+    """
+
+    event: str
+    acting_user: ActingUser
+
+
+class TimelineLogProxy(TimelineLog):
+    """
+    Proxy the Python API of the package model.
+
+    django-timeline-logger is agnostic, so we provide a convenience wrapper via this
+    proxy model.
+    """
+
+    content_type_id: int | None
+
+    extra_data: MetadataDict
+
+    class Meta:  # type: ignore
+        proxy = True
+        verbose_name = _("(audit) log entry")
+        verbose_name_plural = _("(audit) log entries")
+
+    def save(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        # there's a setting for this, but then makemigrations produces a new migration
+        # in the third party package which is less than ideal...
+        if self.template == "timeline_logger/default.txt":
+            self.template = "logging/message.txt"
+
+        if self.extra_data is None:
+            raise ValueError("'extra_data' may not be empty.")
+        if not isinstance(self.extra_data, dict):
+            raise TypeError("'extra_data' must be a JSON object (python dict)")
+
+        # ensure that we always track the event
+        self._validate_event()
+        # ensure that we always track the acting user
+        self._validate_user_details()
+
+        super().save(*args, **kwargs)
+
+    def _validate_event(self):
+        try:
+            Events(self.extra_data["event"])
+        except (ValueError, KeyError) as enum_error:
+            raise ValueError(
+                "The extra data must contain an 'event' key from the "
+                "'woo_publications.logging.constants.Events' enum."
+            ) from enum_error
+
+    def _validate_user_details(self):
+        """
+        Validate that the extra metadata contains snapshot data of the acting user.
+
+        Note that we track a FK to the django user model too, but we also store audit
+        log events of users that don't exist in our local database. Additionally, if
+        a user is deleted, we want to retain the audit logs of them.
+        """
+        try:
+            user_details = self.extra_data["acting_user"]
+        except KeyError as err:
+            raise ValueError(
+                "Audit logs must contain the 'acting_user' key in the metadata"
+            ) from err
+
+        try:
+            user_details["identifier"]
+            user_details["display_name"]
+        except KeyError as err:
+            raise ValueError(
+                "The user details in audit logs must contain the 'identifier' and "
+                "'display_name' keys."
+            ) from err
+
+    @property
+    def event(self) -> Events | Literal["unknown"]:
+        """
+        Extract the semantic event from the metadata.
+
+        It's possible log records exist that have an 'event' value that was once defined
+        in code, but no longer is - in that case, the literal string "unknown" is
+        returned.
+        """
+        try:
+            return Events(self.extra_data["event"])
+        except ValueError:
+            return "unknown"
+
+    @property
+    def acting_user(self) -> tuple[ActingUser, User | None]:
+        """
+        Get information of the acting user.
+
+        Returns a tuple that always contains the recorded acting user metadata as first
+        element. The second element is the Django user instance if it is known,
+        otherwise ``None``.
+        """
+        return (self.extra_data["acting_user"], self.user)
diff --git a/src/woo_publications/logging/templates/logging/message.txt b/src/woo_publications/logging/templates/logging/message.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f197a505
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/woo_publications/logging/templates/logging/message.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{% load i18n %}{% blocktrans trimmed with timestamp=log.timestamp|date:'DATETIME_FORMAT' user=log.extra_data.acting_user.display_name|default:_('Anonymous user') object=log.content_object|default:_('(object not set)') event=log.extra_data.event %}
+{{ timestamp }} | {{ user }} | <code>{{ event }}</code>: {{ object }}.
+{% endblocktrans %}