The city of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, is regarded as one of the street art and graffiti capitals of the world as everybody is welcome to express themselves through art, by drawing whatever they want, on outdoor locations all throughout the city, as long as it is certified to be sprayed on. The city’s street art is known all over the world because of its perfect combination of color, artistry and ideas. That is why it has become a must visit for both local and foreign tourists every time they get to visit the artistic city of Melbourne. If you’re planning to explore street art in Melbourne, Australia, check out the list below, and find out the best streets to visit.
1. Drewery Lane
Drewery Lane is the most unique lane in all of Melbourne. It is where you can find Legacy House, where families of Australian soldiers are cared for. Sankar Nadeson, known as “The Mosaic Man”, has been encouraging everyone to create mosaic tiles along Drewery Lane to remember those people that died just to defend Australia. There are already over 1000 tiles on display, as of this writing, that everyone can enjoy.
Drewery Lane
Address: Between Elizabeth and Swanston Streets, Melbourne, VIC
2. Cocker Alley
Cocker Alley is a stretch that runs south from Flinders Lane. It may be a very urban and dingy backstreet laden with garbage bins and some rats, but what makes it very popular is its street art, most notably “The Little Diver,” a defaced Banksy. It was covered with Perspex back in 2008 for it to be protected. However, it was defaced using silver paint along with the words “Banksy Woz Ere.” Phoenix, a Melbourne street artist, tried to recreate the famous street art, but it was vandalized as well.
Cocker Alley
Address: Flinders Lane, Melbourne, VIC
3. Presgrave Place
Presgrave Place basically consists of small sculptures and images placed on physical frames. Go deeper into this alleyway and you will see a small diorama made by Lizz Sonntag, known as Tinky, one of Melbourne’s most intriguing street artists. Presgrave Place is also known to be home to Bar Americano, one of Melbourne’s smallest bars with room for only 10 standing bar-goers.
Presgrave Place
Address: Howey’s Place, Melbourne, VIC
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4. Finlay Alley
Finlay Alley is one of Melbourne’s darkest and most hidden alleyways that is laden with interesting large murals and graffiti that every art enthusiast will surely love. It might be difficult to find and access, but all of your troubles finding this place will surely be worth it.
Finlay Alley
Address: Behind corner of Queen and Franklin Streets, Melbourne, VIC
5. Blender Lane
Blender Lane is the origin of Melbourne’s street art scene. Aside from all of the colors, stencils, murals, tags and paste-ups that you will see in this tiny alley, there’s so much you can do, art-related, at this place. You can buy some accessories, jewelry, crafts and artwork at the artists’ market during summer time. There are also art workshops and street art tours at the Blender Studios. Also, try checking out the shows at the Dark Horse Experiment Gallery.
Blender Lane
Address: Along Franklin Street, Melbourne, VIC
6. Flinders Court
You will be surely greeted with art as soon as you step into Flinders Court. There is art on the walls, the ground, the building around it, basically everywhere. The lane is full of realistic, cartoon and caricature art. You can also smell strong paint from it, telling you that artists come frequently to produce and improve their art. Most of the art that you can see from here is very lifelike, mainly because of its very detailed artistry.
Flinders Court
Address: Corner Elizabeth and Franklin Street, Melbourne, VIC
7. Hosier Lane
Hosier Lane is a laneway for both pedestrians and small vehicles, which is popular for its very sophisticated graffiti art on its walls. Both local and international artists frequent Hosier Lane as they make it their canvas. Each of the street art is very interesting to look at even if you don’t know the story behind it. There are also dedicated tours around Hosier Lane. Taking a walk along this lane is indeed a very iconic thing to do when you’re in Melbourne.
Hosier Lane
Address: Between Flinders and Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC
8. Rutledge Lane
Located at the edge of Hosier Lane, Rutledge Lane also offers splendid street art which covers every available surface, even garbage bins and windows. It is known as an extension of Hosier Lane. Its hidden location and grungy characteristic make everyone even more curious about this art center.
Rutledge Lane
Address: Hosier Lane, Melbourne, VIC
9. Union Lane
Union Lane is a central laneway that runs from Bourke Street Mall to Little Collins Street. It has been designated as one of the approved places to become a canvas for street artists since 2008 as part of the City of Melbourne’s Street Art Project. The walkway, sandwiched by the buildings, has a total of 550 square meters (5,920.15 square feet) of graffiti wall space for all street artists.
Union Lane
Address: Between Elizabeth and Swanston Streets, Melbourne, VIC
10. Degraves Street
Degraves Street is one of the most recognized laneways all around Melbourne. Aside from the artistry that comes from street art, the street is also full of coffee drinkers, workers, street artists, and of course, tourists, at any time of the day. The street is indeed a perfect place to stop and just smell the aroma of your coffee while you see all the sights of street art. On its base is also the underpass that leads to Campbell Arcade.
Degraves Street
Address: Flinders Street, Melbourne, VIC
Enjoy the artistry of the streets of Melbourne
Known as the cultural capital of Australia, the city of Melbourne indeed is a great place to visit for art lovers. Its graffiti-laden streets will surely be a great backdrop for a hip-hop-themed photo shoot or if you just want to appreciate the beauty of street art.
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