Melbourne, capital of Victoria, is absolutely worth a detour during your road trip in Australia. Immerse yourself in this cosmopolitan city and discover its multitude of graffitis and street art. It is full of small streets where local and international artists have expressed themselves. In this article, we share the best spots to admire street art in Melbourne. By discovering this beautiful city, the Street Art lovers will not be disappointed!
Table of Contents
The history of Melbourne Street Art
The first graffiti were born in the United States in the early 70s. Their claim was political and initially extended to pubs, on doors and in public toilets. Then, between the end of the 70s and the beginning of the 80s, the words gave way to drawings. Melbourne very quickly joined this trend. Artists began to emerge from this new wave, influenced by New York graffiti. They began to express themselves in the streets of the city, along the train lines. They wanted to be seen!
It was in the early 2000s that street art, recognized as such, has flourished. It took the form of stencils, stickers, posters, murals, framing or even woodblocking. Today many international artists come to mark their passage through the streets of Melbourne or in galleries.
Melbourne – Capital of Street Art
In addition to discover a city rich in culture, leisure and restaurants, Melbourne will also delight street art lovers! Melbourne is unquestionably the most artistic city in Australia, where street art is widely represented.
You can easily spend hours admiring the works of graffiti artists on the walls of the alleys.
Good to know 💡
As in most countries, graffiti is indeed prohibited by law. However in Melbourne, some alleys voluntarily escape this ban.
Melbourne’s Best street Art
So for the curious, amateurs and enthusiasts, here’s a little taste of the Melbourne Street Art!
Hosier Lane
Hosier Lane is undoubtedly Melbourne’s most famous graffiti lane. As you walk around the CBD, you’ll easily come across it on this cobbled street. And it’s hard to miss! Street art is everywhere, from the ground to the top floors of buildings. There are even some on the garbage cans!
Nearest train station: Flinders Street Station
AC/DC Lane and Duckboard Place
For music fans, AC/DC Lane was named in 2004 to honor the Australian rock band. The works, often large in size, present all sorts of musicians, both real and imaginary.
Collingwood
It is certainly here that you will find the greatest works. Street art even extends to store fronts, at the request of traders.
Fitzroy
The Fitzroy area also has a lot of graffiti, feel free to stop by whilst looking around some of the second-hand shops, or spend some time in the back streets! Also stop at Fitzroy’s Rose Car parking lot.
Brunswick
Not far from Fitzroy, the neighborhood of Brunswick is home to a hippie community. You marvel at beautiful murals highlighting the Aboriginal people.
Croft Alley
Street art is nearly everywhere in neighborhoods, even ChinaTown. Go to its heart to admire superb graffitis.
If you want more, also take a detour to Queen Street, Blender Lane, Uniacle Court, Prahran or Footscray. These streets and neighborhoods were also bombed.
Notable Melbourne street artists
There are visiting artists and regulars. There are Australians, and then any other nationality. The painted walls are rich in history and culture! However, some artist names are more ingrained in people’s memories than others.
You will surely hear of a certain Lushsux. This graffiti artist from Melbourne is talking a lot about him with his trashy creations. Besides Lush, we love it, or we hate it! For the anecdote, he even asked for the participation of pornstars for some of his creations… so it’s up to you to judge 🙂
You will also find works by Keith Haring, ABOVE and Shepard Fairey (Americans), Seth and Invader (French), Banksy (English)… and many more.
Also read : 10 unusual places to discover in Melbourne
