Melbourne, in the Australian state of Victoria, is often proclaimed to be the world’s most liveable city, thanks to its excellent quality of life and super cool cultural scene of independent bars, boutiques and cafes. But there is something else going on in the city’s side streets and alleyways that makes this Aussie city stand out from the crowd.  Since the 1990’s, it has been transformed into a centre of street art, with underground artists busy stencilling, postering and stickering the walls of the city, bringing Melbourne’s streets to life as a dynamic public art gallery. The world’s first ever stencil festival was held in Melbourne in 2004, the city has been the subject a book called ‘Stencil Graffiti Capital, Melbourne’ and graffiti artists and stencillers from across the world, including the UK’s very own street art superstar Banksy, have come to make their mark. I always promised myself that if I was to visit Australia, I would spend some time touring Melbourne’s street art scene, so when I found myself in the southern hemisphere for a close friends wedding, I couldn’t resist spending a few days in Oz’s coolest city.
- Melbournemugley / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
Melbourne’s street art is scattered across the city, along hidden roads and alleyways, and as I soon found out, the way to make sure you don’t miss anything is to get yourself a guide. Fortunately, with so many hipster visitors flocking to see the art in recent years, street art tours have become big business. You have a wide choice of different tours that will lead you through little alleys and even into artists’ studios to see the most hard to find masterpieces. I chose to go with Melbourne Street Art Tours, run by street artists and apparently the real deal. So on a beautiful sunny spring afternoon, I joined a motley crew of art lovers, trendy tourists and curious locals on Hosier Lane, a cobbled road on the southern edge of the city, close to Federation Square. This is where one can find some of the best street art Melbourne has to offer, if you know where to look for it. Luckily, Michael, our guide and veteran Melbournian street artist is an authority on the subject and knew exactly where to go. He was so knowledgeable and extremely passionate, and his enthusiasm and respect for the work really brought it to life before our eyes. It was great to hear the history of the street art movement in Melbourne, and to see how the works of art have evolved over time, with artists painting over or around existing works. The tour ended with a beer at the Blender art gallery, a studio that seems to be a central hub for local street artists, where to my surprise everyone seemed really welcoming and genuinely happy to meet us. I suppose I had expected some kind of attitude from these cool urban artists.
There is so much to see in the ever-changing urban landscape of Melbourne, that it really takes more than one afternoon to really take everything in. One thing I noticed is that the work ranged from a quick stencil on a wall to some pretty slick looking lightbox art works. Apparently this is part of the Citylights project, an independent public art project that uses light boxes installed along the street to illuminate the artwork. I particularly liked the guerrilla knitting that apparently magically appears overnight to cover lampposts, trees and railing, brightening up anything that would look cosy in a knitted cover.  I guess the thing that appealed most was how the works are constantly changing, and the artists themselves know that their work will not last forever. And I was fascinated to hear that the street art is actually supported by the city authorities, who draw a very definite distinction between street art and graffiti. Recognising that the public space of the city is a place for artistic expression, they willingly approve permits for street art on building, with the owners’ permission of course.
Our tour took about three and a half hours in total, and was definitely well worth it.  It is great to see a city that embraces arts and street culture, and though I have heard some locals complaining that the street arts have become victim of their own success and have lost their underground edge in favour of their commercialisation, I didn’t get that feeling from the dedicated and serious street artists that I met. And as long as they are still working and fighting their battles, this scene is not about to run out of steam any time soon.  If, like me, you find that all the street art touring makes you hungry, head back to the starting point of Hosier Street, where the much celebrated MoVida Tapas restaurant sits. This, according to my friends is the place to go for authentic Spanish food, and I have to say it does serve up some fine octopus and chorizo.
Melbourne is located in the southern Australian state of Victoria, and many visitors arrive at Melbourne Airport, 22km north of the city centre, by intercity rail via the Southern Cross Train station or by Firefly or Greyhound bus. Driving from Sydney will take about eleven hours via the Hume Highway, or you can take the Princes Highway (National Route 1), which is a longer, but quieter and more scenic route.
Bio
Heather Reid is a Marketing Manager for Bingo Car Rental whose passion for travel and art have taken her to many weird and wonderful destinations across the world.
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