A Guide to the Best Laneway Art in Melbourne and Where To Find It

Street art is at the heart of Melbourne's culture. Melbourne’s painted laneways serve as urban canvases depicting hundreds of diverse murals and illustrations by local and international artists.

From the early nineties to now, Melbourne's laneways have sparked the curiosity of locals and visitors alike, and are now part of Melbourne's huge appeal as a cultural destination. These narrow alleys, hidden between major intersections, are filled with graffiti art, hidden bars and cool restaurants just waiting to be explored.

In this article, you'll find all you need to know about the evolution of Melbourne's street art and the unmissable laneways in which to find it.

Melbourne street art foundations lie in underground graffiti which arrived on Melbourne’s streets in the early eighties. This spray-can artform started to evolve when American artist Keith Haring created his Collingwood mural in 1984. He was commissioned by the Melbourne local council to paint a public works mural. The revolutionary “Style Machine” community project by Duel, Mars, and Pest at Prahran railway station, laid the foundation for a new frontier of street artists.  

In 1996 the famous City Lights project was co-founded by Andy Mac, a pioneer of Australia’s street art scene. Light boxes housing art instead of advertising, were installed in two sites in Melbourne's city centre. He was looking for a way to merge gallery art with public space art and his enlightened concept attracted international street artists from around the globe, including Shepherd Fairey from Los Angeles.

By the 2000s, street artists were opening up new directions and inventing new techniques. Stencilling was introduced by art collectives like Blender Studios and the Everfresh Crew. This was an important juncture in street art, as artists used their street art for personal expression, in addition to cultural observations.

Street art festivals like the Melbourne Stencil Festival in 2004 and the commissioning of public works played an important part in the growth and tolerance of graffiti and street art in the city. In 2010, street art made its way from the streets to the National Gallery of Australia with a dedicated exhibition and Melbourne began to attract notoriety for its art around the world.

Melbourne’s laneways represent a colourful journey of artistic expression. You’ll find a variety of murals, stencils, and street sculptures side by side in Melbourne’s laneways. Here's a brief overview of the basic styles to expect, so you familiarise yourself before experiencing the artwork in person. 

Graffiti – lettering is the foundation of street art and is commonly characterised by dramatic styles and the bold use of spray-painted colours.

Stencils - artists use stencil paper cutouts which are reproduced onto various surfaces.

Paste-ups - printed on paper and affixed to walls using glue or wheatpaste. Most paste-ups are collages that skilfully merge photographs and illustrations.

Murals – murals usually take up entire walls and buildings. Breathing new life into dilapidated buildings and derelict urban areas. Artists use various techniques including brushwork and spray paint for their creations.

3D Art and Sculpture – artists play with perspective to create optical illusions that trick the eye and turn ordinary surfaces into interactive grandstanders.

Stickers – artists create their own sticker designs which they stick to any surface on the street. Mailboxes, poles, gutters and road signs are all fair game.

Many famous international street artists have left their mark on Melbourne’s laneways including Banksy. Most of his Melbourne stencils have been demolished over time but there are still a few small artworks that remain - like his small rat stencil in Duckboard Place.

You can locate a preserved stencil by Blek le Rat, a street artist from France who is widely acknowledged as the instigator of stencil art, on Commercial Road in Prahan.

Australian street artist Fintan Magee is big in the muralist community. He creates large-scale, thought provoking murals that vividly portray a blend of surreal and figurative imagery. His murals are reflective of current social dilemmas and his public work murals are featured on the walls of over 35 countries. You can find his work in several Melbourne city street locations, including AC/DC Lane.

Melbourne artist, Stanislava Pinchuk who goes by the pseudonym Miso started out in Melbourne’s laneways. She created stickers, stencils and paste-ups and has evolved to drawings of cloaked female figures. Today her tattooing and pinhole works, created with a mallet and etching burin, depict areas of conflict around the world. The National Gallery of Australia and the National Gallery of Victoria started acquiring her work early in her career. You can locate an example of her minimalist artwork in Wesley Place. 

Australian based artist Steen Jones’ artwork can be found all over the world. His multi-storey, large scale murals can be found on city streets from Melbourne in Duckboard Place, to the other side of the world in London.

Blender Studios, a renowned art studio and gallery space founded in 2000, grew up along with the urban art movement in Melbourne. Adrian Doyle, or Doyle as he's known in the community, is the creative force behind Blender. It is now one of the most well-known and admired art collectives in the city. Blender also hosts regular gallery exhibitions and is still a hub for up-and-coming artists.

Cobblestoned Hosier Lane is the undisputed urban art hub of Melbourne’s Street Art scene. More than one million visitors visit Hosier Lane every year. There is so much art being created in this lane that artworks are layered on top of each other, like an evolving canvas. Whatever is currently topical, political or in the news is expected to be featured, which means each time you visit, there's something new and fresh to see. 

Union Lane, a narrow alleyway off Bourke Street, features a different form of street art to other laneways that's worth discovering. Spend time exploring the cast of fantasy characters and accompanying colourful graffiti lettering unique to Union Lane.

Named after Australian rock royalty, AC/DC, you will be thunderstruck by artist Mike Makatron’s, 3D sculpture of the band’s former lead singer Bon Scott. Following the tragic death of Malcolm Young in November 2018, two murals honouring the musical legend, were painted overnight by Lushsux, an anonymous Australian street artist. Another prominent artwork is by Fintan Magee. It’s a four-story high mural of a man carrying a tree trunk through the urban landscape. It represents the disadvantages of gentrification.

Caledonian Lane is the birthplace of the Laneway Music Festival. Now a major music festival held in five Australian cities as well as Auckland and Singapore. Back in 2005, Caledonian lane would be closed off, for the staging of a laneway party. Caledonian Lane, which runs between Little Bourke and Lonsdale streets, has changed significantly since then but it’s well worth visiting for the street art.

One of Melbourne’s most notorious laneways is Blender Lane. You’ll find it off Franklin Street, up near Queen Victoria Market. Home to Blender Studios, the underground art collective that emerged alongside Melbourne’s Street Art scene. The lane is filled with stencils, paste-ups and graffiti created by the studio’s line-up of artists and multimedia creatives. They also run street art tours and workshops.

The street art of Duckboard Place, Croft Alley and Degraves Street complements the surrounding restaurant, bar and café culture.

Once a watering hole for World War II troops, Duckboard Place is now home to Chinese eatery Lee Ho Fook, Indian restaurant Tonka and a Hereford Beefstouw Steakhouse. The laneway is covered in gig posters and massive murals including Steen Jones’ colossal tattoo of roses and butterflies. There are also several characters by Lukas Kaser.

At the end of Croft Alley, in the centre of Chinatown just off Little Bourke Street, is where you can find Solace, Melbourne's go-to venue for electronic music vibes. Here, you'll find a lineup of local and international DJs, plus a list of favourite drinks (that of course includes cocktails).  

A classic Melbourne laneway filled with stencil and mural street art and dotted with coffee bars, eateries and boutiques is Degraves Street. From The Quarter’s matcha hotcakes, to Flinders Waffles selling baked taiyaki and hot waffles stuffed with a variety of fillings including Nutella and ice cream. 

You don't have to go far to see the eight recommended laneways for art in Melbourne. Take your time exploring and soak up the vibe in Melboure as you explore a variety of art, hidden amongst the laneways.

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ibis Melbourne Hotel and Apartments on Therry Street is located near Queen Victoria Market. Ibis Styles Melbourne Airport has a great wellness hub featuring indoor swimming pool, gym, sauna and a day spa - perfect if you’re looking to shake off your jet lag and ibis budget Melbourne CBD is centrally located and budget-friendly.