The city laneways
Hosier Lane and its neighbours, repainted end to end every few months by the writers.
Duration
1 hr 30 min – 3 hrs
Best time
Weekday mornings
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
Melbourne's city laneways are a legacy of the 1837 Hoddle grid: the blocks were so large that service passages were cut through the middle, for deliveries and stables. They stayed, and they became the city's identity.
Hosier Lane is the best known and it is legal: street art is permitted there, which means it is entirely repainted every few months — what you photograph will be gone by your next visit. Degraves Street and Centre Place are café laneways, where Melbourne's obsession with coffee began.
Getting there
In the city centre, between Flinders Street and Bourke Street. The tram is free throughout the central zone.
Rules on site
The murals change every few months: what a guide or an article shows has probably gone. The tram is free inside the Free Tram Zone and charged beyond it — check the boundary before boarding.