Hosier Lane

Photographer’s dream here and was on my list of «definitely see» places while I was in Melbourne. You could spend hours here just walking through the lane ways and looking at all this beautiful art. I would recommend everyone see this amazing little spot in Melbourne!

Walking down Hosier Lane is like being transported somewhere else. It’s like the whole city disappears and you’re just wandering in this magical, colorful place. This is way, way beyond the terrible graffiti that you usually see — this is ART.
Melbourne allows for certain alleys to be used for street art, and if you’re in Melbourne you should check some of them out. I found several throughout the City Central area, but by far Hosier Lane was my favorite (along with the other small alleys that branch off of it).
I won’t go into details about the art, because it’s always changing. What I saw may not be what the last person saw, or what you will see. I spent much more time on Hosier Lane and took way more pictures than I thought I would. I highly recommend making a visit, and having plenty of room on your SD card!
And, not specific to Hosier Lane, but grab one of those visitors’ guides because some of the alleys are featured in there. Don’t be afraid to wander through a random department store to find the backdoor to one of the alleys and don’t be afraid to smile to yourself as you walk down a narrow alley full of teeny, tiny cafes with people enjoying their morning coffee. It’s really like walking into another world, one you would’ve never known existed if you hand’t just started poking around.

Hosier Lane. All I have to say is «Holy F*cking Sh*t, son!» This is like New York when graffiti first hit the Subway condensed in a block and an alley. It’s definitely a landmark and a must see when you’re in Melbourne. It was nostalgic. It totally took me back to my junior high days when I used to sneak out at night to go piece up the block and school.
How is this a landmark? There’s an Obey stencil at one of the ends. If Shepard has been here, then you know it’s pretty renowned. However, I couldn’t spot any Banksy pieces but then again I don’t think Banksy would waste his time here. Why? Cause the artists spray paint their art over each other.
What really made me say «Holy F*cking Sh*t, son!» was the colors of the pieces. It was vibrant and mesh well. However, I’m color blind, so those blue and purples could have been yellow and pink.
Welcome to Thunder Dome, b*tch!

Stumbled onto this iconic lane by accident while walk exploring the central city and so glad I did. Was an amazing street– found on the southern edge of the city, opposite the Atrium entrance at Federation Square, on Flinders Street. A great example of the legal street art and the sophisticated, quality, unique expression of its artists.
Some very talented street art along all of the walls– saw an impressively tall tree (in all seriousness, how did they get up that tall to paint it!) as well as the childhood-​throwback, teenage mutant ninja turtles. All the walls covered by stencils, paste-​ups and murals in an eclectic mix of art-​installations. Lots of plastic milk crates around to be able to used while posing for photo which was fun. Also saw fun little concrete faces in the barred up windows of some buildings. Enjoyed walking in and around the bluestone cobbled laneway taking it all in.
Definitely a must visit since Melbourne is known for its urban art and this lane is a particularly celebrated landmark.

There’s tasteful graffiti and there’s that sad call for attention by destroying a neighborhood/​building/​wall with our lack of talent graffiti.
While I was in Melbourne, I was not in the mood for going to touristy landmarks. I decided to leave my hotel and just walk around aimlessly hoping to find something quirky. I found a few things including Hosier Lane.
It’s a little alley across the street from a museum and behind a church. The walls are covered in graffiti. Colorful, artistic and expressionistic. Don’t forget to look up and look behind you to see the aborigine boy. Towards the end of the alley is a gun stuck to the wall.
The colors and messages are brilliant.

Coming from LA, it refreshing to see graf of the vibrant artistic sense opposed the territorial utility of it. Great for photoshoots and easily accessible by foot.

One of the must see melbourne icons. Hosier lane is packed full of amazing street art. There is always something new as the lane is free for any street artist to come and paint so your guaranteed to see something fresh every week.
The side lane is well worth checking out too.

Back visiting my home town for work, I had 4 things on my must do list. Yum Cha in Chinatown, MCG for the footy, any Vietnamese & Hosier Lane. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’ve been gone forever. It’s only been 4 months, and I’ve been back at least once a month since.
That’s how much I love Hosier. Even took a colleague down who said something along the lines of «I have to take photos, and I’m not the photo taking type».
I could spend hours wandering around cities, some that have amazing street art, and Melbourne is no exception.

Although we had limited time to check out the various artwork, it was well worth it to see my little budding artists face next to me staring at the pictures in awe. We will def be back with more time to spare and my proper camera next time !!

If you have a few minutes, take a moment and make a detour here. The entire alleyway is covered with great street art that is bursting with creativity and beauty. It’s completely different from the city center that will leave you thinking if you were transported somewhere else. There’s nothing else in Melbourne quite like it.

A must visit to see the creative street art of this city. The location can easily be missed, it’s just before The Forum on Flinders Street.

If you’re in Melbourne this area is worth checking out. It’s super safe!

Hosier Lane is a very cool spot (even by Melbourne standards!) and totally free. Give it a look to get a feel of the local graffiti scene and you’ll find yourself looking down alleyways and noticing great hidden art in Melbourne.

Best street art in Melbourne, bar none — currently the best laneway. Can spend an hr. just absorbing the graffiti. Highly recommend.

Great photo ops in this alleyway. If you’re a fan of all things art and graffiti, come here! We were blown away with the talent. You could probably spend hours here just perusing the individual pieces of graffiti. Very artsy and urban, and a great portrayal of melbourne. An added bonus was the famed restaurant movida is located on this street… which gave me another reason to come back here. In fact, during our short stay here in melbourne, we visited 3 times!

No visit to Melbourne is complete without dropping in to Hosier Lane. Best Graffiti ever.
I go there every now and then just to see if anything is new.
One day I’ll bump into one of artists and my life would be complete. Til then, I’ll continue to visit and drag my visiting friends there, so they can go ‘aaaah’

The best thing about Hosier Lane is probably the fact that it’s free of charge.
Why yes, I am cheap thank you. PROBLEM, OFFICER?
But seriously, I do have to say that I’m a fan of Hosier Lane, regardless of whether or not it costs money for a view. Melbourne’s pretty well-​known for its amazingly talented graffiti artists and it’s really no understatement. We have some brilliantly talented people in this city and not all of them get their art displayed at the NGV (obviously) so Hosier Lane is the best place to go for that underground scene.
If you’re in the area and you’re passing by, don’t overlook an opportunity to at least take a quick look. You won’t regret it.
Also… LOL at the people who just tag their names instead of actually doing graffiti.

I know it’s kind of obvious and even slightly tacky for Melbourne to have a ‘famous graffiti laneway’, but when a friend came to visit from London recently I ended up taking him here because Hosier Lane is also pretty damn cool and a real stunner if you’re from out of town (even if you’re from East London, it turns out).
The art changes often and if you’re lucky you’ll be there when someone’s painting something because it gives you a reason to stay a little longer and watch. Otherwise a quick stroll through is enough — but it is cool; the towering walls of colourful graff work, the industrial bins painted over, the gutters and streets covered. It’s like you’ve been swallowed up by a comic book. And the cobble-​stone lane and its little offshoots and hidey holes make it all the more special.

When friends to come visit Melbourne, there are a few different places that are top of the list for places to see first. One of which is Hosiers Lane. It is probably proof that Melbourne has a more liberal policy towards street art than other cities around the world.
The variety of works, stencils, and pastes are really creative and it is arguably Melbourne’s most colourful laneway.
The smell of aerosol and the pong from the bins can be overpowering on a very hot day so be warned. If it gets too much you can always try your luck at Movida next door for some amazing Tapas food. Movida is hands down my favourite restaurant in Melbourne.
This is a prime spot for snappy snaps, so don’t forget your camera.

No sir, this is not just any inner city lane way! This is one of Melbourne’s most popular and unique tourist attractions, which is why I couldn’t NOT review it.
Hosier Lane is public art at its most organic. Some may call it graffiti, and usually I would agree, but the talent inherent on the lane way walls far surpasses that of a hastily scrawled tag. Citylights Projects commission most of the art work here and it is often featured in magazines and tourism campaigns.
This lane way is at odds with its location. Just off Flinders Street and opposite Fed Square, it is in the heart of the cities commercial and tourist centre, and is the perfect location for tourists to get a peak at Melbourne’s alternative art scene without venturing outside the CBD.
Turn the corner at Movida Tapas Bar or the Forum live music venue and your in a creative space of a Brunswick elk. Spray cans and milk crates add an air of authenticity despite the camera toting tourists capturing the walled art for themselves.
Don’t be surprised to find yourself in the middle of a fashion photo shoot, or find yourself compelled to visit Movida! Yes, its essentially an alley, but its also home to great food, music and art… its marvelous Melbourne!