After Xmas holidays came to an end earlier this year, I was back at work and spending lunchtimes checking out the CBD street art scene again. I have taken a number of shots in the last few months and thought I had better catch-up with posting them. As usual there were some fine pieces along the walls of Hosier and Rutledge Lanes. Highlights were the portraits and the abstracts…
Street Art, Hosier Lane, Melbourne CBD
II
III
IV
V (a favourite)
VI
VII
VIII
IX
X
XI
XII
XIII
Wrdsmth is a LA based street artist with an interesting poetic style. Like Banksy he prefers to remain anonymous – though photos indicate that he is male. He visited Melbourne for the first time last year and after being impressed by the local street scene decided to leave his own mark, a series of clever and insightful words of wisdom pasted up and stencilled around the CBD, Fitzroy and St Kilda. I kept seeing them around town and thought I would photograph a few before they all disappeared.
Literally, Wrdsmth, Melbourne CBD
Pay it forward, Wrdsmth, Melbourne CBD
Miss You, Wrdsmth, Melbourne CBD
Time Machine, Wrdsmth, Melbourne CBD
Destiny, Wrdsmth, Melbourne CBD
There are so many good murals in this series of Alleys and Laneways I thought I would break the post into two parts.
Street Art, P-Stain Alley, Melbourne CBD (a favourite)
 P-Stain Alley, Melbourne CBD,
II
III
IV
V
Another Favourite – not sure what I see here…a great abstract
Didn’t want to name this one in the title – Â it is another informally named lane: Piss-stain Alley. It is a group of small alleys and lanes chock full of interesting pieces well away from the usual areas of street art on public display but still in the CBD.
Street Art, P-Stain Alley, Melbourne CBD,
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
Trump Protest Art
X
Exploring Blender Lane recently I met a couple of the local studio artists who gave me a bit of a history of the laneway. One of the little nuggets of information that they gave me (maybe true maybe not) was that the end of the laneway was the 2nd oldest stencil art street gallery in the world – the oldest was the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. Blender Lane is extensively layered with years of stencils with some very nice pieces that have to be picked out amongst the colour and chaos…
Stencil Street Art, Blender Lane, Melbourne CBD
II
III
IV
V
I have been following a number of artists and photographers on Instagram that I have met in the various Laneways and in one post I had noticed a reference to their favourite spot. It was to a Laneway that I had not heard of so after a bit of research, I found Blender Lane. It turns out it is actually an unnamed alley that the locals have named. It is short and has good quality art work along its sidesand at the end of it there is a covered car that is kept there by one of the local artists that has a studio nearby.
Gina the Hutt (protest art), Blender Lane, Melbourne CBD
Street Art, Blender Lane
II
III
IV (notice the creepy little stencil on bottom left – been appearing in a few places)
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
While exploring the backstreets and laneways looking for new street art, I have been finding some very good buskers. I had great background music while photographing a stunning new piece in Degraves Place off Degraves Street. The guitarist was very good. Further along I listened to a trio of musicians – The Collingwood Casanovas…
Very colourful Degraves Place street art, Melbourne CBD
Degraves Street Guitarist
Buskers in Centre Place off Flinders Lane
A favourite walk-thru from Bourke St Mall to Little Collins St – one of the most popular shopping arcades of the Melbourne CBD…for boutique shops, lollies and photography…
Royal Arcade, off Bourke St Mall, Melbourne CBD
There is a pretty wide selection of buskers around Melbourne. From electrified bands to jugglers to statues. I often stop, Â have a listen and occasionally buy one of their CDs. While walking through some of the laneways along Little Collins Street this week, I found this Cello busker in Block Place.
Classical Busker, Block Place, Melbourne CBD
Posted in Black & White, Busker, Melbourne CBD
Tagged Australia, Block Place, Buskers, Cello, Melbourne CBD, Melbourne Laneways, Photography, Street Photography, Urban Photography, Victoria
Over a few days I watched a new mural being created in AC DC Lane. Multi-story high man with a large tree branch. There has been a lot of construction work within the area of ACDC Lane and Duckboard Place. It makes a nice change to have something new and interesting to look at rather than construction vehicles and piles of excavation mess.
A new mural in ACDC Lane, Melbourne CBD
There is a tiny shoulder-width laneway between Little Bourke St in China Town and Lonsdale St. It actually has a doorway within the wall that leads into a small courtyard at the back of the shops on Lonsdale St. The lane opens onto Corrs Lane that has several Japanese and Chinese restaurants including the very good Shanghai Street Dumplings Restaurant where you can watch the ladies making the fresh dumplings through the street window. The shops on the Lonsdale St side all used to be Greek cafes, cake shops and restaurants.  Several good ones remain. This narrow portal can take you from China to Greece….
Laneway between Lonsdale St and Corrs Lane, Melbourne CBD
Posted in Black & White, Melbourne CBD, Victoria
Tagged Australia, Black and white, Corrs lane, Melbourne CBD, Photography, Street Photography, Urban Photography, Victoria
Sometimes, on a walk around town at lunchtime, I stop at the State Library steps and watch the chess players. Usually I just watch and figure out the strategies and what the next move might be. But in carrying my camera it becomes about angles, lighting and composition…
Chess at the State Library, Melbourne CBD
Posted in Black & White, Melbourne, Melbourne CBD
Tagged Australia, Black and white, Chess, Melbourne CBD, State Library, Street Photography, Urban Photography, Victoria
I passed through Hosier Lane in early Summer to photograph any new wall murals. I found a nice looking Snow Leopard and around the corner in the little lane that runs off Hosier – Rutledge Lane, I found a lesson in how to use spray cans to make simple pictures. I watched for a while as several artists showed a group of office workers, on a lunchtime team building exercise, how using simple effects they could create an impressive image. It was interesting to watch how many steps it can take to create some of the 3d effects that street artists use.
Hosier Lane Snow Leopard, Hosier Lane, Melbourne CBD
Hosier Lane art lessons
Hosier Lane art lessons II
Hosier Lane art lessons III
Posted in Melbourne CBD, Street Art
Tagged Australia, Hosier Lane, Melbourne CBD, Melbourne Laneways, Photography, Street Art, Street Photography, Urban Photography, Victoria
Another lunchtime walk around Melbourne last week, enjoying the sun, the people and the architecture.
Burke and Wills memorial, Melbourne CBD
Smokers in Presgrave Place, Melbourne CBD
Buskers and tourists, Bourke St Mall, Melbourne CBD
A walk around the city on a hot summer’s day, watching the lunch crowds and traders along the small laneways off Flinders Lane and finishing off the walk with a few songs from the buskers in the Bourke St Mall.
Lunchtime traders in Centre Place, Melbourne CBD – a fantastic spot for good food and a great price from a variety of small hole-in-the-wall shops – also has some interesting artwork and graffiti.
Buskers in Bourke St Mall, Melbourne CBD – these guys were amazingly good, Spanish style guitar with a modern flair. They were feeling the heat of the mid-day sun – but the show must go on…
 | Imma on Bowerbirds at the Falls |
 | Mary on Wild Goschen Cockatiels |
 | Malt Padaderson on Wild Goschen Cockatiels |
| Mary on Wild Goschen Cockatiels |
 | Cara Horton on Melbourne Laneways: ACDC Lane… |
The Gap Year and Beyond 