Melbourne has a vibrant street art community and graffiti artists are a big part of the Melbourne art scene. Street art can be found all across Melbourne and particularly in the inner city. Councils often engage local graffiti mural artists to paint murals in public spaces. Not only does it add to the aesthetic of the community but it is a deterrent to tagging and illegal graffiti vandalism. So if you are a fan of street art then you can find it in more places than the most well-known spot, Hosier Lane.
Hosier Lane opposite Federation Square and adjoining Flinders lane plus Flinders street is easily the most popular tourist spot to view Melbourne graffiti murals and street art. This cobbled laneway showcases the latest mural art painted by street artists. But Melbourne has so much more street art to showcase so we have put together this list of 10 amazing graffiti mural locations that aren’t Hosier Lane so you can really enjoy and appreciate Melbourne’s graffiti murals.
1. Rose St Car Park, Rose Street Artist Markets / Fitzroy
Rose car park in Fitzroy is an excellent graffiti mural project showcasing local artists. The car park is divided into 5 rooms with each room given a section of the colour wheel. This colour allocation results in mural graffiti art that is vibrant and show stopping. This mural includes numerous graffiti artists from a high calibre from all around Australia. If you are looking for a great Instagram background or a day out at the artist’s markets then you have found it! The kaleidoscope of paint colours includes yellows, oranges and reds in one space followed by purples, blues and greens in another mural. This car park space is open on Sundays as a Community artists market and the immediate area is filled with street art and graffiti murals.
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2. St Kilda Tram Junction / St Kilda Junction
The St Kilda Junction Mural project is a partnership between Vicroads and the council. This public art was created to reduce vandalism and graffiti tags. It is a proven method employed by councils across Melbourne and Sydney, as vandals are much less likely to throw up illegal graffiti over commissioned murals out of respect for the graffiti artists that painted them.
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3. City Burners / Under Elevated Railway / Behind Aquarium
This is within walking distance from Hosier Lane so make sure to visit this mural. Located behind the Melbourne Aquarium; under the railway across the Yarra River from Crown, this area is a hidden gem of graffiti mural works. This area was set as a commissioned space for local developers to transform the disused space under the elevated railway to be an activated area for Community events. The space is curated by particular local graffiti artists to showcase their talent to the public.
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4. Sunshine Lane / Sunshine Lane, Brunswick
This Brunswick laneway is arguably the best laneway graffiti mural outside of the CBD. A hidden gem of street art, stencil art and graffiti murals. Found just off Lygon street the mural art has long been a spot to find some of Melbourne’s most famous street artists’ work. The murals change often so it’s always a great spot to photograph. The lane has been running with murals for over 10 years and is supported and curated by Dean Sunshine who owns multiple factories surrounding the laneway and is an avid street art photographer and documentarian.
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The photos used here of Sunshine Lane are Dean Sunshine’s Photos. Please check out his website and documentation of Street Art and Graffiti here: Land of Sunshine. Also, find Sunshine Lane on Google here.
5. Dog Poop Park / Gilpin Park, Brunswick
Gilpin Park street art showcases some of the best graffiti art in a public space. Multiple artists have contributed to this evolving mural artwork with bright colours and shapes painted across the space. This space is ever-changing with local artists painting the walls that surround the park regularly, making this place an ever-evolving mural space with something always interesting to see. This area is known to local graffiti writers as dog poop park for it being a dog park and having to watch out for dog poop whilst walking about.
6. Royal Park Underpass / Carlton, Royal Park
Royal Park Underpass is often used by Film Victoria for anything from movies to student films. You can see why it’s a popular location for a backdrop with mural graffiti art. This underpass is a pathway that runs from Princes Park in Carlton under Sydney Road to the train line in Parkville. Originally this space was curated by the local council to get on board local youth to paint a graffiti mural, it is now an evolving space where graffiti artists frequently add and change artworks to numerous bridges and walls along this trail.
7. Maribyrnong Riverside Wall / Maribyrnong St, Footscray
Footscray has slowly been growing its art and artist community over the last few years. Across the suburb, you can find some amazing art including many aboriginal artist sculptures and art pieces. This wall located just off the Maribyrnong River has been an evolving graffiti space for over 20 years. The wall space runs alongside a storage facility and car park for local factories. This space has been curated by several graffiti artist groups that have their particular sections on this long stretch of wall that is constantly evolving with new artworks from some of Melbourne’s most talented graffiti artists.
8. Spek Lane / Off Reeves St, Clifton Hill
Clifton Hill with its Victorian and Edwardian homes style homes makes an awesome juxtaposition for the local graffiti murals. Reeves Street and the lanes that intersect it are filled with graffiti murals from artists across Melbourne and Australia. This space is a local hall of fame for Melbourne’s finest graffiti artists and is a curated space by local artists. This space is constantly changing with new artworks replacing old ones. This spot is perfect for a visual delight on an afternoon stroll from Fitzroy and Rose Street Lane.
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9. The Big Red Wall, The Croxton Car Park, High St, Thornbury
Thornbury is located in the inner north of Melbourne. With plenty of cafes, restaurants and pubs and plenty of street art and graffiti art to be found. This large graffiti mural wall has been curated and painted every few years over the past 10 years and is known for its signature bright red background. This wall is a fantastic deterrent to graffiti in the car park and is a showcase of some of Melbourne’s best graffiti artists. This wall space is amazing as you can stand well back from the wall and take it all in across the car park.
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10. Jam Factory Car Park / Chapel Street, Toorak
Toorak and Prahran is a great place to find the latest urban graffiti mural art scattered along the side streets and lanes. Toorak is known for its fashion and The Jam Factory is a Mall located on Chapel Street in an old jam factory featuring a multi-screen movie theatre, eateries & shops. Within the car park entry to the mall, there is a large collaborative graffiti mural that was done to clean up graffiti in the immediate area and act as an artistic gateway into the Jam Factory.
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”20″ display=”basic_thumbnail”]Do you need a graffiti artist in Melbourne for your next project? DANIEL VAN DE WIEL is the owner of It Stands Out and can provide you with a custom quote for your next mural or design project. With a 25+ history in the Melbourne graffiti scene. Contact us now or call 0422 238 981