Street Art in Melbourne: Part 1

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A fish mural in Fitzroy, Melbourne

A fish mural in Fitzroy, Melbourne

Street art in Melbourne is – in a word – amazing. The laneways in the CBD and neighborhoods like Fitzroy and Collingwood are havens for artists, many of whom create larger than life murals. Hosier Lane near Federation Square is the most famous and it is constantly changing. I have visited three times over the past three weeks and each time I’ve seen brand new, very impressive pieces. Croft Alley, Centre Place, and Tattersall’s Lane are also good places to check out in the CBD.

Most of these photos were taken in the aforementioned places, and this is the first post of a series of three (at least for now!).

One thing I’ve loved about documenting street art is seeing some familiar tags and murals that are obviously done by artists I’d seen before. In Melbourne’s case, I see some of the same characters that I saw up in Chiang Mai. It’s like an international treasure hunt!

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Great Ocean Road

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A view of the 12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road

A view of the 12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road

Near the top of every Australia to-do list is a road trip on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, and it was one of the very first touristy things I did when I arrived. I rented a car with an Australian friend I’d met in Bolivia, and we headed out from Melbourne through Lorne to Apollo Bay, taking a detour to Cape Otway and spending some time in Port Campbell, before getting to Warrnambool and heading back – all in 48 hours. It was a whirlwind, but we saw some beautiful sights along the way, including some wild koalas!. Unfortunately it was too cold to go swimming in May, but we spent some time walking on the beach anyway.

I loved learning about the history of the area – from indigenous tribes and William Buckley to shipwrecks and lighthouses. I learned that the first American vessel to sink in WWII sunk right off of Cape Otway, something I’ll keep in my back pocket in case I’m ever on Jeopardy!

Additionally, there are several great hiking spots along the road, for short walks or longer ones that apparently can take several days. We did a few short walks, but realized at the end of the day that it had added up to quite a trek!

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