You’ve probably already seen photos of Hosier Lane in Melbourne?
It’s easily recognizable from many tourism photo campaigns and one of the most popular things to do in Melbourne.
During our 8 day visit to Melbourne, we discovered a lot of cool things to do in Melbourne with kids, from the obvious to the not so obvious, and a lot of it was due to you guys for all your insider tips and recommendations for a visit to Melbourne.
We already knew Melbourne was referred to as Australia’s cultural capital and has a reputation for many things – to die for coffee, heavenly food, boutique shopping, festivals, sports, music, and erratic weather – but it’s also famous for its street art.
Where is Hosier Lane?
Hosier Lane is a pedestrian and vehicle lane way and the much celebrated landmark due to its sophisticated urban art (graffiti lined walls).
Hosier Lane is easy to find and easy to get to. It’s a 2 minute walk from Flinders Street Station and Federation Square, and runs between Flinders St and Collins St.
Tours or Self-guided tours of Hosier Lane?
We got to know Melbourne’s graffiti scene simply by walking around on our own.
You can do specialized tours who take you to all the historic laneways and arcades and it would have been nice to know a bit more about the artists and history, but with the kids in tow we decided to just wander by ourselves.
Typically we were looking for good cafes to have coffee like in Centre Place in the CBD or over in Fitzroy. You can also witness many examples of street art by riding the free city circle tram and jumping off at points that interest you.
Local and international artists use the walls as a temporary canvas for their works, and even without knowing the stories behind the paintings or the artists, the art is very interesting to look at.
The kids enjoyed themselves and were kept occupied by the colourful designs, particularly Kalyra who also found the lane way to be a great backdrop for posing and busted out some dance moves J-Lo would be proud of.
Check out this cool time lapse of Hosier Lane from our friend Mick Russell:
Oh, and if you’re looking for a good place to have coffee AND see some street art, go check out Centre Place which is also an easy walk from Flinders Street Station. This is what it looks like.
Melbourne’s laneways and side streets are rife with street art, some better quality than others. But if you don’t have time to do a dedicated tour and only want to take a glimpse, and for free, don’t miss Hosier Lane as an iconic thing to do in Melbourne.
Plan Your Trip to Hosier Lane
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