The Laneways of Melbourne

It is possible to walk from one end of Melbourne to the other using the city’s interconnected network of tiny cobbled laneways. They were once the access lanes to the businesses whose impressive facades front the wide thoroughfares of Melbourne. I sometimes see them as the dingy little back stages to the showy main streets. Our laneways are ad hoc and slightly secretive with a sense of adventure, darkness and transgression.

A mate of mine’s grandma can still remember seeing painted ladies reclining on chaise longues in shop front windows, 75 years ago. Today you’re more likely to find graffiti and stencil artists vying for wall space, creating amazing open air galleries of cutting edge art next to the funky little bars, galleries, studios, cafes and quirky retail spaces. Because rents are lower in the laneways of Melbourne, they have allowed younger people without massive capital to open small businesses. They are our very own little incubators of culture that have injected so much energy and diversity into Melbourne. The laneways of Melbourne are alive with the feeling that something new and exciting is always about to happen.