it’s probably one of the most famous graffiti lanes in melbourne, if not the most famous. it was definitely on top of my “things to see” the moment i stepped into the country because i read so much about it and all the things i read got me more and more curious as to how and why some tiny lane could become such a celebrated tourist attraction.

it’s a tiny lane, alright. i could barely even see it on the crumpled melbourne city map i carried around with me for weeks. me telling you exactly where it is might be easier than me looking for hosier lane on that darn map. but then again, that’s coming from somebody who has a love-hate relationship with a printed directions guide.

getting there isn’t really that difficult. all you need to do is go to st. paul’s cathedral and use it as your starting point. if you’re facing the cathedral, go right. the first lane on the left (if i’m not mistaken) is hosier lane. it would probably help a lot if you look up once in a while and read the signs too. (that would save us both from a lot of trouble.)

personally, i don’t mind graffiti on the streets or wherever as long as they’re done with good taste. those that show creativity to create something beautiful, inspiring, thought-provoking, or fun. not some meaningless scribbles of people who probably think that spraying their names on walls would instantly make them famous. that’s where i draw the line between art and crap (said the girl who can’t even artistically scribble her name on a piece of paper).

one thing i noticed at hosier lane were these shoes hanging from a wire high above the ground. at first i thought it was just the artists’ flair of adding a little extra touch to the whole artistic vibe because you never truly know what goes on artists’ minds when they’re “in the zone.”

but if what i heard is correct, those shoes up there actually mean something else. it’s supposedly a code that the area is open for drug business. and by “drugs,” i figured it has nothing to do with paracetamol. at all.

anyhow, my most favorite piece of all would have to be this (i’m saving the best one for last.) because… well, because it’s not only a huge work of street art, but also because it satisfies all my criteria for judging street art. the moment i saw it, i was immediately blown away!

of course, i had to cut the image into two photos as my humble old camera would seize at having to capture something so wide without losing the quality of the details.

but this is the panoramic version of it.

and this is me ruining the view for the other tourists who were there to take a picture of the same wall.