lanes of melbourne

Moved!

2005-03-17T23:12:00.000+11:00

This blog has moved to - http://urbancreature.id.au/blog/lanes-of-melbourne/

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Windsor Place

2005-03-09T17:38:00.000+11:00

Windsor Place is located between Bourke Street, Little Collins, Exhibition Street and Spring Street. The laneway features external plumbing on one facade and some funky doors on the other.

Club Lane

2005-03-08T17:30:00.000+11:00

Club Lane is located Collins Street, Little Collins, Exhibition Street and Spring Street. It is a relatively short lane and possibly the first lane I've come across with barbed wire on top of all the surrounding walls.

Niagara Lane

2005-02-22T16:42:00.000+11:00

Niagara Lane is between Little Bourke, Lonsdale St, Queen St and Elizabeth St. The old architecture of this lane combined with the funky old street lamps creates quite a mood. The lane also contains some interesting stencil art.

Warburton Alley

2005-02-21T16:39:00.000+11:00

Warburton Alley is between Bourke St, Little Bourke, Queen St and Elizabeth St. At the end of the alley is a half-demolished building which is now used as private car parking. The wooden bollards attached to the building on the left add a little bit of interest too... although I'm not entirely sure why they're there.

Rankins Lane

2005-02-20T16:33:00.000+11:00

Rankins Lane is between Bourke St, Little Bourke, Queen St and Elizabeth St. It has a bit of character about it - it's possibly the only lane in the CBD with its own mirror ball!

Bennetts Lane

2005-02-05T16:21:00.000+11:00

Bennetts Lane is between LaTrobe St, Little Lonsdale, Russell St and Exhibition Street. There is a jazz club at the end of the lane. There is also what appears to be a pile of junk referred to by grafitti as "Pattie's junk and disorderly". Not sure what to make of it but I assume Pattie is famous or infamous in this part of town.

Jones Lane

2005-02-04T16:38:00.000+11:00

Jones Lane is between Lonsdale St, Little Lonsdale, Russell St and Exhibition St. There is an empty block that is currently being used as car parking across the road from a large apartment block. Nothing particularly interesting to note.

Evans Lane

2005-02-03T16:31:00.000+11:00

Evans Lane is between LaTrobe St, Little Lonsdale, Russell St and Exhibition St. It is an 'L' shape lane that meets up with Exploration Lane.

There is a lovely old building in the middle and, while it smells a little, is an open and inviting laneway.

Exploration Lane

2005-02-02T16:35:00.000+11:00

Exploration Lane is between LaTrobe St, Little Lonsdale, Russell St and Exhibition St. As the name suggests, it is worth exploring. It will be interesting to see what is built in that empty block. Personally, I'm guessing some hideous thing the designer will refer to as a work of art and the rest of us will refer to as a concrete bore. Prove me wrong and don't ruin this otherwise pleasant laneway.

Davisons Place

2005-02-01T16:28:00.000+11:00

Davisons Place is between LaTrobe St, Little Lonsdale, Russell St and Exhibition St. At the entrance to the lane there is a stencil of a "DIY Guide to Stencil Grafitti" which I found kinda cool. The lane is mostly used by residents getting into their apartment blocks and there is a little vegetation on their balconies.

Manton Lane

2004-11-03T21:23:00.000+11:00

Manton Lane is between King St, William St, Little Lonsdale St and Lonsdale St. It is a very clean laneway with virtually no graffiti. Compared with other lanes closeby, Manton Lane still has character with its red bricks and grey cement features. However, asphalt has replaced its bluestone pavers.

Beaney Lane

2004-10-22T16:28:00.000+10:00

I visited this lane because it has a cute name - reminds me of the ever-cuddly 'Beanie Bears'. Anyway, Beaney Lane is between Russell St, Exhibition St, Collins St and Flinders Lane.

It is a relatively short, dead-end lane with huge blank walls on all sides. The paint 'spill' at the end of the lane was really the only thing that made it interesting.

Waratah Place

2004-10-19T01:29:00.000+10:00

Waratah Place is between Swanston St, Russell St, Lonsdale St and Little Bourke. It is one of the lanes that connect Chinatown with the Greek quarter, and the new QV development.

The laneway features back entrances to restaurants (and sex shops) actually facing, in an inviting way, into the laneway.

Duckboard Place

2004-10-08T23:52:00.000+10:00

Duckboard Place is surrounded by Flinder Lane, Flinders St, Russell St and Exhibition St. It connects with ACDC Lane (f Corporation Lane). There are three popular bars that are accessed by using this laneway hence why it is littered with various commercial posters.

ACDC Lane (f. Corporation La)

2004-10-08T13:09:00.000+10:00

ACDC Lane (formerly Corporation Lane) was only recently renamed in memory of one of Australia's most successful musical exports. It connects with Duckboard Place and is between Flinders Lane, Flinders St, Russell St and Exhibition St.

It is possibly the first lane in Melbourne to attract tourists simply because of its name. You'll notice that the lane's sign has already attracted street art (including a little lightening strip on the sign) and "ACDC Laneway to Hell" stenciled below it.

Hayward Lane

2004-09-29T17:00:00.000+10:00

Hayward Lane is surrounded by LaTrobe St, Lonsdale St, Russell St and Exhibition St. It is the first lane I've done that runs between two major grid streets.

On one side of the lane are swanky new apartments and on the other are older buildings (that face onto Russell St). There is some interesting graffiti and stencils in the lane - including a mural obviously paid for by the Espresso Bar at the Lonsdale St end.

Commerce Way

2004-09-18T20:09:00.000+10:00

Commerce Way is between Queen St, Elizabeth St, Flinders Lane and Flinders St. This is the first lane I've come across that doesn't have a street sign, however, if my map says it's there, then it's there and I will photograph it.

It is mainly used as a service lane for the Duxton Hotel.

Bligh Place

2004-09-17T19:51:00.000+10:00

Bligh Place is between Queen St, Elizabeth St, Collins St and Flinders Lane. It is a fairly short lane and is home to a few bars and cafes.

Highlander Lane

2004-09-08T22:30:00.000+10:00

Highlander Lane is between Flinders Street, Flinders Ln, King St and William St. It is possibly the greenest lane in the city with its huge pot plants pushed almost to the buildings. Having to walk around these massive pots is a hassle when cars make their way down the alley.

McKillop Street

2004-08-28T18:46:00.000+10:00

McKillop Street is between Queen St, Elizabeth St, Lt Collins and Bourke St. It is a charming red-bricked lane lined with trees, green bollards and little shops and cafes.

Hoddle

2004-08-25T17:50:00.000+10:00

A statue of Hoddle can be found in Balcombe Place. Do you think this is a suitable location for the guy who created Melbourne's CBD grid system? Click on the photo to see more.

Apparently it's only there temporarily as part of an art installation. It is certainly something you don't expect in laneway - especially a dead-end lane filled with bins and milk crates. I will review the rest of this laneway at a later date.

Crombie Lane

2004-08-23T21:54:00.000+10:00

Crombie Lane is located between King St, William St, Lonsdale St and Little Bourke. It is possibly the most uninteresting lane I've photographed. On one side there is a huge multi-storey car park and on the other, a skyscraper. Granted it does fulfil its purpose... as an avenue for business people to get to their cars so they can drive home.

Flinders Court

2004-08-14T15:30:00.000+10:00

Flinders Court is located behind McDonalds on Elizabeth St. It is a t-shaped laneway that stretches from Flinders St and Flinders Lane, with an outlet to Elizabeth St too.

It was raining when I took these photos (see how dedicated I am!!). The lane is mostly used by those living in apartments above (Jake & Phil for example) and by others for less hospitable purposes (until the lighting was introduced recently).

Hosier Lane

2004-08-08T17:15:00.000+10:00

Hosier Lane is surrounded by Flinders St, Flinders Lane, Swanston St and Exhibition St. It is also possibly the only lane visible from Federation Square. The entrance to a small gallery (within the Forum Theatre complex) is hidden halfway up the lane. Hosier Lane also features an artwork installation, amongst the posters and grafitti. It is quite a charming place to visit.

Meyers Place

2004-08-01T01:13:00.000+10:00

This is Meyers Place. It is between Exhibition St, Spring St, Bourke St and Lt Collins. It is a relatively short lane with some funky bars, and a cafe on the corner (called of all things "Lanes Edge") on the Bourke St end.

Cohen Place

2004-07-29T16:18:00.000+10:00

Cohen Place is between Russell St, Exhibition St, Lonsdale St and Lt Bourke. It is a pathway that travels between both the Greek quarter and Chinatown.

Presently there is an artwork installation called "Walking on Air" at the Lonsdale St end of the laneway. The artwork is part of the City of Melbourne's 2004 artwork commissions. This installation features soap bubbles popping out from under the bluestone pavement. It is definately worth a look. This installation will be on until 7 November 2004.

Lanes of Melbourne

2004-07-29T15:49:00.000+10:00

They are some of Melbourne's most interesting places. They make exploring the city on a Saturday afternoon fun - for even the most seasoned Melbourne explorer.

This is my photo essay on the interesting (and not so interesting) laneways in Melbourne's CBD. Since there are over 180 of these small, tiny and miniscule streets - this project might take me a while. I hope to do at least one laneway a week - that way it will take me only three and a half years.

I'm doing this out of fun, doing this to know my adopted city better and to give you out there inspiration to go exploring yourselves.