What art should you see over a weekend in Melbourne?
Stay at an art hotel like The Blackman
Visit The National Gallery of Victoria
Take an Urban Adventures street art walking tour
Explore urban wineries and coffee brew bars
Wander Melbourne's laneways and arcades
From local graffiti to exhibitions of famous ‘80s-era street artists, Melbourne is the place for modern art aficionados.
You’ll find inspiration down alleyways, atop buildings, within train stations and even hidden in plain sight at street level, in gardens and disused spaces. Art really is all around in Melbourne.
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Art is everywhere in Melbourne! (Image: Cassandra Laffey)Here’s how to tap into the creative energy on a weekend in Melbourne.
Friday, 5pm: The Blackman
The interior of a Deluxe Studio Suite Balcony room at The Blackman. (Image: Cassandra Laffey)Check-in to The Blackman, an Art Series hotel in St Kilda. The boutique hotel on St Kilda Road is named for local painter Charles Blackman, who is considered to be one of the most influential and significant contributors to the Melbourne and Australian art scenes. His romantic works feature prominently in 209-suite hotel within rooms, the lobby and even in the lifts. Book a Deluxe Studio Suite Balcony room for a great view of the city lights at night.
A Charles Blackman artwork decorates the lift, too. (Image: Cassandra Laffey)
6pm: NGV International
Exterior of the NGV International featuring the Basquiat – Haring exhibition. (Image: Cassandra Laffey)A 20-minute walk or short tram ride away from The Blackman, hightail it to this renowned space for NGV Friday Nights where you can pair libations with art appreciation to the tunes of DJs in an ambient atmosphere. Until 13 April, 2020, you can catch the epic Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat Crossing Lines exhibition – a celebration of the art, muse and friendship of the two NYC-based artists in their ‘80s heyday.
Keith Haring's distinctive artworks at the NGV exhibition. (Image: Cassandra Laffey)
The well-curated show is complimented by ‘80s pop music, club Polaroids, drag performances and NYC street food for a fantastic immersive art experience that will have you wishing for a time travel machine.
Saturday, 10:30am: Aunty Peg’s Brew Bar
The cupping counter at Aunty Peg's Brew Bar. (Image: Cassandra Laffey)Melbourne is famous for its coffee culture, so start your day with a cuppa from Aunty Peg’s Brew Bar. Jump in a 20-minute Uber to the Collingwood cafe for a free weekly cupping event at what’s essentially the cellar door to Proud Mary Coffee Roastery and taste a range of micro lots brewed fresh for you.
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12pm: Urban Adventures tour
Art in action in Melbourne's laneways on an Urban Adventure tour. (Image: Cassandra Laffey)Fortified with some of the best coffee Melbourne has to offer, it’s time to get among the art at street level. Book a private Urban Adventures tour and your local guide will take you to the backstreets and laneways and clue you in on the evolution of the city’s street art on a two- to three-hour walking tour. Spy colourful murals – some by world-famous artists – and graffiti tags in hotspots such as Hosier Lane, AC/DC Lane, Union Lane and Caledonian Lane, and that’s just in the CBD.
The Rainbow Toastie cafe is the spot for colourful cheese toasties. (Image: Cassandra Laffey)
Make sure to stop at cafes and bars along the way for a foodie fix – we like the Insta-worthy Rainbow Toastie in Sutherland Street, or Shortstop Coffee & Donuts for artisan donuts that are also pretty as a picture.
5pm: Noisy Ritual
A wine flight in test tubes at Noisy Ritual – Melbourne's urban winery. (Image: Cassandra Laffey)After a few hours of walking around on a street art tour, you’ll want to sit down somewhere. Make it here – Noisy Ritual is a 20-minute Uber from the CBD, and as Melbourne’s urban winery, it’s the ideal spot for a local drop made in Brunswick from grapes sourced from Victorian vineyards. Try a tasting flight of six wines served in test tubes that are designed to be sampled from a wine glass one at a time. The communal tables within this light-filled space makes for the perfect place to ponder the artworks you’ve seen.
Sunday, 8am: Proud Mary Cafe
Check out and head to the ‘burbs for brekky at an actual breakfast hour and another fix of Proud Mary coffee. A 20-minute Uber from The Blackman, the Proud Mary Cafe in Collingwood doesn’t take bookings on Sundays, so it pays to be an early riser for the delish dishes (including vegan options) on the all-day breakfast menu here and the fresh roasted coffee (of course).
10am: Melbourne laneways
The ever-so elegant interior of the Block Arcade for shoppers and diners. (Image: Cassandra Laffey)For the full Melbourne experience, you have to hop on a tram. Take the number 86 tram to the CBD and alight at GPO for an art-filled shopping spree. Head to Metropolis Books on Swanston Street to peruse an excellent selection of art, architecture and cultural books; marvel at the Art Deco beauty of the Block Arcade (remembering to duck into Haighs for a chocolate pick-up) and grab a bite at Centre Place, a pedestrian-only thoroughfare dotted with eclectic boutiques, eateries and street art.
Street art attracts a weekend crowd in Hosier Lane in Melbourne's CBD. (Image: Cassandra Laffey)
Cobblestoned Degraves Street is another favourite – descend to the Campbell Arcade/Degraves shopping subway and unearth a trove of art on display, vintage gear and even the Sticky Institute zine shop. The zine scene harks back to the art created by Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat in the nascent days of the photocopier, and a fitting finish before you jet home.
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Feature image: Getty Images
