Melbourne’s laneways are narrow streets and alleys that were originally intended to provide rear access to properties facing big streets. Many were later roofed as ‘arcades’ to provide refuge from the weather and crowds and to provide more space for shops and there are also some purpose built shopping arcade. We’d had a wander through some of them on the evening we arrived and decided to have a mooch and explore them a little more on the morning of our 4th day in the city.
The lanes, such as Degraves Street, and the arcades are the centre of Melbourne’s “café society” and many of the alleyways are a mecca of street art. Here’s a few photos
Into the Block Arcade with some rather fancy shops
and a café that rather looked like a Melbournian version of Betty’s of Harrogate and with a similar queue outside
Lots of other cafes with plenty of character to stop for a brew
Into the Royal Arcade with more fancy shops and the clock with its accompanying giants – Gog and Magog
Out into the laneways there was plenty of street art
and for some reason references to Manchester cropped up here
One of Melbourne’s 1930’s Art Deco style skyscrapers is the Manchester Unity Building and there’s an arcade running through it
Down by the Dougie 
Great photos-that street art is always a good catch.
and there’s LOTS of street art in Melbourne. It’s well known for it as the Local Council have encouraged it in the laneways