The best street art in Fitzroy and Collingwood

Fitzroy and Collingwood in the inner-north of Melbourne are certainly the neighbourhoods with the most street art in the city. If you walk around these suburbs, you will find a multitude of exceptional artworks by local and international artists, including a historic mural from 1984. To help you not miss anything, here is the ultimate guide to where to find the best street art in Fitzroy and Collingwood!

The most beautiful murals in Fitzoy and Collingwood

See also

The best street art in Melbourne CBD
The best street art in Brunswick and Brunswick East
The best street art in Prahran, South Yarra and Windsor
The best street art in St Kilda
The best street art in South Melbourne

The adjacent suburbs of Fitzroy and Collingwood are certainly those with the most street art in Melbourne. To help you find your way, here’s a suggestion of itinerary through their streets and laneways. Make sure to put good shoes on because you will be walking a lot!

The itinerary begins at the intersection of Brunswick Street and Johnston Street, in the heart of Fitzroy. A few steps away, on a brick wall on the right, is one of my favourite murals: Adnate's portrait of a woman with beautiful blue eyes, wearing a veil of the same colour on her hair.

Take the narrow cobbled passage with walls covered in tags at the foot of this mural. Once on Victoria Street, turn left to pass in front of Buzzard's astonishing work: a huge praying mantis with bulging eyes!

Carry on to the east on Johnson Street, but take a couple of detours into the alleys on your right. On Hertford Street, you can admire the beautiful portrait of a woman by Cam Scale. On Chapel Street, you will recognise the style of Mike Makatron, who collaborated here with Chuck Mayfield. Between the two, you will also pass a veterinary clinic whose walls were entirely painted by the artists Smoe and Welin.

Turn left then onto Gore Street, then the first left onto Argyle Street. On a beige wall on the right side, Rone painted three identical women's faces, their eyes facing the sky. Unfortunately, the lower half of this mural has disappeared. At the very end of Argyle Street, just before the intersection with Brunswick Street, you can admire this portrait of the Dalai Lama by Adnate.

Turn left back on Brunswick Street, then right onto Johnson Street. 100m further on Fitzroy Street to the left, don't miss the stunning face of an Aboriginal boy painted by Adnate, in collaboration with Slicer and Itch from the AWOL Crew.

Head back to Johnson Street. On the facade of the Night Cat, a famous live music venue, you will see a huge mural from the Everfresh crew welcoming you to ‘sunny Fitzroy’. The artists Rone and Mike Makatron in particular are part of this collective.

Focus: Adnate

Matt Adnate is one of the most talented graffiti artists of his generation. Born in Melbourne in 1984, he began painting as a teenager, influenced by urban culture. A genius portraitist, he is inspired by the chiaroscuro technique developed by Renaissance artists. He is also a fervent ambassador of the First Nations people, his murals often representing the faces of Aboriginal men or women. It is especially the eyes of his models that I find fascinating. Unfathomably deep, they reflect all the immensity of the Australian desert... He is famous throughout the world, and in 2019 the gigantic mural that he painted on a hotel named in his honour (The Adnate) in Perth has become the highest in the southern hemisphere!

The mural that Adnate painted in Saint-Nazaire

I have a particular attachment to Adnate’s work. In 2018, he painted the extraordinarily realistic face of an Aboriginal boy on a building in my hometown in France, Saint-Nazaire. I also very briefly had the opportunity to meet him in 2024 during the Wall to Wall Festival in Mordialloc.

Me and Adnate during the Wall to Wall Festival 2024 in Mordialloc

Keep straight for another 100 meters, then turn right onto Spring Street. Three portraits adorn the walls of this street: the Colonel Kurtz played by Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now (painted by Ling), a blue-eyed woman (by Deity), and the face of the professional skateboarder Lewis Marnell (by Dvate – originally from Melbourne, Lewis Marnell passed away in 2013 at only 30 years old).

Back on Brunswick Street, head north for about 200m. Then turn right onto Cecil Street and walk for about five minutes. You will arrive in front of the Fitzroy Faces, a huge wall featuring seven portraits all painted by Australian artists. From left to right, Cam Scale, Adnate, Dvate, Rone, Jason Parker, Heesco and Sofles.

At the end of Spring Street, turn right onto Rose Street. This alley is home to countless murals of all sizes. Venture into the Fitzroy Mills car park, whose walls are entirely covered with tags! The mural on the building opposite it (a former café) was painted by Adnate, inspired by the work of Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Finally, the first facade after the parking lot is decorated with a beautiful artwork by the Chilean Nense Tango.

At the end of Cecil Street, head south on Smith Street. After about 200m, turn left onto Keele Street. The facade of a house on this street was painted by Mike Makatron and Conrad Bizjak, with a beautiful effect of depth. Then take a right onto Budd Street. In a narrow passage on the left, you can observe these rather disturbing works by the Japanese artist TwoOne.

Keep going straight then take the first right on Wellington Street. After about 300m, at the intersection with Vere Street, turn around to admire one of Melbourne's most spectacular murals. You will probably recognise Adnate’s inimitable style. These are the faces of four residents of the building that he represented on this 50m-high facade.

Are you familiar with the names of Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat? These two artists from the New York underground scene largely contributed to the popularisation of street art in the 1980s. A huge mural painted by Heesco (for the faces), Conrad Bizjak and Chehehe (for the backgound) pays tribute to them on a wall on Easey Street. Back on Budd Street, continue straight towards Johnson Street, then turn left. On the first building to the right, you can admire a mural by Keith Haring himself! It's a real collector's piece as he painted it in 1984, and it is one of the few still surviving around the world since his death in 1990. It features its abstract and avant-garde style with his very popular dancing figures, which have since become pop culture icons.

The end of this street art tour around Fitzroy and Collingwood is almost there! A few steps from this building, go up Stanley Street then keep straight on Moor Street. After two roundabouts, turn left onto Wood Street. This is where the last work of this itinerary is located: a huge mural painted by Smug. Not a bad conclusion, right?

Focus: Smug

Born in 1982, Sam Bates aka Smug (or Smug One) is an Australian artist currently based in Glasgow, Scotland. His photorealistic portraits can be found in several places around Melbourne. Smug is a self-taught man, using only spray cans and always working freehand to create his giant murals. I am personally a huge fan of his work!

Smug at work during the Wall to Wall Festival in Mordialloc

What are your favourite murals in Fitzroy and Collingwood? Did I forget to mention some of them? Send me a message to let me know!