Like the numerous blood vessels, Melbourne laneways keep the city’s vibes alive with unpredictable surprises and excitements. They are the veins and arteries scattered around the Hoddle Grid, connecting one street to another gallantly while offering the adventurous pedestrians with a taste of street art culture, confusing graffiti, hidden cafes, jazz bars of fancy character, and delightful eateries.
Some are constantly exuberating with aroma
of coffee, gourmet outlets, and vibrant music. Some are boring and dodgy, with
a hint of strong urine smell and suspicious darkness. Some are bright, orderly,
and frequently jam-packed with tourists from near and afar. Some are narrow,
eerily quiet, and deserted by the locals. They are the secretive gems and neglected
routes pending to be discovered by those who dare to wander off the Melbourne
main streets for some private explorative tours.
Tattersalls Lane is one of those alleyways
that might make you frown and hesitate for a moment, before its mysterious atmosphere
draws you gently into its confines of brick buildings with kaleidoscope of
colours. Scrawled with graffiti and adorned with urban street arts, this very
unassuming lane connects China Town of Little Bourke Street at the south and
the relatively lively Lonsdale Street at the north. Unnaturally silent during
daytime, you would need to keep stepping aside to give way to industrial vans
maneuvering challengingly between the walls, getting their usual unloading
activities done.
Closer to its northern end, the lane
branches out into a small space littered with large commercial garbage bins, a
graffiti covered bench and numerous restaurant ventilators. It is on this
sticky and sordid-looking Stevenson Lane, tucked away at its concealed
location, where you can find heart-throbbing paintings that will make you
marvel and wonder if you have stepped foot into a different world of Narnia. It
is an enchanting place, in its odd little way.
Like a magic trick, the quiet lane is conjured
into a lively food Mecca when the night falls. The old school and the trendy, the
ordinary and the superb, Western and Oriental - Tattersalls Lane has them all. This
is the lane where you can enjoy a feast of marinated Tandoori chicken and
authentic Shanghai-style steamed pork dumplings, take a sip of beer at a funky
open-air bar, and have a taste of some impressive smoked Polish sausages or
Brooklyn meatballs at a classy and intimate venue.
The lane is a love of serious foodies, modern
artists, wild partygoers, and random wanderers.
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