Melbourne Art Trail - 2019

I first heard about Melbourne Art Trail last year when I was looking around for local autumn events. Life took a down-turn then, and most of my plans were put on hold, so this year I was determined to visit, if only for one day.










It's not at all like a formal exhibition in a gallery. Instead, for one weekend each year homes and businesses open their doors, allowing artists to display their work, and letting the public wander in to view it.






Melbourne's a fascinating place, with buildings of old mellowed brick, a higgledy-piggledy skyline, even a thatched cottage or two -  and a trail like this gives the visitor an excuse to stop and stare at buildings and peer down alleyways - even go down them to discover a whole hidden part of town.

Metal Sculpture
by David Turner

There's a trail leaflet with a list of venues and exhibitors, and brief information on the history of buildings and the changes of use they've seen over the years.  As you walk along the street the 'open' houses are clearly numbered and marked by balloons, so there's little chance of disturbing a unsuspecting family settled down to an afternoon of TV sport.








So we wandered this way and that, into unexpectedly huge gardens, charming cottages, and community buildings ranging from churches to medical centres; learned a bit about the history of the town; ate cake and drank tea from real crockery on a terrace overlooking Melbourne Pool.

Boats on the Ocean

There was entertainment out on the streets too with live music at three 'busking stops' adding to the festive atmosphere. I was delighted to accidentally stumble across local band Boats on the Ocean at the beginning of their set as I've heard them online and wanted to check then out live.

Hamish by Duncan Thurlby

Displaying art in gardens and kitchens is a strange but wonderful way to fill a small town with beauty for a weekend, and I think takes away the stuffy, pretentious atmosphere you can find in galleries.








The art itself ranged from jewellery to paintings, sculpture to photography, and while I can't claim to have liked everything I came away with a clutch of business cards ready to follow a number of artists online and maybe catch another exhibition of theirs. Oddly I hadn't gone along prepared to buy (the red 'sold' dots showed others had!) but I don't think I could have made a decision then and there - there was just so much to look it and take in.

We'd intended to go along for just Saturday but, as we were warned, it was impossible to see all the exhibits in one day so we returned on Sunday afternoon.








I'll definitely put the whole weekend in my diary for next year.