ABC ISLAND -- The spirit and essence of Melbourne Laneways recently came to life on ABC Island. Twenty-one guests gathered on a grassy hilltop to watch the city rez below them. The rez of the entire city took 90 seconds and covered about a third of the island. A flash video created by The Project Factory of the city can be viewed at The Project Factory's Web site.

Melbourne Laneways is constructed of a labyrinth of lanes and alleys. The feel of the area has been accented by sounds of sidewalk cafes and street noises. Interesting and beautiful graffiti art covers many of the alley walls in the city. Geodesic glass bits tower over the atrium in Federation Square. Cobblestone streets, designed for walking traffic only, have the texture of bricks in Laneways.

Nicci Lane commented “They did a good job although I see interiors need work.” It is possible the shops may be rented. At present they are represented by pictures of real storefronts in Melbourne. Lilac Lubitsch commented, “These shops may be photos of the classy end of Collins Street.”

“The bins are great,” Alberik Rotaru said of the decorated dumpsters encountered in some dead ends. OzRichie Barnard added, “The alleyway is great. Now if the tram would just come down this way…” Melbourne has trams which run on electric overhead cables, along with buses and taxis, to deal with public transportation.

The real life “Get Lost in Melbourne” red thread campaign is carried through in SL as well. Red balls bounce around the streets, each whispering a Melbourne place name. When visitors say the name in Federation Square under the flying glass pieces, a letter lights up, until finally “MELBOURNE” is spelled across the square.

Gary Hazlitt and Benjo Zabelin, both of The Project Factory, are co-builders of Melbourne Laneways.
Hazlitt took around 400 photographs of Melbourne and recorded sounds from restaurants and streets to use in this build, which was constructed in 10 days.

“Overall it is a place to socialize. I think the ABC Island really needed somewhere for folks to hangout vs. the sandbox. The amphitheatre has been really successful but not really a social space. Ben and I actually added a whole bunch of roof top places too – alongside the eight or so places in the lanes to meet and relax and chat,” Hazlitt said.

Commissioner of Multimedia Victoria, MMV Writer, spoke about this project. “We tend to see Melbourne more about the experience and the events rather than some of the big icons like other Australian cities. So we only hinted at Federation Square and focused more on the wonderful hidden laneways that are part of Melbourne.”

Many events are planned over the next three months. Groups have expressed an interest in this area, so it may grow substantially in the early part of next year.

Melbourne Laneways is already a crowd pleaser. “The builders should be proud of their work here, I say… so realistic to the vibes of Melbourne,” Lane commented. Lubitsch admired the build as well, saying “Melbourne is a very alive city. Gary, this is very Melbourne.