December 2025
Bendigo’s Chancery Lane: The Little Alley That Turned Into an Art Studio
Tucked between old bank buildings and offices, Chancery Lane could have stayed what it once was: a service alley you only used as a shortcut. Instead, over the past few years, it’s turned into one of Bendigo’s most creative little corners.
A Laneway That Refused to Stay Boring
Walls that used to be blank are now layered with murals, paste-ups and painted doors. Cafés, bars and small shops have moved in, and suddenly the laneway feels less like “out the back” and more like a casual open-air gallery you’re allowed to walk through, coffee in hand.
Street Art as an Open Invitation
What makes Chancery Lane feel so alive is that the art isn’t locked behind glass. It’s on brick, roller doors and tucked into corners, changing slowly over time. You can stand under a big mural on your lunch break, spot a detail you’ve never noticed before, and then see someone else doing the same thing five minutes later.
For local artists, the lane is a way to show work at human scale, not just on canvases. For the rest of us, it’s a reminder that “gallery” doesn’t have to mean quiet rooms and whispering. You can be on your way to the post office and still bump into something creative.
Why Places Like This Matter to Bendigo
Chancery Lane isn’t huge, but it does an important job. It gives younger artists and designers another space to experiment. It makes the city feel less rigid and more lived-in. And it connects Bendigo’s more formal arts scene – places like the gallery and theatres – with everyday street life.
For locals, it’s a reliable “show this off” spot when friends visit. For visitors, it’s often the first hint that there’s a lot more going on here than just gold history and heritage facades.
Working at El Gordo as a teenager, I got a front-row seat to all of that – learning how Chad and Haley’s years in the south of France, Spain and the Basque country showed up in the way they talked about food, welcomed regulars, and turned a tiny Bendigo laneway café into its own little slice of the Mediterranean.
If you haven’t wandered down there in a while, it’s worth taking the slow route next time you’re in town. Grab a drink from a nearby café or bar, walk the length of the lane, look up, and see what’s changed since you last passed through. It’s one of the easiest ways to plug back into Bendigo’s creative community.
