The Melbourne Poetry Map: Audio Graffiti is an archive of ten “poetry journeys”, each of which will take between 20 – 45 mins to complete, depending on how fast you travel, how well you know the city and how long you want to spend at each location. That said, it’s nice not to do things in a hurry.
The Map is curated and produced by Eleanor Jackson, and has been supported by the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre, Peril Magazine, Melbourne’s UNESCO City of Literature Office, Overload Poetry Festival and City of Melbourne.
It was created in 2010, with new journeys added in 2011-2012, and again in 2019.
Each journey exists as a map of directions and a playlist of audio tracks designed to be listened to in their corresponding locations. Sometimes the location of the poem is quite specific, sometimes it’s a little bit vague – don’t get het up if you’re not in the right place at the right time. Poetry is all about being in the wrong place at the right time.
If you do find you’re getting a bit lost, why not ask a local Melburnian for some helpful directions! Apparently, they’ll be the ones dressed in all black.
We hope you’ll love exploring the psychogeography of this incredible city. As snapshots in time, some poets pay tribute to places that are no longer there, or places that have changed in their use and designation. We say, just roll with it.
Good luck!