Decorated

I've never known a city promote itself as strongly as Melbourne does. Its superb information centre offers leaflets on the docklands, the lanes, the architecture, the museums, the gardens, the markets, the street art. There are maps of the centre, the suburbs and places further away that are accessible from the city; of the trains and the trams; of walks for any conceivable interest. Staff are on hand to answer any question. The free tram service on a circular route round the centre gives numerous starting points, the free tourist bus service offers 13 more.

I picked up a fistful of leaflets and maps and headed out to see Melbourne's famous street art. In Rutledge Lane this young man was standing on the nearby restaurant kitchen's rubbish bins to make his mark. It was clearly not an anti-social activity - he was unfazed by the many tourists taking photos.

I don't know how many miles of narrow lanes I explored, some containing only bins, some glassed over in the nineteenth century and turned into elaborate arcades, some full of tables and chairs in front of expensive restaurants and quite a few like this, thick with the smell of aerosol paint.

When I went out onto the wide main streets there was plenty of space for musicians, dancers and portrait painters to attract an audience. This city is proud of its art.