During the Melbourne map research, we discovered many characters and quintessentially Melbourne things. We have added people, landmarks, signs and references to other areas outside of central Melbourne through thoughtful illustrations. Here are a few of our favourites.
Chris Cincotta from @melbourneiloveyou
At the corner of Bourke and Swanston Street, you will find a hashtag and a heart above a person taking a photo. This is Chris Cincotta from @melbourneiloveyou and the location of his pop-up street stall. We could spend hours looking at the collection of photos on Chris’sInstagram page. It captures the magic of Melbourne perfectly! Chris has become a Melbourne icon himself, producing wonderful books and jigsaws of the CBD. He is a huge advocate for photographers capturing the essence of this magnificent city.
The Cursor
We’ve had a few people spot this guy and ask if we have made a mistake! No, not a mistake.
At the end of the hand-drawing, when the image was scanned into the computer, several weeks were spent editing, changing, adding and modifying things on the map. We spent so much time looking at the cursor swishing from one side of the screen to the other that we joked we should draw it on - which Lewis did!
Phillip Island Penguins
We just had to represent Phillip Island and their famous little penguins, as we did in the original 1990 Melbourne map.
At the bottom of the map, you will find these little guys with a flag pointing you in the right direction. On our “Can You Find?” list that accompanies each map (and is on the box of the jigsaw) you will see there are 4 penguins to find - now there’s a challenge for you.
Jane Edmanson under a Significant Tree
TV personality and garden expert Jane Edmanson was a big fan of the original Melbourne Map, so in 2017 we invited her to check out the new map in progress.On her visit, she educated us about Melbourne’s significant trees. We enthusiastically added some to our map. This is a Golden Wych Elm tree, and standing under it is Jane Edmanson. This tree is 80 years old and is located at the corner of Alexandra Ave and Punt Road in South Yarra.
Couple say “I do”
During our crowd-funding exercise on @pozible back in 2017, we met a gorgeous couple who had migrated to Melbourne from different parts of the world. Celene from Ireland met Abhinav from India. They fell in love and got married. This love heart is where they lived together in Melbourne, and it holds many special memories for them. Needless to say, they were delighted to learn we had immortalised their union on our map, and they are the owners of one of the Limited Edition prints, which Abhinav framed himself.
M28 The Tram Man
Another meeting from our crowd-funding exercise. We offered 4 people the opportunity to have themselves drawn on the map for an extra $500. Here is Dennis, now nicknamed by his family as “The Tram Man”. His wife paid to have him put on the map. Dennis wasn’t feeling well (turns out he was having a heart attack) and so he hopped on the tram to Epworth hospital. Fortunately, we heard that he recovered well.
The details on the Melbourne Map are best enjoyed by looking at our Limited Edition Artwork. These collector pieces make great corporate gifts and quickly become memorable family heirlooms.