With a sense of pride, Eleftheria Lalopoulos, president of the Australian Association of Kastorians, watched as a new street sign reading “Kastoria Lane” was installed on a power pole beside the organisation’s North Coburg headquarters.
The small laneway, nestled between 217 and 219 Elizabeth Street, now carries a name that recognises the wave of migrants from Kastoria and the wider region of northern Greece who made the suburb their home in the years following World War II.
“For us, the naming of this laneway holds deep meaning,” Lalopoulos said. “It stands as a reminder of the Greek families who shaped this neighbourhood and gave so much to its growth.”
But the street sign is only the beginning of what’s planned for the space.
A once-unassuming corner of Coburg is set to be transformed into a vibrant tribute to Greek Australian identity. The Kastorian Association has teamed up with the cultural collective Yitonia to create a public artwork dedicated to the community’s legacy.
In recent months, the two groups have been developing a mural project titled “Hidden Hellenism: Kastoria Lane”, which will adorn the walls of the laneway beside the association’s building. The artwork will feature portraits of community members, snapshots from the association’s history and imagery drawn from the city of Kastoria itself.
“This mural is fundamentally about the people—where they came from and what they built,” said Dean Kotsianis of Yitonia. “It’s a visual story of their journey from Kastoria to Australia, their families, their successes, and the role they’ve played in shaping local life.”
Beyond its aesthetic value, the artwork aims to connect generations, preserving the experiences of post-war migrants while offering younger Greek Australians a space that reflects their cultural identity.
In Kastoria Lane, the past meets the present. Within just a few metres, a piece of Coburg is being reimagined as a lively reminder of the suburb’s Greek roots—one that now speaks that history in both name and spirit.
