Concrete bollard at Melbourne's Southern Cross Station gets a colourful makeover

It was only a matter of time before an artist decided to beautify the city's new concrete bollards.

One of the brutalist eyesores at Southern Cross station is believed to be the first to get a makeover: it's now covered in colourful fabric stripes.

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Melbourne's "bollard bandit", David Gray, hand-sewed a cover for it using old scraps of material, and installed it on Wednesday.

"It's about community art," he said. He hopes the bollards won't be covered in advertising instead.

The guerilla art follows in the tradition of yarn bombing – a worldwide trend where people wrap public objects such as telegraph poles or fire hydrants in crochet and knitting.

The public has been mostly pleased with Mr Gray's piece.

"It looks good, it's better than the concrete – way better," said Mohammed Abdirisak, who was using the covered bollard as a table for his energy drink on Wednesday afternoon.

An elderly woman came up and admired the patchwork fabric. "It's beautiful," she said.

Melburnians have been vocal in their distaste for the bare, concrete slabs erected around the city this week as safety measures in response to January's Bourke Street tragedy.

Mr Gray said he meant no disrespect, while encouraging other artists to join in.

"This is not something that I want to own or copyright," he said.

Some have argued the government should fund artists to beautify the concrete blocks.

Melbourne City Council has said they are temporary, but that it could take up to a year to replace them with something more aesthetically pleasing.

Unless, of course, more crafty Melburnians have their way.

Southern Cross Station has been contacted for comment.