In the 21st century, mankind stepped up to the podium with what we here at Urban List consider their greatest achievement to date: cafés with wifi. Since then, offices full of desk dividers and fluorescent lighting in white walled offices have lost their appeal, and the topic of ‘co-working’ has been hot on the lips of any freelancer, self-starter, artist, or Blair, that sales rep who’s only shown up to work like three times in the past year.
We’ve come a long way from asking baffled baristas for the wifi password. Get ready to see sneaker-clad creatives crouched over Macbooks, because these are the co-working spaces in Brisbane/Meanjin that’ll have you excited for the 9 to 5.
Prospect Studios
52 Prospect Street, Fortitude Valley
WeWork
310 Edward Street, Brisbane CBD | 25 King Street, Bowen Hills
If you’re answering business calls in your trackies and your body composition is almost entirely Blend 43, it’s time to take a long hard look at yourself and your home office habits, and perhaps book in for walk through of WeWork. The international co-working icon just cranked its doors open in Sydney and Melbourne as well as Brisbane, and local start-ups are clamoring for space in the new Queen and Edward Street locations. And in case you haven’t heard of them, we’re here to tell you that the WePerks are massive. We’re talking an inner-city workspace with your very own barista-manned coffee bar, laid back lounges, and craft beer on tap. Get amongst it.
Newstead Studios
22 Ross Street, Newstead
Image credit: Newstead Studios | Facebook
The Cove
59 Doggett Street, Newstead
Weirdly-cheerful baristas aside, we’ve all dreaded a Monday morning or ten. Somehow, though, those post-weekend blues dissolve as soon as you step into The Cove. Dressed to the nines in Nordic-inspired décor, this dashing little number has breathed new life into the Brisbane co-working scene. Business concierge, underground parking, on-site IT technicians—The Cove’s got it all, and then some.
WOTSO
76 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley | Westfield Shopping Centre, Chermside
Wifi as fast as the speed of light? Oh WOTSO, you have our hearts. A combination of soft seating spaces, phone booths and desks, this coworking space provides for an engaging yet practical place to knuckle down in. The driving force behind WOTSO is their dozen odd sites across Australia and one (with more to come) international location. This gives you perks like hot desking in other locations when you become a WOTSO member and they live with the belief that building the space you need is far more important that permanency. 24/7 access is given in exchange for monthly membership and you’ll also have access to meeting rooms, printing facilities and social events with fellow office space sharers.
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The Factory
36 Warry Street, Fortitude Valley
Image credit: The Factory | Supplied
When WFH gets a little stale, a fresh co-working space could be your perfect fix. You couldn’t get any fresher than Fortitude Valley’s The Factory. This former bread factory takes on a new life as a coworking space, conveniently located in the heart of inner city and just a hop skip and a jump away from the Valley Metro Brisbane. The Factory’s former life remains visible on some of its heritage listed walls while holding more than 35 stylish places to get your work grind on. This space is decided to creators, innovators and game-changers with options to choose between a dedicated co-working desk or a private office suite. Beyond the state-of-the-art amenities the entire place is also dog-friendly, if you and your pooch work best as a team.
River City Labs
Level 6/200 Adelaide Street, Brisbane CBD
Uncork your bottled creativity and toss it into the cauldron of bubbling energy that is River City Labs. It doesn’t take long to see what the fuss is about, there’s all the facilities you could ever want, need or wish for at this co-working hub. Drop-in desks, available for the day, earn you access to wifi, printing and shared facilities, or stick around and pay by the month. From private team meetings to the biggest pitch of your career, River City has the space—and the face—to make those moments count.
Entrepreneur Haus
29 Merivale Street, South Brisbane
Entrepreneur Haus has one mission: to enable entrepreneurs to entrepreneur. Say that ten times fast. The warehouse space they offer up has been fitted with all the latest technologies and comforts to bring forth that spark of creativity. Whether you’re part of a startup or running solo, Entrepreneur Haus has mentors available to give you help and advice. The site has a garden you can chill in and with a cafe just around the corner, it’s the no-brainer morning seating and brainstorming choice. Located in South Brisbane with short walks to cafes and bars and its own parking as well as nearby public transport options, Entrepreneur Haus is ready to welcome the next generation of business-starters.
Lightspace
30 Light Street, Fortitude Valley
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Image credit: Lightspace | Instagram
Fair warning: that ‘open-air inspiration nook’ in your garage is about to lose some of its shine. Leaps and bounds from its bustling warehouse origin, Lightspace is a sanctum of vaulted eight-metre-high ceilings and natural light. While the venue reps some serious wedding and function space cred, the entire upstairs has been outfitted as an open plan co-working space. Settle in with an espresso, sweeping city views and reveries of the private tiki bar on the deck: your lightbulb moment won’t be far away.
Mobo Co.
88 Tribune Street, South Brisbane
Salt Space
1/888 Brunswick Street, New Farm
Built for the freelance professional, Salt Space has created a space for cultivating creativity and productivity. Salt start with their hot desk option for those that need to get out of their house (or head). They have dedicated desks for those that want somewhere to place their family photos to look at while they work and for small teams there are private office studios available and meeting rooms for those all-important conferences. Their spaces are air-conditioned with plenty of natural light and high ceilings so you can focus on the work and not the cramped home office you are replacing.
Hub Anzac Square
Level 6/200 Adelaide Street, Brisbane CBD
Image credit: Hub | Website
With five levels of modern workspaces to choose from, you won’t want to stop working at the Hub Anzac Square. Located above the Central Railway Station, this flexible workspace is open 24/7 for members and comes equipped with all your working needs: barista-made coffee, high-speed internet, conference rooms and an outdoor terrace space. Oh, and you can bring your dog, so you can work without having to worry about coming home to a couch cushion mauling. There is also a fitness studio when you need a break and a kitchen, so you never have to leave.
Cirque By Centuria
Level 7/154 Melbourne Street, South Brisbane
Here to turn that office-dweller life into one with a bit more pizazz is Cirque by Centuria, a flexible workspace offering up views, light-filled paces and A-grade amenities in the heart of South Brisbane. Whether you want a fully furnished suite, a dedicated desk or just somewhere to hot desk, they’ve got a package to suit. You can even opt for a hybrid membership that lets you access Cirque’s Sydney location as well. Basically, this co-working space ticks all the boxes.
Spaces
30 Light Street, Fortitude Valley
Workspace365
Various Locations
What’s better than access to one co-working space? We’d say two but Workspace365 has five locations across Brisbane (and access to a virtual space as well). Personally we could find ourselves on the work grind at all of their locations, but if we had to pick favourites, their West End location has floor to ceiling views and a fresh urban feel while their newest space in Eagle Street boasts Story Bridge views and an ideal position in the heart of the Brisbane CBD’s “Golden Triangle” precinct.
Looking for somewhere to let your hair down after hours? Head here:
Image credit: Prospect Studios | Facebook
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