When you need to get out of the home office, coworking spaces can provide the ideal work environment. They’re often home to a talented community of freelancers and entrepreneurs, all taking advantage of the chance to network and collaborate.

Shared offices can also boost productivity – especially compared to working in noisy coffee shops – and potentially even open the door to exciting new work opportunities.

Coworking can also provide a flexible and affordable way to access amenities you don’t have at home, such as meeting rooms, professional quality printers and event space. Many also have pretty excellent coffee.

So, what’s the coworking scene like in Brisbane? This vibrant riverside city has a thriving community of freelancers and starters, with plenty of excellent spots to work remotely. Here’s our guide to 5 of the best coworking spaces in Brisbane, including all the amenities, costs and membership perks you need to know about.

And once you’ve found the perfect shared office for you, why not take a look at the Wise business account for freelancers? Use it to invoice international clients in their own currencies and get paid quickly with no fees attached. ¹

WeWork

WeWork, which has shared offices all over the world, has four fabulous coworking spaces in Brisbane. You’ll find them on King Street, Queen Street, Edward Street and Eagle Street. Each boasts the consistently excellent facilities and spacious, light-filled interiors you’d expect from WeWork, along with convenient locations and loads of lovely extra perks for members.

Let’s take a look at what’s on offer at WeWork Edward Street, in the heart of the central business district:

• Location – Edward Street, close to Central Station.
• Amenities – Private offices, dedicated desks, hot desking, meeting rooms, high-speed wi-fi, post handling, kitchen, private phone booths, event space, bike storage, al fresco outdoor space, recreational games, espresso bar, new mother’s room, showers. ²
• Cost – From $450 a month for hot desk membership, $550 a month for dedicated desks and $1,710 a month for private office space. ³
• Opening hours – 9am to 6pm. ⁴
• Membership perks – Members get free barista-made coffee, tea and fresh fruit, plus invitations to members’ meet-ups and exclusive professional events. Membership also unlocks access to work and meeting space in other WeWork locations around the world. ⁵

WOTSO Workspace

This popular Brisbane coworking hangout is in Fortitude Valley, an area known for its brunch cafes, indie record stores, restaurants and live music scene.

WOTSO Workspace offers hotdesking and residents’ desks at their bright, open shared office. You’ll love the rich wood floors, high ceilings and natural light flooding in the generous windows, along with the unique artwork and flexible workspace.

As with all WOTSO coworking locations, you’ll get a full range of quality amenities from high-speed internet to mail services. You can even bring your dog to work, store your bike or enjoy a frosty beer or wine at the end of a tough day. All these perks, and it’s reasonably affordable too.

• Location – Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, with good links to Brisbane CBD.
• Amenities – Permanent and hot desks, private office space, meeting rooms, event spaces, limited on-site parking, kitchen, mail services, printing, private phone booths, concierge, storage lockers. ⁶
• Cost – From $50 a day for daily drop-in, $220 a month for hot desking and $385 a month for permanent desks. Price for private office space on enquiry. ⁷
• Opening hours – 24/7. ⁸
• Membership perks – Members get 24/7 access, invitations to monthly networking and social events, complimentary refreshments from the kitchen, mail services and access to the beer and wine store. ⁹

Fishburners

If you’re in tech or the creative industries, you’ll love Fishburners. It’s a not-for-profit coworking space set up to support entrepreneurs and startups, with exceptional facilities and loads of professional support.

Desk rent packages are affordable and all-inclusive, and the community of talented digital and tech innovators second-to-none. Plus, you’ll love the aesthetics of this modern, spacious and super-cool coworking office.

• Location – Queen Street, in the heart of the CBD.
• Amenities – Shared hot desks and permanent desk, boardrooms, kitchen, fast internet, showers, printing and scanning facilities. ¹⁰
• Cost – Community membership (a shared desk with 24/7 access) starts from $350 a month, dedicated desk membership from $450 a month. ¹¹
• Opening hours – 10am to 6pm. ¹²
• Membership perks – Fishburners members get 24/7 access, invitiations to member events and unlimited tea and coffee, plus exclusive discounts from Google, Dropbox, Hubspot and other partners. They can also use other Fishburners locations in worldwide, access a wide network of mentors, investors and media contacts, and benefit from free legal, digital marketing and accounting advice. ¹³

Prospect Studios

Another shared office in the city’s creative quarter of Fortitude Valley, Prospect Studios is one of the most affordable coworking spaces in Brisbane. It’s also one of the coolest, housed in a beautifully converted warehouse and populated with friendly, talented creative types.

Prospect Studios has all the amenities any freelancer needs to get a solid days’ work done, plus extra lifestyle perks such as bike parking, a pretty garden space and a dog-friendly office.

• Location – Prospect Street, Fortitude Valley – with good links to Brisbane CBD.
• Amenities – Private studios, dedicated desks, hot desking, meeting room with smart TV, super-fast internet, espresso machine, free bike and scooter parking, air conditioning, garden space, showers. ¹⁴
• Cost – From $45 for a day pass, and from $110-$225 for access to the casual coworking space (dependent on use). From $395 a month for a dedicated desk. Price on enquiry for private studio space. ¹⁵
• Opening hours – 9am to 5.30pm. ¹⁶
• Membership perks – Access to member-only networking and social events, plus free fresh fruit, quality espresso machine coffee, tea and ice water.

The Cove

If you work in the creative industries, a stunningly designed and decorated workspace has to be a winner. The Cove in up-and-coming Newstead ticks all the aesthetic and inspirational boxes, as well as a host of extra amenities and perks.

What attracts freelancers and remote workers to The Cove, aside from the Nordic-inspired interiors, is its supportive and talented community. Take a desk and you’ll be actively encouraged to collaborate, create and build exciting new partnerships.

• Location – Doggett Street, Newstead.
• Amenities – Private office suites, casual and dedicated desks, virtual office, meeting rooms and boardroom, super-fast internet, common areas, communal kitchen, showers (with towel service), underground car park, business concierge, bike racks, lockable storage, bespoke furniture. ¹⁷
• Cost – From $150 a month for virtual office services, $300 a month for ‘Nomad’ membership (3 days casual desk use a month), $400 a month for casual desk membership and $750 a month for a dedicated desk. Price on enquiry for private office space. ¹⁸
• Opening hours – 9am to 5pm. ¹⁹
• Membership perks – There are an enormous range of perks available for Cove members, including 24/7 access, free refreshments, community and professional events, talks and seminars, discounts and exclusive use of the Cove car-share service. ²⁰

Can’t wait to test-drive some of these awesome Brisbane coworking spots? Once you’ve found your new favourite freelancer hangout, check out Wise for Freelancers

. From your new business account, you can invoice globally, get paid fast (with no fees) and even sync with your accounting software. It’s how all freelance payments should work.

These are just a small selection of the fantastic coworking hubs and shared offices in Brisbane. There are many, many more dotted around the city, with flexible, fully kitted-out spaces for freelancers, startups and digital nomads of all kinds. Find your space, and get to work.

Sources:

Sources accurate as of 20-April 2020.