Coworking location and access

Choose a coworking location by checking the journeys people need to make, the route into the workspace and the hours they can use it. A site that looks convenient on a map may still fail if a transfer, parking condition or closed entrance disrupts the working day.

Match the location to business use

Decide whether being close to customers matters and whether foot traffic is important to the work. These criteria can change which areas are suitable, particularly when clients regularly visit the workspace; treat them as requirements only if they serve the business.

Consider whether supplier vehicles need easy access to the area, alongside the team’s public transport needs. The Australian Government’s business.gov.au location guidance recommends defining business needs before searching and prioritising which are essential and which are desirable.

Start with the journeys

List regular staff, occasional colleagues and visitors, the days they attend and their usual arrival and departure times. Ask staff for a broad starting area and travel mode; a home address is unnecessary for an initial shortlist. Include the busiest shared day and any regular trips to clients or other work sites.

Compare the whole outward and return journey. For public transport, check routes, transfers and services at the relevant times using the state or territory transport planner. For drivers, include a plausible parking place and the walk from it.

For people who cycle or walk, consider the route and what they need on arrival. Keep a difficult journey visible even if the average trip looks reasonable.

Coworking space access requirements by location

Check the route into the space

At each shortlisted site, follow the route from the stop, station or car park to the correct entrance and proposed work area. Find out what changes when reception is closed, including evenings, weekends and public holidays if the team works then. Where a particular route or facility is essential to someone, check it with that person's input at the hours they would use it.

Ask the operator to confirm the proposed site and membership in writing:

Building entry alone does not establish a right to use a particular desk or room. Resolve any essential gap in the written offer.

Pros and cons of shared office access models

Verify the arrival on site

Visit near a normal arrival or departure time. Walk the final route and note crossings, signs and the time it takes. If after-dark travel matters, check that condition separately rather than inferring it from a daytime tour.

For detailed guidance on checking parking arrangements during a visit, and for Transport for NSW Park&Ride conditions, see the supporting transport and parking article.

A visit captures one time and day. Recheck a critical route or parking option if conditions vary, and distinguish what you observed from what the operator told you.

Decide on the essential requirements

For each site, mark essential journeys and entry requirements as confirmed, unresolved or unworkable. Compare the remaining sites using the same attendance days, visitor trips, permitted hours and final route into the building. Record who bears any difficult journey.

Choose a site when the essential trips work and the necessary access rights are confirmed. If a different attendance pattern or occasional use of another location could resolve a gap, check its availability, entitlement and cost before relying on it. Review the decision after people have used the space and can report where the real journey differs from the plan.

Key access metrics for Australian coworking spaces