16/02/2026
After 9 precious years of operating at 1-5 Woodburn St, my heart is heavy to announce that Woodburn will be closing in June.
The block has recently been sold for $49.5million, which is a little beyond our budget to secure. As a development site, it was inevitable that the space would be converted and honestly, we never expected it to last this long.
Woodburn has been an anomaly in a city that has passed a tipping point, no longer able to accommodate creative production space without systemic intervention. I would at times drop the line “this isn’t real,” if ever anyone felt too comfortable about the situation. Though, we never really had the chance, between the drip-fed short-term demo leases, a legal battle with one of our landlords and the pandemic. That being the case, it has served as a sanctuary for literally hundreds of creative practitioners over the years.
I cannot express enough the fortune of being able to ride along with more talented individuals than I can even conceive. To be able to give and receive the support from them made our community one to be cherished.
An immeasurable amount of incredible work has been produced and shared in this space. Along with the sheer mass of achievement felt through personal pursuits, it’s had a monumental impact.
It is sad to lose, but we couldn’t be more grateful for the time we’ve had. There’s only a matter of months left, but we’ll be squeezing every bit out of them and welcome everyone to make the most of it.
The future is yet to reveal itself for our organisation but that’s not to say that we don't have grand plans.
