Collingwood Yards

Collingwood Yards is a not-for-profit arts precinct in Collingwood, Melbourne, bringing together galleries, artist studios, cultural organisations, dining, bars, retail and offices across the former Collingwood Technical School campus. With more than 50 residents, it is a place to explore different parts of Melbourne’s creative community rather than a conventional market with a single line-up of stalls. Visitors can browse the precinct, discover exhibitions and studios, and check what events or activities are taking place across the site.

The precinct’s most distinctive feature is the Keith Haring Mural, described by Collingwood Yards as the artist’s only remaining large-scale public artwork in Australia. The heritage-listed mural is conserved on site, connecting the precinct’s contemporary arts program with Haring’s belief in accessible art. Collingwood Yards also hosts community events and arts programming, giving the space an active role beyond simply housing creative businesses and organisations.

The setting is substantial but approachable: three buildings cover more than 6500 square metres and are arranged around a leafy central courtyard. The site is bordered by Johnston, Wellington, Perry and Bedford Streets, in one of Melbourne’s dense and diverse inner-city neighbourhoods. Its buildings carry more than 140 years of local history, having previously formed part of the Collingwood Technical School and earlier civic uses including a courthouse, council chambers and an artisans’ school of design.

Behind the precinct is Contemporary Arts Precincts Ltd, which manages Collingwood Yards in trust for the public of Victoria. Its cross-subsidy model uses commercial tenancies to help provide affordable space for artists, arts and cultural not-for-profits, and community organisations. That makes the venue particularly worthwhile for visitors who want to support a working creative hub, see how artists and organisations share space, or spend time around contemporary culture without needing to attend a formal gallery exhibition. It suits solo visitors, creative-minded groups and anyone interested in Collingwood’s history and changing cultural landscape. Collingwood Yards acknowledges the Wurundjeri people of the Woiwurrung language group as the Traditional Owners and sovereign custodians of the land.