🏛️ Council

Business hub will promote start-ups, foot traffic in Murray Bridge’s CBD

The Murray Bridge council has published new details about a co-working space it hopes to establish in the coming months.

Peri Strathearn

Jul 24, 2023 — 3 min read

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A business hub in Murray Bridge might feature desks, couches and a kitchen. Image: Rural City of Murray Bridge.

A shared office space to be established in Murray Bridge’s CBD will encourage entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses in the district.

The Murray Bridge council initiative, announced as part of the council’s 2023-24 budget, will provide a co-working hub in a central location.

Tenants will be able to access the office at all hours, and will be provided with wi-fi, meeting rooms, a shared receptionist, and one-on-one business support, including training and career guidance.

Best of all, the cost of setting up shop at the hub will be cheaper than renting an office.

The council has proposed to offer desk hire from $4000 a year, with higher rates to apply for shorter-term tenants, including $40 for a day or $25 for a half-day.

Hire of an entire office would start at $1200 per month, while training rooms would be available for $250 a day and storage rooms for $400 a month.

Renting a small, stand-alone office in Murray Bridge would likely cost between $7000 and $30,000 per year, according to current advertisements, without any of the bells and whistles.

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Mayor Wayne Thorley hoped the hub would be up and running in the near future.

“The launch of the co-working business hub will provide unique opportunities to learn and grow from a fantastic network of like-minded business people,” he said.

“I look forward to seeing local businesses benefit from the hub and finding practical applications for their business functions through the available resources.”

The author wishes something like this had been around when he started this publication. Image: Rural City of Murray Bridge.

The council has not yet indicated exactly where the business hub will be located, though a site on or just off Bridge Street would seem like a safe bet.

Available spaces which might fit the bill include the back half of the former Ozone theatre at 60 Bridge Street; the former Westpac bank at 28 Bridge Street, currently being used as a flood recovery centre; or a level of Mobilong House, the big white building on the Seventh Street roundabout.

The council suggested last month that tenants would share the space with staff from state and non-profit agencies working on the flood recovery; and with council business development staff who would relocate from the council office on Seventh Street.

Similar co-working spaces exist across South Australia, including in Victor Harbor, Loxton, Renmark and Port Augusta as well as a number in Adelaide; most are typically run by local business associations or as private enterprises.