Venues for hire

Make the historic Abbotsford Convent your next event, meeting or conference destination.

As Australia’s largest arts and cultural precinct, we provide unique, beautiful and versatile venues across 11 national heritage listed buildings, surrounded by stunning gardens and grounds, only 4 kms from the CBD.

By holding your event with us, you are also supporting our not-for-profit arts, cultural and learning precinct for everyone to enjoy.

Our offer:

• Conveniently located only 4km from Melbourne’s CBD
• Comfortable and affordable meeting rooms
• A variety of spaces to suit 10 to 430 people
• Flexible floorplans that accommodate presentations and breakouts
• Natural daylight abundant in all rooms
• Surrounded by green space and beautiful gardens
• Fully wheelchair accessible
• Easy access by public transport
• Dedicated car park on site at only $14 a day
• Three eateries on the precinct, from breakfast to post event drinks
• Full day, half day and Not-For-Profit rates available
• Free WiFi
• Standard AV available for hire
• Professional support from enquiry to post event

Unique extras:

• Professional on-site catering to suit a range of budgets
• Social History tours
• Indigenous storytelling tours

Keen to know more?

• VISIT Spaces for hire for information on venue space, price, capacity, floorplans, photos and flythroughs.
• BOOK ONLINE

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We welcome filming & photography at Abbotsford Convent. Our National Heritage listed gardens and grounds offer an incredible backdrop, and our indoor venues present a myriad of options and aesthetics.​

To undertake a film and/or photography project at the Convent, please note that we have a structured approach to all requests and fees apply. Please read our Information Pack here. ​

You’ll notice that our hire rates differ, depending on the nature and impact of your shoot. We offer many unique options, for simple photo shoots, outdoor wedding photography, and complex film shoots. ​

Please note that:​

• Our Filming & Photography Passes only give you access to all outdoor public areas. ​
• If you wish to shoot in a specific venue (including some outdoor venues), you must book it in addition to your pass. ​
• When booking a venue please adhere to lead times because our venues are frequently booked out, and we are unable to facilitate last-minute requests. ​

Due to the buzzing, vibrant nature of this wonderful place, a quiet environment can never be guaranteed. The Convent’s venues are not sound-proof, and our precinct is constantly activated by our community. Please consider this when requesting a film shoot or recording. ​

It is important that you please read our Conditions of Hire before booking a Filming & Photography Pass here. If you wish to also book a venue, please view our venues for hire and then book online. 

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Abbotsford Convent’s Rosina Function Space is a unique venue offering heritage elegance for your special event, featuring original lead-light windows, polished floorboards, atmospheric high ceilings and exposed trusses. This exquisite space is the perfect canvas for you to add your own personal touch to create a fabulous celebration for up to 280 guests seated or 500 guests for a cocktail style event. Host your wedding ceremony amongst the rolling lawns of the Heritage Gardens or in the original bluestone Good Shepherd Chapel.

For these types of events and celebrations, please contact Peter Rowland Group on 03 9825 0000 or email enquiries@peterrowland.com.au.

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Our 160 year+ old National Heritage Listed buildings, gardens and grounds make a spectacular backdrop for your photos. You don’t need to hold your wedding here – simply apply for an outdoor photography permit and you can access any of our publicly accessible outdoor spaces including courtyards, gardens, cloisters and other architectural features. If you wish to photograph inside one of our incredible buildings, you will need to book the room.

Your contribution, as with all venue hire and film/photography shoots, generates revenue that supports our not-for-profit social enterprise.

Please refer to our FAQ for more information, then book online.

Photo by Caitlin May Photography

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As a dedicated arts precinct, the Convent makes its spaces available for community engagement, independent artists, community groups, corporates and Not-For-Profits to deliver rehearsals, performances, exhibitions, workshops, classes, meetings, music events, food and wine festivals, markets and other special events.

We do not allow private parties or personal events in our creative spaces, however here are some alternatives for consideration:

Small picnics with no infrastructure

Our Heritage Gardens are free to use, and available to the community all year-round. While you don’t need a booking for small picnics, be aware that the Convent is used by a lot of people for many purposes and your picnic could coincide with outdoor weddings, photography shoots, and events as well as our visitors enjoying the gardens. For your picnic, please have a very light touch and do not bring any structures, including signs, to erect or items, such as balloons, that can harm our wildlife. And remember that we are a bin free precinct, so please take your rubbish with you.

Modest celebrations up to 50 guests

Convent Bakery 
Collingwood Childrens Farm our neighbours next door

Formal events for over 100 guests

Peter Rowlands Group in their dedicated function space and courtyard, Rosina function space.

Collingwood Childrens Farm our neighbours next door

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We appreciate that the Convent often holds special memories for people and is an ideal place to acknowledge and celebrate life.

However, as an arts and cultural precinct, the Convent is unable to provide the dedicated personal care, sensitivity and attention that funerals, memorials and wakes deserve. As a busy precinct, we are often filled with high impact and vibrant events that are not conducive to the requirements of funerals, memorials and wakes. For these reasons,  we are unable to accept bookings in Convent venues.

You may wish to contact Peter Rowland Group who can work with you to fully manage and cater your funeral, memorial or wake  in their dedicated function space, Rosina. They can be contacted here: enquiries@peterrowland.com.au or here. 

The Good Shepherd Chapel also has several spaces that are beautiful and private, right  next door, where you can gather and pay tribute with the respect and privacy you deserve .

We wish you the very best for your service.

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Abbotsford Convent fosters new ideas and critical thought, providing artists from a diverse range of disciplines opportunities to develop and present new work on-site. Our varied indoor spaces, grounds and gardens are the perfect locations for inspiration, growth and development of new works through which we encourage creativity, collaboration and diversity. Artists, collectives and organisations wanting to present works in partnership with the Convent or seeking opportunities to develop new works are encouraged to contact our Programming Team.

Photo: ButohOut!, 2019. Photo by Vikk Shayen.

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The Convent’s varied indoor and outdoor spaces, across our buildings, gardens and grounds, are perfect for inspiration, creativity and collaboration.

If you would like to hire a space, simply book online.

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