If you've searched "coworking space near me" lately and hit wall after wall of "book a tour" or "apply for membership" buttons, you're not imagining it. A lot of coworking spaces have quietly moved away from the old walk-in, pay-as-you-go model. These days many only let you in once you've signed up for an ongoing membership, sometimes with a minimum term attached.
Why coworking went membership-only
A few things pushed the industry this way:
- Predictable revenue. Recurring memberships are easier to forecast and fund than a stream of one-off day bookings.
- Community over churn. Operators want a stable group of members who know each other, not a rotating cast of strangers.
- Space and desk management. With hybrid work, spaces would rather guarantee desks to paying members than hold capacity back for casual bookers who may not show up.
The catch is this locks out a huge group of people: freelancers between jobs, remote workers passing through for a day, small teams trialling a location before committing, or anyone who just needs a proper desk for a Tuesday. It's also a real problem if you live in an outer suburb and have one meeting in Richmond for the day. Driving in for a single meeting then working from your car or a noisy cafe until you head home doesn't make sense when what you actually need is a proper desk to fill in the rest of the day around it. On-demand access still exists, it's just harder to find than it used to be.
Richmond spaces you can still book by the day
Good news if you're in Melbourne's inner east. Richmond has a solid cluster of spaces that still offer genuine day passes, no membership required.
1. collective_100 (Cremorne) — from $35 + GST per day, the pick of the bunch The cheapest and most flexible option on this list. Booking is entirely online through their portal, pick a desk in the shared area or a private office, add a monitor if you're on a flexi desk, and even book a spot in their guest car park, all in the same booking. Your card gets charged automatically at the end, so there's no invoice chasing or reception queue. If you just want to land, set up and get on with your one meeting, this is the most seamless way to do it. Book now
2. Inspire9 — from $45 per day Melbourne's original coworking space, set in a heritage-listed former knitting mill near Richmond Station. High-speed wifi, meeting rooms and a rooftop included. A good pick if you want some character with your desk.
3. Waterman Workspaces Richmond — from $50 + GST per day Straightforward day office access, bookable online through Waterman Central. No contract, just a desk when you need one.
4. CreativeCubes.Co Richmond — from $49 per day Based on Church Street, offering a day pass alongside hot desks and meeting rooms if you need to book a room for a client call while you're there.
Worth noting: pricing and availability move around, so it's always worth double-checking each space's site before you commit to a date.
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