HQ thirtyfour

HQ thirtyfour is a lovingly restored timber warehouse on Geelong Street in Fyshwick, run as a blank canvas venue — the room and its character are the starting point, and everything else is yours to bring. Black steel beams sit against eggshell-painted brick, high ceilings and warm timber floors catch the light from generous windows, and a vintage entrance with heavy wooden doors sets the tone before guests are through the door.

There are two spaces. HQ Upstairs is the larger of the two, open and light-filled, suiting wedding receptions, exhibitions and corporate events, and it can be divided into a smaller footprint or hired together with the level below. HQ Downstairs is more intimate and step-free, with a striking entryway and arched windows that photographers and film crews book it for in their own right. Together they take about 100 guests standing or seated at rounds, and up to 130 on exclusive hire of the whole building.

Because nothing is fixed, the venue works just as easily for a cocktail party, engagement, birthday or baby shower as it does for a conference day, workshop or end-of-year function. Air conditioning, an in-house sound system, a projector and screen, breakout areas and on-site parking are all part of the hire, and the industrial backdrop is a genuinely good one to photograph against.

Fyshwick is a few minutes from Kingston and Manuka and about ten from the city, so it is an easy run for guests coming from anywhere in the inner south.