THE VENUE

Commonground is set on beautifully regenerated bushland, just over one hour's drive or train ride north of Melbourne and 15 minutes from Seymour by car. The tranquil bush setting, sustainable design and homely feel of the Venue make it ideal for community-based, social action and environment groups to hold workshops, share ideas and plan for the future.

Below are the types of groups regularly hosted at Commonground:

  1. Marginalised - low income, women, youth, self-help, Aboriginal, disability, migrant groups

  2. Environmental - nuclear free, forest, land care, climate change issues

  3. Social justice - international aid agencies, refugee groups

  4. Community issues - rural challenges, migrant, advocacy, community organisations and associations.

If you are unsure if your group or organisation will meet our criteria please contact us.

Venue Facilities

Commonground offers meeting spaces and accommodation in two main buildings: the Wedge and the smaller Octagon. One or both can be used by groups staying at Commonground. Bookings can range from day workshops to two week long retreats.

The Wedge is our main venue, which is an earth-constructed passive solar designed building that can accommodate up to 27 guests, spread over 10 rooms. All bedding can be supplied. There are many bathrooms distributed throughout the building.

LARGE MEETING ROOMS

  • Large meeting space with room for 30 chairs in a circle

  • Breakout spaces for smaller group activities

  • Open fire and relaxed seating area

  • Data projector and TVs available

BUSH PROPERTY

  • 95 Acres of regenerated bush property shared with kangraroos, wallabies and abundant bird life

  • Large dam for swimming

  • Optional tours of Commonground’s organic gardens, orchards or native bush

 

COMMERCIAL KITCHEN

  • Commerical kitchen and catering equipment

  • Dinning Room, crockery and urn

  • Optional catering services

OUTDOOR ACTIVITY SPACES

  • Outdoor spaces for group exercises or games, including grassy area, seating, and a basketball and volleyball court

  • Environmentally conscious passive solar design, including solar power, solar hot water and rainwater tanks

 

PRICING MODEL

At Commonground we aim to support social change. We prioritise groups who are working directly for social change and who are made up of and/or are working with people living with disadvantage. 

Commonground is a not-for-profit and we do not receive corporate or government funding. To remain sustainable we ask those groups who can pay more, to pay more, so we can offer affordable rates to groups who need it.

If you are unable to afford our prices, we have a grants program to provide cheap and/or free bookings for high priority groups. Applications will be available on our website soon. Please email us at admin@common-ground.org.au if you have any questions about our grants program.