Whether it’s working for yourself, your business or your company, working independently in a shared space has become a part of work culture following working from home practises during the pandemic.

What was once a novelty is now becoming part of the norm as more and more co-working spaces are being established across the country.

Particularly so in rural and regional areas as so many people travel for work and with city office space being downsized or in some businesses closed all together, workplaces have undergone a transition in one way or another.

It’s not just the change in workplace but in the way we work which has led to the increase in co-working spaces and in some communities, it is making a huge difference.

Nichole Jenkins, saw a need in Nyngan and set about establishing ‘The Junction’, an office space in the main street of the town which has taken on a life of its own and is now considered a town meeting place and cultural centre, where workshops are offered, group meetings are held, rural men and women with businesses come to work and locals gather to chat.

With several desk spaces, a large table for group meetings and a gathering space out the back, ‘The Junction’ is a valuable resource to the small rural town.

“I opened ‘The Junction’ in May 2022 after some personal frustrations with internet and trying to zoom during COVID while I was working from home as well as seeing such a need with other people in the same situation who were struggling,” said Nichole.

Nichole, an Early Childhood Consultant, grew up in Narromine and with a farming background, has been integral in Child Services in Nyngan, Cobar, Bourke, and the region.

Although she has no experience in co-working spaces, she decided there was no time like the present and set up ‘The Junction’.

Nicole Jenkins runs 'The Junction' in Nyngan.

Not only has Nichole set up the space for work but has hosted collaborative workshops for locals and those around the region, as well as promoting local artists who have used the space to sell their art. It’s a cool initiative way of bringing the community together.

“The real desire to connect again following covid and to form a little community prompted me to set up the space but what I didn’t predict was the real need for office space in town.”

“We have had positive feedback from organisations in Dubbo and from away that have used the space for meetings and to meet with clients, as well as people enjoying the workshops we offer and the sense of community this has created,” said Nichole.

“I am loving seeing the way people are taking to the space and the joy it is bringing, even a local sewing group uses it for their get togethers, it’s all about the community,” said Nichole.

“I gained inspiration from ‘The Exchange’ in Dubbo and ‘The Collective’ in Grenfell who are doing amazing things in their shared workspaces. I have lots of ideas and hopefully we pull some more great events together for our town, it has really been worthwhile,” said Nichole.

“We want everyone to see the space as a community space not just exclusively for business people,” said Ms Jenkins. “Don’t be afraid, just step in and we will welcome you with open arms.”

 ABOVE: Marnie Ryan enjoys the peace and quiet of working inside The Pod at the Coonamble Times.

The local newspaper in Coonamble, the Coonamble Times, occupies part of a beautiful heritage building and plays host to a shared working space for the townspeople and visitors passing through.

Since February 2018 they have provided desk hire with access to wi-fi, printing and in 2021 added a quiet 'meeting pod' for video meetings, interviews and the like.

Those who use the space also have kitchen amenities, plus printing and laminating facilities.

“Having worked with local government and in the community for so many years, I was really aware of the number of visiting workers (drive in drive out) from different services who come to these smaller towns,” said Coonamble Times owner Lee O’Connor.

“When we moved in here we had space to spare and I thought we could provide those travelling services with a base, as well as having somewhere easy for local people who need fast reliable internet and a quiet place to work that’s not the kitchen table at home,” she said. “As it turns out the locals have been our biggest users – we’ve hardly seen a visiting service.”

“We’ve had Uni students sitting for exams, a person who works for a major international financial institution who holds video meetings with her team around Asia Pacific in our pod, a couple of professional people who are based locally on rural properties and have regional clients but also have small children they need to drop to child care, preschool or school – then it’s too far to go home so they can get a good day’s work done here,” said Mrs O’Connor.

"Farmers who need to get their online bookkeeping or business call done and can’t deal with the bad internet/phone service at home will occasionally use our desks as well."

“We have a lovely big space as our office,” said Mrs O’Connor. “It’s a heritage building with beautiful, pressed tin ceilings, airy and very comfortable. We have the best aircon in town, so it's warm in winter and cool in summer, so we're happy to share our space,” she said.

Narromine's HubnSpoke is a fully accessible co-working space. IMAGE: Narromine Shire Council

The ‘HubnSpoke’ in Narromine is also playing a role in assisting the community with a shared workspace.

Narromine Shire Council General Manager, Mrs Jane Redden said funding has allowed Council to transform a redundant building into a spacious shared co-working hub with workstations, two private offices, kitchen, bathroom, and all abilities access close to the CBD.

“The HubnSpoke offers anyone the opportunity to accommodate an office away from home with extremely fast internet all in a refurbished and bright space,” said Mrs. Redden.

“As many people are transient and can work from almost anywhere these days, Council is thrilled to offer these modern shared co-working offices that are usually only found in regional and metropolitan centres. We hope that the HubnSpoke will facilitate connections, collaboration, and creativity for small businesses throughout the Narromine region,” she said.

The interior of the Hub n Spoke in Narromine. IMAGE: Narromine Shire Council

Surveys during the pandemic have shown that while workers do not want to return to the office fulltime, they also do not want to work from home exclusively either. This has created the challenge of re-thinking the workspace and no longer following traditional pre-pandemic thinking.

These spaces in rural and regional Australia are now becoming sought after and highly utilised as Individuals, businesses and companies work on new modules of work delivery.