Hackerspaces and makerspaces
If you want to understand how open source works in practice, a hackerspace is a good place to watch it happen.
A hackerspace is a place where people meet to work on projects together. They tend to choose software and hardware that is open, and they have an ethos of sharing what they learn. Some spaces call themselves makerspaces instead. The names get used more or less interchangeably.
What you find inside varies. Soldering irons and a bank of 3D printers. A laser cutter, sometimes a lathe and a welder, plus a wall of donated parts.
Many spaces run as incorporated associations, funded by member fees and steered by a committee elected each year. But not every space is a membership club. Public libraries across Australia run makerspaces that anyone can walk into, often with 3D printers, vinyl cutters and sewing machines. The Edge at the State Library of Queensland is one of the larger ones. Universities run them too, mostly for students and staff.
Finding a space
Australian Makerspace Directory #
A searchable map and directory of makerspaces, hackerspaces and community workshops across Australia, browsable by equipment such as 3D printers, laser cutters and CNC machines. Listings cover community-run spaces, library makerspaces, university facilities and commercial studios, and anyone can submit a space that is missing.
Hackerspaces and Makerspaces (PANDORA) #
Retired
A collection in Australia’s web archive, selected by the National Library of Australia and the State Library of Queensland, holding archived websites of twenty Australian hackerspaces and makerspaces.
Hackerspaces Wiki #
A global, community-edited wiki about hackerspaces, with an Australia page listing spaces by city and state. The wider wiki holds documentation on starting and running a space, covering legal structure, finding premises, decision-making, membership software and door hardware.
Networks and communities
Melbourne Tech Guilds #
A Melbourne maker community organised into guilds covering mechanics, IoT, coding, and robotics. It offers free mentoring to members working on their own projects.
OZHS Discord #
A chat server for people who organise Australian hackerspaces, run by members of Brisbane Makerspace. Brisbane Makerspace also runs a separate, open server at discord.brisbanemaker.space for anyone wanting to talk about makerspace topics in Brisbane or around Australia.