The Substation

Enjoy free tours of this historic building, gallery exhibitions, an onsite bar, bookshop, art installations, music performances and more. The Substation is located approximately 200 metres from Newport train station, nearby to other iconic sites such as Scienceworks, Newport Railway Museum and Williamstown Botanic Gardens.

A stone's throw away from the banks of the Birrarung (Yarra River), The Substation presents a curated program of contemporary, experimental, interdisciplinary work by local, national and international artists to create opportunities for audiences in Melbourne's greater west to see the best of contemporary and experimental arts.

Constructed over a century ago in 1915 to power Melbourne's suburban rail system, The Substation building is a landmark in the industrial history of the inner west of the city. In the 1960s, The Substation ceased operation in its original purpose and the building fell into disrepair for three decades.

Through the determination and hard work of a group of local residents, The Substation building was successfully restored as Hobsons Bay Community Arts Centre in 2008, before formally adopting the name The Substation and being reimagined as one of the country's most significant homes for contemporary and experimental arts, a cultural precinct with national and international critical acclaim. The spirit that propelled those local heroes through its transformation is still imbued in the site today.