Tech firm Canva’s Melbourne staff moving up – into a two-storey warehouse

Australian tech darling Canva has unveiled its latest Melbourne campus, just weeks after it announced new products in the higher education market.

A look inside Canva's new 2015 sqm Melbourne campus.

Australian tech darling Canva will mark its first major interstate move next week, opening a Melbourne campus just weeks after the software giant announced a new product offering in the higher education market.

The new office will be quite the upgrade for the company’s Melbourne staff who, like their counterparts in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, work from co-working spaces.

Canva’s new Melbourne office, which opens next Tuesday, will be a two-storey, 2015 sqm warehouse in inner-city Collingwood.

The tech giant hasn’t shared too many details of the new space ahead of its opening, apart from that it has capacity to house the company’s 240 Victorian staff, that it will provide free lunches, it comes with coffee machines, unlimited snacks, an in-house bar, a garden space, several event spaces, and coaching and parent rooms.

Canva co-founders Cameron Adams, Cliff Obrecht and Melanie Perkins.

Canva said much of the renovations taking place are being handled in-house by its “Vibe team” which is working with local galleries, including the Collingwood-based James Makin Gallery, which will help source and showcase artworks in the space.

Staff will be taught to make their own coffee with in-office classes, and the car park will be turned into a garden and BBQ area.

The tech darling also plans to sell Indigenous art from Milingimbi Art and Culture, a spokeswoman said.

“Despite no strict requirements around flexible work, we remain dedicated to expanding our physical footprint and investing in local communities through volunteering efforts, using local produce, supporting local restaurants and suppliers and championing local designers and creators,” a spokeswoman said.

The Melbourne move arrives about six months after the tech giant purchased a new Sydney building on the same street as its headquarters for $120m.

Surry Hills, where Canva’s headquarters sits on Kippax St, is one of six suburbs including Haymarket, Ultimo, Redfern, Chippendale and Eveleigh which form Sydney’s upcoming Tech Central.

Inside Canva's Sydney campus in Surry Hills. Picture: Supplied

The tech giant didn’t purchase the new Melbourne building, but instead opted for a multi-year lease. The exact value and length has not been disclosed.

The move into a new campus arrives just weeks after Canva announced a launch into the higher education market, staking a claim in territory long controlled by competitor Adobe.

“We’ve actually got over 30 million teachers and students in the US and Canada nowadays, and I think these new products will help us bring Canva to an even bigger audience,” Canva co-founder Cameron Adams told The Australian at the time of the launch.

“If you think of the number of universities and colleges all around the world and about bridging of the applications used as people progress from year 12 to university and then the workplace, it’s a mess.

“I think it’s a massive area where we see growth and one that we’re really keen to dive into.”

Canva’s new Melbourne campus will take some inspiration from the existing Sydney office.

The company hired more than so-called “Canvanauts” over the past 12 months, with 230 of the new staff beginning in January this year.

The Australian revealed last year Canva graduates were among some of the highest paid in industry and its software engineers earn a total package of $173,000. That figure is understood to include share options as well as some salary-based incentives.

A spokeswoman said Canva was hiring for a further 270 roles.