When it comes to iconic Australian reality television shows, you’d be hard-pressed to surpass MasterChef Australia.
From the changing theme songs to the dramatic, sweeping entrances where our judges and contestants enter the kitchen each episode, the show serves as both a form of entertainment and inspiration for all who tune in.
Beloved by home cooks across the country, if you’re like us, you’ve probably found yourself dreaming of what it would be like to have access to the MasterChef Australia kitchen.
While it may seem like an impressive set-up, you’d be surprised that the filming location for the series doesn’t look like it does on your screens all year round.
Not only that, but the show hasn’t always been in Melbourne.
Find out more about it below.
Where is MasterChef Australia filmed?
MasterChef Australia is currently filmed in a purpose-built studio at the Melbourne Showgrounds in Flemington. Meghan Markle was also spotted filming a guest appearance at the famous kitchen!
However, the first four seasons were filmed in Alexandria in Sydney, and were also where Junior MasterChef, Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef All-Stars were filmed before 2013.
The Ten Network told the Sydney Morning Herald that the sale of the Sydney kitchen prompted the move.
“After four incredible seasons based in Sydney, MasterChef Australia is spreading its culinary wings and heading south to the home of Australian food culture – Melbourne,” a statement from the network said at the time.
The show also conducted its auditions and challenges in Melbourne for the 2012 season before the major move.
“The Melbourne Showgrounds offers an exciting opportunity to create a new environment for MasterChef Australia, with a new kitchen, new challenges and new locations in Victoria’s acclaimed food and wine regions,” Network Ten’s former Chief Programming Officer, David Mott, told the publication.
So, where exactly in Melbourne is the show’s famous kitchen?
Specifically, the beloved reality cooking competition is filmed inside the Centenary Hall, which was built in 1934.
The heritage-listed building previously accommodated displays of farm and dairy produce, and district exhibits during the annual Royal Melbourne Show.
As well as MasterChef Australia, Channel Nine’s Lego Masters and Channel Seven’s Thank God You’re Here have also been filmed there.
The Sydney Morning Herald previously reported that Centenary Hall is “soundproofed and air-conditioned” and houses a “fully functional commercial kitchen, boucherie, herb garden, locker garden, wine reception area, 120-seat restaurant, and pantry” – making it the perfect venue to film MasterChef.
Where do contestants stay when they go on MasterChef Australia?
Because the show is filmed in Melbourne, contestants stay in serviced apartment accommodation.
An anonymous source previously told Refinery 29 Australia that contestants had their own bedrooms in units, and two people generally shared an apartment.
The smaller apartments were introduced in 2020 to ensure things could go ahead safely in the pandemic and have stayed in place ever since. Before this, hopeful cooks stayed in a multi-million-dollar mansion in Canterbury.
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