A warehouse was demolished to make room for this one. 20-28 Cawley Road is an inner-suburban brownfield site in Yarraville, fronting the West Gate Freeway in the City of Maribyrnong, and Microsoft carved its 22,500 sq m development footprint out of a 130,000 sq m holding bought from Time and Place in 2021 for A$90 million. The planning documents lodged in March 2022 describe a two-storey hall of about 5,000 sq m with 1,200 sq m of ancillary office and 400 sq m of circulation, at a stated cost of A$150 million. Structural work began in October 2022 and the ground was broken ceremonially on 5 December 2022, the same day as Microsoft's two other Melbourne sites at Garden Drive and Woods Road. Building One was structurally complete by May 2023 and operational by February 2025, with Building Two topped out and in fit-out. AusNet Services supplies prime power through a substation inside the site boundary. The hall is specified to run at up to 35°C, which is why its estimated water requirement is only about 50,000 cubic metres.
Facility Specifications
Site information
Colocation space
5,000 m² (53,820 sq ft)
Request a Quote
Quote request for: Microsoft Cawley Road (MEL04) view facility
Location
Interactive map
Frequently asked questions
What stood on the site before the data centre?
A warehouse, demolished to clear the 22,500 sq m development footprint. Microsoft bought the wider 130,000 sq m holding from Time and Place in 2021 for A$90 million.
What did the City of Maribyrnong approve?
A two-storey hall of about 5,000 sq m with 1,200 sq m of ancillary office and 400 sq m of circulation at 20-28 Cawley Road, at a stated cost of A$150 million, lodged in March 2022.
Which utility supplies the site?
AusNet Services provides prime power through a substation built inside the site boundary, backed by on-site generators. A maintenance outage on 24 and 25 June 2026 ran the buildings on that backup plant.
How many buildings stand there?
Two. Building One was complete and operational by February 2025; Building Two was structurally complete with fit-out and landscaping continuing.
Why is the water requirement so low?
The hall is designed to run at temperatures up to 35°C, and the planning documents estimated a requirement of about 50,000 cubic metres, mostly for cooling.
Which contractors built it?
Kapitol Group and BESIX Watpac, with Aurecon, ERM and Turner & Townsend on the professional team. Ground was broken on 5 December 2022 with a Wurundjeri Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony.
Other Colocation Data Centers in Melbourne, VIC, AU