For more than a decade, viewers have watched contestants hustle around the iconic MasterChef Australia kitchen, but where exactly is it filmed?
Over the years, the famous kitchen has played host to hundreds of aspiring chefs, countless Mystery Box challenges and some seriously intense Pressure Tests. But despite being one of the most recognisable sets on Australian television, many fans have no idea where it’s actually located.
To find out more about where the show is filmed, as well as some more juicy behind the scenes tidbits about cooking in the MasterChef kitchen, read on.
Where is MasterChef Australia filmed?
Unlike most reality TV sets, which are set in Sydney, the MasterChef kitchen is actually in Melbourne and is a purpose-built studio at the Melbourne Showgrounds in Flemington.
“MasterChef is filmed in Melbourne. The kitchen is housed in the heritage-listed Centenary Hall at the Melbourne Showgrounds, located in Ascot Vale,” Juan De La Cruz, who competed on the 2024 season, told Chattr.
The location has been used on the show for years, and it was confirmed that MasterChef Australia 2026 was filmed there after Meghan Markle was spotted entering the studio to film her cameo as a guest judge on the show.
But, MasterChef hasn’t always been filmed in Melbourne. The first four seasons — as well as Junior MasterChef, Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef All-Stars — were all filmed in Alexandria in Sydney, up until the kitchen was sold in 2012, which is when the filming location switched states.
What is the MasterChef Australia kitchen like?
In an interview with Chattr, MasterChef Australia 2026 contestant Hannah Johnson revealed that cooking in the MasterChef kitchen is nothing like cooking a relaxed family dinner at home.
“It’s not like normal cooking. You don’t ever go in to a normal kitchen and have people yelling at you ‘Five minutes to go’ and have to run to your pantry and run and get equipment,” she explained.
“I get a lot of adrenaline after the cook, as soon as it finishes, my body is just filled with adrenaline, but it’s actually so inspiring at the same time, and so amazing to be able to like push yourself as much as you can and try and get better as fast as you can.”
Hannah said that having the opportunity to use top-of-the-line cooking equipment and appliances, and having instant access to whatever ingredient is needed, is an incredible experience for MasterChef contestants.
“All the appliances, I love being able to play with all the things. I do tend to have quite a lot of gadgets, and like your ice cream makers, any pressure cookers, and all those sorts of things and the pantry is very well stocked. It’s got all these incredible ingredients, and you’re not on a budget like you would be if you’re shopping for your family, so it’s like, I’m just gonna grab this. I would never have the chance to grab as many expensive ingredients,” she said.
“And then the plate wall — the first time I saw the plate wall I was like, oh, I’m drooling, to have just all these different plates and jugs, it was really cool. So the options are pretty amazing, where you get to pick from all the different things, and yeah, it’s pretty cool to have nearly anything you could want in a kitchen.”
Are there multiple MasterChef Australia filming locations?
There are! While the majority of the MasterChef Australia episodes are filmed on set in the Flemington kitchen, some are filmed on location.
In the past, there have been Service Challenge episodes at Queen Victoria Market, Asian street-food hall HWKR food centre, upscale Melbourne restaurant Society, Sydney pub Squire’s Landing, and outdoors at St Kilda Beach.
In recent seasons, the MasterChef Australia contestants have been going on overseas trips and filming a batch of international episodes. Those locations have included Hong Kong in MasterChef 2024, and in 2025 the top 8 went to Doha, Qatar.
Where do MasterChef Australia contestants stay?
Contestants don’t stay at the actual MasterChef Australia kitchen, but they’re not far from the action. Juan told Chattr the cast is housed just a short drive away.
“When we recorded Season 16, we stayed at serviced apartments in Docklands, where we had a shared common space between two contestants. Each one had a room and bathroom but we shared one kitchen with a living room. I was roomies with Johnathan and when he left, Darrsh moved with me.
“It gives us enough privacy to have our own space and also the social side of it, sharing common spaces. We also had a rooftop where we would get together to cook BBQs and share our practice dishes with the rest of the contestants.”
He explained that the contestants would get shuttled over to the filming location together before the cameras started rolling.
“A small bus would pick us up every morning with the friendliest drivers and it would take 20 minutes to get there.”
MasterChef Australia 2026 airs Sunday – Thursday on Channel 10 and 10Play.
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