Vanessa's Place - TAC's tiny home a beacon of safety at festivals - TAC

Published date: 16 Feb 2026

The TAC is proud to roll out Vanessa’s Place, a bold new road safety initiative designed to connect with young Victorians at the heart of their social lives: music festivals and events.

Building on the legacy of the iconic Vanessa Bus, Vanessa’s Place is a fully immersive tiny home experience that delivers life-saving road safety messages in a fun, relatable and unforgettable way. Inside the tiny home, festivalgoers will navigate an escape-room-style experience that explores the risks of drink and drug driving, fatigue, and speeding. A hidden room behind the fridge door adds a shareable moment to explore, while the front yard offers a chill-out zone with bean bags.

Research has shown that young drivers have higher crash risks due to still developing cognitive and perceptual skills, lack of driving experience and propensity to be over-confident, over-estimate their driving ability and to take risks.

The tiny home offers a range of educational and engaging features in a fun setting, including free breath testing, free toast with baked-in road safety messaging, and interactive game. Phone charging stations will also be available to encourage young people to visit and engage with road safety.

Vanessa’s Place has already attracted more than 7500 visitors at Spilt Milk and Beyond the Valley since launching in December last year, and was also featured at Laneway Festival in Melbourne this year. More than 2000 people have taken a breath test to check their alcohol levels, almost 2000 spins on the Hills Hoist game, and thousands of pieces of toast have been served, bringing road conversations to life.

With a warm, welcoming vibe and a clear message, “Get Home Sweet Home”, Vanessa’s Place is set to become a must-visit destination on the festival circuit. Head here for more information: vanessasplace.com.au

Quotes attributable to TAC, Head of Community, Hannah Meredith

“After more than a decade on the road, theTransport Accident Commission’s beloved Vanessa Bus has had a major glow up and has returned as Vanessa’s Place, a welcoming tiny home where the focus is good vibes, recharging and making safer choices on the road.”

“Choosing to be safe could mean planning a designated driver, organising a safe ride, separating drinking from driving, or making sure you’re rested before driving, all of which mean you and your mates get home sweet home.”