Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha Auditorium hire charges and terms and conditions

The Auditorium at Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha is available to hire for horticultural and art and craft shows and exhibitions. Parties, wedding receptions, or similar functions are not permitted.

The hiring party must adhere to the following terms and conditions. Failure to do so may lead to automatic cancellation of subsequent bookings and our refusal to accept further bookings.

Hire charges

Booking fees for the 2024-25 financial year are included in the table. All prices quote include goods and services tax (GST).

The minimum hire period is four hours (half day or evening hire). Evening hire bookings must cease no later than 10pm.

All events must end within the 'paid for' hire period. Any time past this allocated period will result in additional charges being incurred (including multiple day hire). If you wish to use the Auditorium outside the full day hire hours of 8am-5pm, an additional half day or event hire fee will be charged.

The set-up and pack-up of displays, seating and equipment must be done within the 'paid for' hire period by the hiring party.

Bonds and key collection

The Auditorium key will be available from Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha Visitor Information Centre on the business day before your booking. Collection hours are Monday to Friday from 9.30am-3.30pm. 

The bonds ($300 total) are payable at the time of key collection and are payable by credit card. The bonds will be processed as a pre-authorisation hold (no actual funds are debited from the account). The hold will be released after 10 business days if the Auditorium has been left clean, tidy and undamaged, and the key has been returned.

The key can be returned to the Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha Administration during business hours, or it can be left in the after hours key drop box near the front of the Auditorium. The key must be returned no later than 10am on the next business day after completion of your booking. Failure to return the key by this time, or loss of the key, will result in forfeiture of the key bond.

The hirer is responsible for the cleaning of the Auditorium during and after the event. Failure to leave the Auditorium in a clean and tidy condition will result in forfeiture of the security bond.

Insurance - show and exhibition hirers

The hiring party is responsible/liable for any accident or injury caused by actions of the hirer during the hire period. Public liability insurance cover to the value of $20 million is the responsibility of the hirer.

The hiring party is required to provide Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha with a copy of their current $20 million insurance cover prior to the booked event occurring. Failure to comply will result in the cancellation of the hiring party's booking.

Items that are left within the Auditorium are done at the hirer's own risk. Brisbane City Council is not liable for missing items at any time throughout the event.

All personal property and display items must be removed at the end of the hire period. Council is not responsible for property left within the Auditorium after the hire period has ended.

Bookings and cancellations

Bookings for the Auditorium will not be available more than twelve months in advance and preferred dates must be in writing. The earliest date for forward booking will be the January of the preceding year.

Booking dates received by a hiring party in a previous year do not indicate that such dates will be available to the hiring party in following years.

In the event of preferred dates being unavailable, it may be possible for relevant hiring parties to come to a mutually acceptable agreement, however Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha will not negotiate between hiring parties.

Cancellation of bookings will only be accepted six months prior to the event. Any cancellations after this time will result in the hiring party still being charged for the entire booking period. Refusal to pay due booking fees will lead to an automatic cancellation of subsequent bookings.

Cancellations are to be submitted to the Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha Administration in writing.

Plant sales and displays - fire ants

Council will not allow the hire of the Auditorium for the sale and display of fire ant carriers which may include (but not limited to) potted plants, soil, potting mix or mulch, where such products originate from a fire ant biosecurity zone, unless the society or hirer can demonstrate they have met the conditions of the Biosecurity Regulation 2016 for moving a fire ant carrier, or have been issued with a biosecurity instrument permit (BIP). For information, visit the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries website.

Undercover areas

Front undercover area (education space)

The undercover area at the front of the Auditorium, and in front of the Education Centre, is not automatically part of the bookable area of the Auditorium. While potentially part of the designated bookable area, during weekdays this space is used by schools booked in with the Botanic Gardens Education team and access is dependent on that program's bookings. As such, the following restrictions are in place for the use of this space.

• The hiring party is to indicate an Auditorium booking from if this undercover area will be required as part of their booking.
• Access to the undercover area is permitted on weekdays from 3pm. If earlier access is required on a weekday, the hiring party is to confirm with Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha Administration no more than two weeks before booking if earlier access is available.
• Authorised use of this undercover area is permitted on weekends, unless the area is required for Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha educational activities. In such instances, hiring parties will be advised.
• Access to the Education Centre door and the single side gate entry into the undercover area must be available at all times and cannot be blocked by equipment, furniture or plants.
• The hiring party cannot attach their own locks to the doors and gates to the undercover area unless Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha staff are provided with keys.
• If access is required at other times, the hiring party is to enquire with Brisbane Botanic Gardens Administration staff who will confirm what access is available.

Rear undercover area

The undercover area at the back of the Auditorium (where the tables and chairs are stored) is part of the designated bookable area of the Auditorium and available to hirers during the booking period.

Furniture and equipment

Setting out of chairs and tables, and replacing them into the storage area, is the responsibility of the hiring party.

Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha will not loan or hire any equipment (i.e. ladders, ropes, tools, extension cords, audio-visual equipment and power boards), other than the equipment, furniture and items provided at the Auditorium.

Settings for microphone (contained in the small cupboard at the far end of the Auditorium) have been set by Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha staff for optimal use, so are not to be changed at any time. The lectern microphone is not to be detached from the lectern itself at any stage.

Auditorium dividing doors are only to be operated by Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha staff.

Cleaning

The Auditorium and kitchen, including all surfaces and floors, must be left in a clean and tidy condition at the end of the hire period.

Any boxes, packaging materials, or similar must be removed by the hiring party and not placed in Council bins.

All rubbish generated must be removed from the Auditorium and deposited in the wheelie bins available in the rear undercover area.

All provided tables and chairs used for an event are to be wiped down and cleaned prior to being returned to the storage area. Chairs are to be stacked in columns of 10, with the provided covers placed over them.

Any items stored by the hiring party in the kitchen, including the fridge/freezer and kitchen drawers/cupboards, are to be removed at the end of the hire period.

If the dishwasher is used, it must be emptied prior to leaving the Auditorium.

Toilet doors and access

The toilets located in the corridor of the Auditorium (doors opening onto the paved pond area) are for both public and Auditorium patrons use. At no stage are the doors onto the paved pond area to be locked or blocked, inhibiting use of the toilets by the public. This entrance is a fire exit and must remain clear and unblocked at all times.

Damage to the Auditorium

Any damage caused by the hiring party to the Auditorium, its fixtures (including air-conditioning, curtains, lighting) and furniture (including tables and chairs), or to the Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha plant collections, garden beds, lawns, buildings or other infrastructure, will result in the repair cost being passed onto the hiring party.

Signage and publicity material

Publicity banners must only be attached to the banner poles or fencing allocated for this purpose. Attaching banners to any non-allocated surfaces is not permitted. Council reserves the right to remove any unapproved signage.

Posters, flyers, or similar signage must not be affixed to Auditorium surfaces or fixtures, and the use of nails, screws, blue-tac, sticky tape, or any other fastener to walls, ceilings, floors, curtains, fences, pergolas, and light fittings is not permitted.

If hiring parties wish to display publicity material in the lockable noticeboard within the Auditorium, materials are to be submitted to Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha Administration.

Parking

Vehicles must park in the public car park. 

Loading zones and grassed areas must be kept clear for vehicles delivering and collecting goods only.

Entrance to the Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha Maintenance Depot must be kept clear at all times.

Disabled parking zones are to be used only by vehicles with the official permit displayed clearly.

Parking must not occur in, or in front of, no standing areas.

Private vehicles are not permitted within the Brisbane Botanic Gardens mt Coot-tha Maintenance Depot area, other than to deliver goods to the rear of the Auditorium. Parking within this area is strictly prohibited unless prior approval has been given by the Gardens to the hiring party. Any request for parking permission is to be submitted in writing to the Gardens Administration.

Alcohol

All hirers must comply strictly with the Liquor Act 1992 (Qld), and if an event is required to be licenced, then the event shall not proceed without the hiring party obtaining such a licence and disclosing it to the Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha. It is the responsibility of the hiring party to apply and obtain for the correct liquor licensing. For more information, read our Liquor Licence proposals page.

The sale of alcohol is not permitted in the Auditorium and for the consumption of alcohol, entry must be free.

In the case of approved not-for-profit fundraising activities in Council parks, the proceeds from the sale of alcohol are to be donated to a recognised charity or non-commercial community organisation. Copy of a receipt or other evidence of the donation is to be provided to Council within 15 working days after the conclusion of the activity or event.

Alcohol is to be provided in cans or plastic drink containers only, preferably recyclable. No glasses or bottles are allowed.

After hours

For any issues during the booked period that occur after business hours, the hiring party is to contact the Brisbane Botanic Gardens after hours Parks Duty Officer on 07 3403 8888.

General

Hiring parties are to adhere to the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 at all times.

Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha does not set fees and charges. They are controlled by Council and may vary each financial year.

Terms and conditions are subject to change. Hiring parties are to ensure that all members are aware of current conditions, as conditions may have changed from previous years.