Visitor centre to be constructed at Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens

Construction of a new Biodiversity Visitor Centre is being planned for the Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens, adding to the city’s tourism assets and expanding the appeal of the popular location.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate notes “everyone loves our green and open space and the botanic gardens is the beacon of our green space.

“We have more than 2300 parks and thousands of hectares of additional open space. The gardens attract over 200,000 visitors annually and provide a tranquil space to relax, learn about nature and enjoy the flora and fauna.

“The Friends of the Botanic Gardens is a vibrant organisation of volunteers that provide enormous love and care of the gardens, in partnership with City officers.’’

The visitor centre will include:

• Exhibition & Display Space

• Café

• Retail

• Multi-function Space

• Feature landscapes

The project is expected to cost in the order of $10 million when completed.

Mayor Tate added “Council has voted to provide a further $1 million (over two years) to this project to undertake detailed design and get this project construction ready.

“Once it is construction-ready, we will seek support from the State and Federal governments through various funding programs. This will reduce the impact on ratepayers and still provide a new tourism asset for our city.’’

The Biodiversity Visitor Centre will have a strong focus on education regarding the region’s biodiversity, the City’s environmental programs and services and creating a community hub where locals, tourists, students, volunteers and scientists can integrate and share knowledge. 

Image: Gold Coast botanical Gardens visitor centre concept