A draft 20-year vision for Mount Coot-tha has been unveiled by Brisbane City Council without a controversial zipline, Brisbane Times reported on Tuesday (3 November). Developed by Brisbane Sustainability Agency on behalf of the council, the Draft Mt Coot-tha Vision 2026-2046 has been prepared for community and stakeholder feedback, and its concept plans and artist impressions show possible future outcomes rather than final designs.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner stressed that while the plan was a first draft, he could guarantee there were no plans for a zipline, 7NEWS reported, referring to controversies over previous council proposals. "You won't see Mt Coot-tha turn into a theme park," he said.

The plan focuses on improving existing attractions, picnic spots and walking trails while investigating the rehabilitation of the existing quarry. The draft says it is "not a plan to reinvent Mt Coot-tha", and aims to carefully focus future opportunities within existing developed and operational areas.

The plan is expected to be finalised mid-2027, after which costing will occur. "That will allow us to systematically go through and map out projects that can be delivered and what they will cost," Schrinner said from the Mount Coot-tha lookout. "This is a 20-year plan, so it doesn't have to all be done at once, it can be done in an affordable way."

Summit and Botanic Gardens

Schrinner said the summit would be prioritised due to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games. The draft lists improvements to the Summit Lookout, Tropical Display Dome renewal, Planetarium upgrades, trail improvements and accessibility as priorities that respond directly to community feedback and can be planned for short-term delivery.

At the Summit, it proposes renewing the lookout platform through improved shade and seating, and delivering a new best-practice public amenities building. In the Botanic Gardens, it proposes revitalising the Tropical Display Dome and Cacti House and exploring a signature treetop walk.

A new Arrival Hub, located between the Botanic Gardens and future Quarry Parklands, could accommodate parking and connect with public transport, future shuttle services, walking and cycling routes, the draft says.

Quarry Parklands

The Mt Coot-tha Quarry has supported Brisbane's growth for more than a century and remains an important operational asset, according to the draft. As quarrying approaches its final stages, it says, the 26-hectare industrial site presents a rare opportunity to create a significant new parkland. 7NEWS reported the long-term plan would transform the quarry into new parkland with adventure activities, cafes and a swimmable lake.

The draft says future uses will be subject to rehabilitation requirements, technical investigations, environmental constraints, funding availability and future approvals.

Network Sites

The Nine and Seven TV studios on the mountain are currently listed for sale. The draft says the network sites are privately owned or subject to long-term lease arrangements, and that future uses could include complementary cultural, recreational, educational, wellness or tourism uses that make use of existing developed footprints.

Schrinner said residential development of these sites would not occur. "It's currently zoned for utility purposes, which covers the TV use, but we have envisaged for quite some time now that if it wasn't used for that, then there would be an ecotourism opportunity, such as function centre, visitors centre, potentially an eco hotel," he said.

Have Your Say

With more than 1,600 hectares of bushland, waterways and wildlife habitat, Mt Coot-tha is Brisbane's largest conservation reserve and attracts more than one million visitors each year, the draft says. More than 4,800 contributions through surveys, workshops, presentations, meetings and targeted engagement shaped the draft.

"The vision is very much focused on protecting what matters and what makes Mount Coot-tha special, renewing those assets and spaces," Brisbane Sustainability Agency CEO Tracy Melenewycz said.

Residents can share feedback through a 10-minute survey by 30 November on the Brisbane Sustainability Agency's Mt Coot-tha page. Pop-up stalls begin at Kenmore Village on Thursday (5 November), with sessions at Queen Street Mall on Wednesday 11, 18 and 25 November and at The Gap Village, Paddington Central and Toowong Village.

The council's Labor opposition leader, Jared Cassidy, called the plans unattainable and said Schrinner was focusing on the wrong issues. "Yes, we must do forward planning. But the lord mayor should get on with the crises facing Brisbane today," he said. Federal Greens MP for Ryan Elizabeth Watson-Brown has been leading a campaign to protect Mt Coot-tha from commercialisation and privatisation, 7NEWS reported.