Walking Through Light and Country: NightGlow Takes Over Mt Coot-tha

Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha has opened its gates after hours for Botanic by Night: NightGlow, transforming an 800-metre walking circuit into a night-time exhibition of First Nations art, traditional lantern craftsmanship, and ecological design.

The ticketed installation takes a quiet, site-specific approach to illuminated art, trading sensory overload for diffused light and cultural storytelling across the gardens' subtropical footprint.

A Meeting of Traditions: From Minjerribah to Dubbo and Sichuan

At the centre of the experience is an artistic exchange between two contemporary First Nations creators whose visual languages give each illuminated beast its character.

Casey Coolwell-Fisher, a Quandamooka Nunukul artist from Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island), and Nathan Peckham, a Tubba-gah Wiradjuri artist who is based in Dubbo and runs Yurana Creative, collaborated on the exterior surface patterns across the works. A prime example sits in the event's koala installation: originally developed by Peckham for Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, the piece was refashioned with Coolwell-Fisher’s own totem patterns specifically for this Brisbane showing. The result is a direct cultural bridge between Wiradjuri and Quandamooka traditions right in Meanjin.

Bringing those designs from flat concept to towering sculptural form involved a cross-continental handover. Sydney-based design collective Ample Projects partnered with lantern artisans based in Zigong, Sichuan province. Known as China’s lantern capital, Zigong has a long tradition of silk and steel lantern craft.

City Parklands says the staging received cultural approval from local Aboriginal elder Nurri Theresa Jackey-Williams. An atmospheric soundscape draws on the low cadence of the yidaki (didgeridoo), echoing along the route.

Low-Impact by Design: Keeping the Canopy Dark

Staging a ticketed evening event inside a 56-hectare botanical reserve home to more than 200,000 living specimens demanded strict environmental parameters. Organisers routed the 800-metre paved trail along existing visitor tracks on the Queensland Conservation Trail and Gardens Explorer Trail, keeping foot traffic clear of sensitive living plant collections.

The technical setup was engineered around strict conservation measures:

• Warmer, Contained Tones: Sculptures run on low-blue LEDs calibrated between 2200K and 2700K, diffused inside fabric skins so light glows softly rather than piercing the tree canopy or generating skyglow.
• Quiet Acoustic Footprint: The soundtrack deliberately omits recorded wildlife cries to avoid disturbing nocturnal animals in the surrounding scrub.
• Local Wildlife Heroes: The installation features bespoke sculptures built for this Brisbane debut, including the ibis and the green tree frog, two familiar regional staples.

The Mid-Trail Pit Stop

Mid-route, at the Mt Coot-tha Amphitheatre, ticket holders can access an open-air food precinct before completing the walk:

• Brazzo Boys: Brazilian barbecue.
• Best of the Wurst: Classic German street fare, from bratwurst to currywurst.
• The Feel Good Foodie: Dedicated 100% gluten-free savoury dishes.
• Oh Waffles: Scandinavian-style waffles and pancakes, with lemonade.
• Di Pui Tiramisu: Tiramisu stationed near the end of the route.

The Essentials

• Getting There: Parking along Sir Samuel Griffith Drive is limited. A complimentary, accessible shuttle runs on a regular loop between the Legacy Way carpark and the Botanic Gardens entrance for ticketholders.
• Trail Accessibility: The 800-metre route is fully paved and navigable for prams, wheelchairs, and visitors requiring gentle gradients.
• Ticketing & Times: Tickets are booked through the official Botanic by Night website, botanicbynight.com.au. General admission (13 and over) is $30, and children aged 3 to 12 are $15. Brisbane LGA residents pay $25 and $12.50.
• Dates & Location: Runs until Saturday 10 October 2026, at 152 Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong.