Taking care of our parks and gardens

To keep the grass in every maintained park looking great, we follow a mowing (grass-cutting) schedule. These schedules are based on a seasonal frequency. Grass will typically be mowed more frequently during the warmer months (peak season - summer and spring), when a lot of growth occurs and mowed less during the cooler months (off season - autumn and winter) when the grass growth is much slower.

Our high-profile parks (classified as Sunshine Coast Wide and District Parks) attract more visitors and tourists. These parks are typically serviced on a weekly to fortnightly schedule in the peak summer growth period.

Rainfall and damp ground conditions can impact our mowing schedules. While we welcome the rain over the summer period, we also welcome sunny days that help dry out the ground and allow our machinery to access sites so we can mow them.

In periods of significant rainfall, or extended periods of dry weather, these schedules will be amended to suit the local conditions, while ensuring our staff and contractors are working in safe environments and our beloved parks are not damaged in the process.

We do not use catchers on mowers. This means when the grass is mowed, the grass clippings are mulched and left on the ground to decompose, which returns nutrients to the soil and reduces water usage. Additionally, removing and disposing of grass clippings adds to the cost of maintenance.

If there has been no significant rain and conditions become dry, grass may be mowed less frequently for the following reasons:

• The grass will become dormant due to stress. If the grass appears brown and lifeless it will respond once it receives rain again.
• Mowing while the environment is dry, compact and dusty is likely to cause a lot of unpleasant dust, disrupt nearby residents and cause potential health and safety issues.
• Dust patches can form if mowing occurs frequently during dry conditions. Once a dry dirt patch forms, it is difficult for grass to continue to grow.

Unfortunately, during dry conditions weeds and seed heads can grow faster, creating an untidy appearance, while the grass surface remains short.

Our dry season typically coincides with our fire season. If the Queensland Fire Department (QFD) announces a critical fire risk, this will impact the use of any equipment used to maintain our open spaces. In this case, we will delay mowing schedules until the critical fire risk has been removed by the QFD.  

As soon as site conditions improve, our resources will return to the mowing schedule.

If there has been significant rainfall, it becomes challenging to safely mow our open spaces. If our summers are wet, these periods are usually accompanied with lightning events, as well as hot and humid temperatures.

This combination of weather typically results in the grass growing at faster rates than normal. In some instances, the grass can grow so quickly that only a few days after mowing, it can appear to be untidy and give the appearance that it has not been mown. This creates extremely challenging conditions for our staff and contractors to keep our open spaces continually tidy and fit for use.  

If you notice a greenspace in your local area that is overgrown, chances are it is due to recent or current wet weather conditions. We must wait for the ground to dry before it can be mowed again. If our mowing teams starts too early, the following is likely to occur:

• The machine used to mow the grass is heavy and the weight of the machine (>750kg) will likely create ruts and damage the park surface.
• If the grass is too wet, it does not cut well and may not disperse.
• We may be at risk of our staff and contractors placing themselves in unsafe conditions.

Please be reassured that Council is aware these parks need mowing. They are on a schedule which we regularly monitor. As soon as sites are dry enough to mow, we will return to the scheduled mowing.  

In some cases the operators servicing the parks will mow the parts that are dry enough and leave the sections that are too wet.  This may result in the sites that have not been mown to become very long over a period.  Unfortunately, there is little we can do when sites are inundated with water and cannot be accessed.

In these situations, we will place signs up to keep our community informed.

If you notice a park or green space in your local area that is overgrown or needs attention, it is most likely caused by recent or current weather conditions. Please be patient and be assured that providing free, green, active and accessible open spaces is at the forefront of what we do.

When requests for mowing are made, we will continue to prioritise our mowing schedule as required.

Thank you for your understanding and patience, knowing that Council officers are continuing to work through our schedule as programmed.

To make a request, contact Council. 

• Sunshine Coast Council maintains more than 933 hectares of grass across our region.
• Every mowing cycle we undertake is equivalent to around 933 NRL fields.
• During the peak season (typically November to April), we will mow more than 3,512 sites about every two weeks.  Some high use areas will be maintained more frequently.
• During the dormant season (May to October) we mow every three to six weeks. For the month of July, limited mowing typically occurs due to minimal grass growth.
• Our mowing equipment ranges from:
  • small ride-on mowers
  • commercial grade ride-on mowers
  • remote controlled mowers for sites with slopes and other sites that may be difficult for traditional commercial mowers.
• We use commercially safe and compliant contractors sourced through an open tender process. If you would like more information or wish to be included in future tender invitations, please register via the Qtender website.

• Sunshine Coast Council mows and landscapes more than 1,389 hectares each year.
• Each year we mulch and compost approximately 5,400m3 from collected green waste.
• In 2023 we planted 2,697 street trees across the region.
• More than 80 per cent of our turf maintenance is delivered through contractors.
• 34 per cent of Council’s maintenance machinery servicing our parks and gardens is electric.
• We supply free trees each year for our ratepayers. Find out how to obtain a free tree on Council’s website.

In 2018 Sunshine Coast Council approved installing a Hydrawise Smart Irrigation system at several parks and streetscapes across our region. Sunshine Coast Council was the first council in Australia to procure and implement a cloud-based smart irrigation system. Over time, our aim is to ensure all irrigated sites are being managed through Smart Irrigation technology on a single platform saving time, resources and reducing costs.

Smart irrigation plays an important role in the environmental health, sustainability and visual appeal of parks and open spaces. One of the greatest advantages of a smart irrigation system is its ability to save water. We make significant savings each year due to our smart irrigation system.

There are 12 community gardens across our region. Community gardens are a great way to meet people, share gardening skills and grow your own food. Get involved!

The volunteer program offers all residents and their family and friends the opportunity to become a steward of local parks in your neighbourhood, including our community gardens. Volunteer activities may include (but are not limited to):

• Revegetation works
• litter collection
• general cleaning
• gardening duties
• mowing and
• edging works.

For more information, visit the Parks and gardens community volunteer program website. 

If you are a student in high school and you love the outdoors and have a keen interest in caring for trees, parks and gardens, why not apply for Council’s five-day work experience program? The program is open to students in Years 10, 11 and 12 looking to obtain on-the-job skills and experience in a parks and gardens operational environment. The program incorporates six key career fields, including:

• horticulture
• arboriculture
• turf and irrigation
• nursery operations
• infrastructure maintenance
• administration.

As well as developing technical skills, transferable skills such as communication, teamwork and an understanding how the Parks and Gardens Branch operates will be demonstrated within the week. Students will also receive a certificate of completion at the end of the five day program.

For more information check out the Work Experience and Career Program video, or visit the careers page on Council’s website to apply. Download the brochure.

Check out our current job vacancies on Council’s website. If you’re looking for a great workplace with an amazing lifestyle, where our community-focused workforce thrives in a vibrant, fast-growing region, please consider a career with Sunshine Coast Council today.

Delays can occur after periods of rain when the ground is saturated. Mowing wet grass can damage the soil and the grass itself. To maintain the health of the grass and prevent long-term damage, our operators are instructed to minimise the impact of mowing equipment by assessing the conditions prior to mowing. This may result in delays to mowing the park.

The weight of commercial mowers (>750kg) can cause wheel ruts and damage to our parks, especially in wet conditions. To prevent this type of damage, mowing operators will not mow the grass when it is too wet.  Should this type of damage inadvertently occur, the responsible team will be required to repair the damage.

Parks can stay wet for days or even weeks. The weight of commercial mowers can still cause wheel ruts and damage to our parks despite the surface appearing to be dry under foot. In addition to this, our schedules become very backed up after periods of rain and we work to ensure the missed areas are maintained in a timely manner, without neglecting the parks that are due for their scheduled service. Staff and contractors will endeavour to return to site as soon as they can and is safe to do so.

Grass clippings are mulched and left on the ground to decompose, which returns nutrients to the soil and reduces water usage. Additionally, removing and disposing of grass clippings adds to the cost of maintenance which would result in the loss of valuable services elsewhere. During accelerated growth periods there may be excessive grass clippings left after mowing.

In many cases, overuse of herbicides and reliance can result in more weed infestations and harm the environment, therefore reducing herbicide usage is our aim. Instead of relying on herbicides, we take other preventative actions such as consistent mowing scheduling during the peak growth period.

The cutting frequency for each location has been determined based on the Desired Standard of Service endorsed by Council which is supported by the Environment and Liveability Strategy. Each site and open space area is classified by its role and function. As an example, a Council-wide Sport or Precinct site which is continually used is to be serviced more regularly than a Streetscape, which may be used every now and again.

Different teams on occasion are responsible for mowing specific locations. Some sites are managed by contractors, some by road network crews and others by our internal parks and gardens staff. Each crew has specific skills, safety requirements, machinery and tools that meet the specific requirements of each site.

Road verges typically contain turf and/or gardens where the resident or property owner maintain all road verge areas surrounding their property. Council may commit to maintaining a road verge when there is a safety risk to the resident in carrying out maintenance, such as a very steep verge or road verges abutting the rear of properties where there is no immediate access. Council manages biopods and raingardens along with public reserves, medium strips and road edges, and Central Business Districts areas.