Council maintains a wide range of parks and reserves within our local government area and regularly receives requests to use or hire our reserves for private functions. 

No approvals are granted for exclusive use of our parks and reserves as access by the general public is to be available at all times. When planning for your private function (which may include the use of barbecues, undercover areas, or other reserve facilities) please be considerate of other users at all times.   

Some examples of private functions include: 

• Private ceremonies - includes weddings, christenings etc. Maximum time permitted for a private ceremony is two hours and we ask that you adhere to this timeframe. A fee applies to use a park or reserve for a private ceremony. 

  Please note - For the interests of all ceremony users Council understands that sometimes due to unforeseen circumstances activities may not run to schedule therefore  a buffer of 1 hour applies between ceremonies.  No back to back approvals will be issued.  Please be aware of this when making your enquiry via our web module.

• Private functions - includes activities organised by an individual, group, club, association or company such as Christmas parties, family reunions or group barbecues. There is no fee payable to hold a private function on a park or reserve, however it is strongly recommended that you apply to Council to notify of your proposed activity. This helps us to manage use of the space and avoid conflicting activities. 
• Functions at Sancrox Reserve - This reserve includes a tennis court (available to the general public - no bookings taken), barbecues, shelter and basic kitchen facilities (key to be obtained if using the kitchen.) You will need to submit an application to Council to use the reserve and kitchen. There is no fee payable.    * As a result of the recent flood events, Sancrox Reserve is CLOSED.  Sports field, tennis court, barbecues and kitchen facilities are unavailable. No reserve use bookings will be taken until further notice. Council apologises for any inconvenience.

Check the availability of a park or reserve 

You can check on the availability of a park or reserve by using Council's online event enquiry system. The system will show you which reserves are booked or available in a calendar schedule. To access the system, you will need to be using Internet explorer (8-10), Google Chrome or Firefox. The system does not work with i-devices.

Submit a venue query

What you should know:

• Decorations can be used providing they are immediately removed after the event.
• A low impact portable amplifier & microphone are permitted however the noise must be at a reasonable level and must not cause a nuisance or disturbance to other park users.
• Chairs are permitted (max 20) for wedding ceremonies.
• No structures are to be erected (small wedding arches are permitted).
• No jumping castles, amusement devices or vehicles are permitted on parks and reserves for private functions.
• The venue must be left in a clean and tidy condition at the completion of the event.

Approval process

Council will notify you of your approval in writing. The approval will outline conditions relating to your event and the use of the reserve.

Insurance requirements

Private ceremonies are covered under Council’s casual hirer’s insurance. Groups holding private functions are to provide their Certificate of Currency - Public Liability Insurance. These groups include:

•     incorporated bodies
•     sporting clubs
•     associations of any kind

This page was last updated on: 07 July 2021