Council & Public Events · Brisbane Region

Working With Moreton Bay Regional Council

Redcliffe Jetty is iconic. It's the historic heart of the Moreton Bay beachfront—timber pylons, saltwater character, and genuine connection to the region's maritime heritage. During the day, it's stunning. At night, it disappeared into darkness. The council realized they were wasting an asset: the jetty could be an evening destination, not just a daytime attraction. When we were brought in to light the Redcliffe Jetty, the challenge was respecting heritage while creating contemporary function. The jetty is heritage-listed, which meant no permanent structural modifications. Every fixture had to be temporary or reversible. And the lighting had to enhance the jetty's character, not fight it or try to contemporize it. We started by understanding the jetty's geometry. It's approximately 150 metres long, extends into the bay, and is built on timber pilings. The structure itself is the story—we just needed to make sure people could see it and enjoy it at night. We designed a system using underwater and piling-mounted LED fixtures: subtle uplighting on the pilings to create silhouettes against the water, warm accent lighting on the main deck structure, and distributed pathway lighting so people could navigate safely from shore to the end. The colour palette was restricted: warm ambers and deep warm whites only. We didn't want modern colour effects competing with the heritage character. The lighting needed to support the jetty's identity, not create a new one. Installation was complex because of the heritage status. Every fixture had to be mounted in a way that didn't permanently alter the structure. We worked with heritage consultants to ensure our methodology met their requirements. It took longer than a conventional installation, but the result was a jetty that could be enjoyed as a heritage asset both day and night, with zero permanent alterations. The impact was immediate. The jetty went from a daytime-only location to a genuine evening destination. Families walked the length at sunset. Couples came for the views and stayed for the light. Local photographers discovered new compositions. The council realized they'd transformed a heritage asset simply by making it visible at night. By November, the jetty had become a must-see stop for visitors to Redcliffe. Restaurants and cafes along the foreshore reported longer lingering times—people were staying in the precinct into the evening specifically to visit the lit jetty. The economic spillover effect was significant. The council expanded the project to other heritage structures around the foreshore. They realized that architectural lighting could be a powerful tool for activating and celebrating the regions's heritage character. By spring, they'd implemented similar systems on three other heritage buildings. The real lesson: heritage assets often go underutilized simply because they're not accessible at night. Good architectural lighting can change that economics fundamentally, turning daytime-only assets into 24-hour destinations. The lighting has to respect the heritage character—you're not creating a new statement, you're revealing the story that's already there.