Business
27 June, 2025
Cafe lease shock
THE lease of the popular Botanic Gardens Restaurant and Café at Edge Hill is not being renewed at the end of the year by Cairns Regional Council – with the reason given to operator Kimmy Timms that it was expiring.
THE lease of the popular Botanic Gardens Restaurant and Café at Edge Hill is not being renewed at the end of the year by Cairns Regional Council – with the reason given to operator Kimmy Timms that it was expiring.
The decision has left Miss Timms, her staff and customers reeling in shock.
She has run the venue for the past 26 years and has worked there for 28 years.
“I’m absolutely gutted. It’s my livelihood. I don’t know what I am going to do, I just can’t shift the Botanic Gardens Restaurant and Café elsewhere,” Miss Timms said.
“I was sent a letter in February that they were not renewing the lease … basically your lease is up.
“I was hoping they would renew it after 26 years.
"They don’t appear to have any plans for the site so why don’t they just let me continue to trade until they do?”
Miss Timms said she had successfully run the business for a long time and had invested $300,000 on refurbishments and enhancements to improve the business and the facility.
The qualified chef, who initially worked as a waitress before taking on the lease, works seven days a week, from 2am-5.30pm.
She said it was popular with locals and also relied on the tourist season.
“We had a child birth here, we have had weddings, funerals, birthdays, club events, sporting and church groups.
“We had a fundraiser here 20 years ago to send some kids to the Oceania Games in New Zealand and raised $9000.”
In light of the lease ending, staffing levels are down to four, although on Mother’s Day 25 people were hired because it was their busiest day of the year.
The council is preparing a botanic gardens master plan.
The plan will guide the future of the site, including the café.
“The management of commercial leases is handled on a case-by-case basis and in accordance with the terms of each individual agreement,” a council spokesman said.
“(The) council is committed to continually enhancing public spaces like the Cairns Botanic Gardens to ensure they meet the evolving needs of our community, both now and into the future,” he said.
“To support this vision, a botanic gardens master plan will soon be released for community consultation. We welcome feedback from all sectors of the community and encourage everyone to share their thoughts.
“This plan will help shape the future direction of the gardens, guiding improvements and developments for years to come.”
Cr Anna Middleton, whose division 7 includes the gardens, said she understood and sympathised with Miss Timms but the ending of the lease was required as the complex entered a new phase.
She said a new master plan had to take into account the world class status of the gardens and the protection of valuable fauna.
Cr Middleton said the plan also covered the Red Arrow, the Tanks and through to nature play in Greenslopes St.
She said the toilets at the gardens also did not mean fully accessible standards.
Cr Middleton said if a new café or restaurant was included in the master plan depended on the results of community consultation.
Friedel Jaschok, 78, of Edge Hill and Heather Powers, 85, of Manoora have been regular customers for 26 years, having eggs benedict for breakfast every Tuesday.
Ms Jaschok said she could not understand the council’s reasoning.
“It’s a beautiful place, I am shocked they are ending the lease. What’s going here? Are they building something else?” she said.
The close friends said Miss Timms and the staff were like family.
“She is very kind hearted,” Ms Powers said.
Cliff Harrison and Mick Furness of Manunda have been weekly regulars every Sunday for the past five years.
“It’s appalling what the council is doing,” Mr Furness said.
“It’s a beautiful place, visitors love it, they rave about it. It’s like home cooking.”
Mr Harrison said the council’s treatment was poor.
“After 26 years it’s a shock,” he said.
Mr Harrison also worked two days a week for about six months to help Miss Timms out when she was having trouble getting staff.
“It’s a shame to see the place close down. Kimmy should be allowed to renew the lease,” he said. “She has poured her heart and soul into it. I don’t know how she does it.”
The Cairns Marlin Coast Probus Club threw their support behind Miss Timms by holding their regular morning tea at the café last week.
