The Sunshine Coast’s largest live music venue is shutting down, with the owners saying they would need at least double the number of bookings to stay afloat.
The Station is the second live music business to close at the Birtinya site after NightQuarter shut down in 2022.
The Station, a 1,600-capacity venue, hosted live music, retail stores, a bar, food trucks and a skate park, which recently shut down.
Owners Chris and Lauren Hignett announced unexpectedly on Tuesday that the last show would be Pete Murray on Friday, January 2.
The Station owners Chris and Lauren Hignett (ABC News: Madeline Grace)
Mr and Mrs Hignett said they invested about $1 million into the venue before opening in March 2024 and lost another million trying to keep it afloat.
The couple also sold their family home to fund it, but said they would need a cash injection of another $500,000 to save the business.
Renowned Australian bands such as Temper Trap, The Rubens, San Cisco, Old Mervs and The Wombats played at The Station.
Multiple live music events that were booked for 2026, including the popular Australian band The Rions, would now be rescheduled, the couple said.
NightQuarter, the site’s former live music venture, operated between 2020 and 2022.
NightQuarter co-owner Michelle Christoe previously told the ABC the Birtinya entertainment precinct fell prey to slow economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, floods and the rising cost of living.
Dreams dashed
Mr and Mrs Hignett said that since opening, they had welcomed about 80,000 ticket holders into the venue, but the issue was not a lack of local support for shows.
Mr Hignett said they had one to three shows a month with about 65 per cent of tickets selling (650 to 700 tickets per show), which he said was above the national average of 55 per cent.
“But we need at least six of those shows per month,” he said.
“Our spend per head is down substantially, probably by about 30 per cent.”
The Station, formerly known as NightQuarter, reopened at Birtinya in March 2024. (ABC News: Madeline Grace)
He said tours dropped off from March 2025 for some “unknown reason”.
According to Mr Hignett, a lot of Australian band promoters were “risk-averse” and would rather sell out a smaller venue than sell just 65 per cent of a larger venue.
The couple said Team MusiCare, a charity for children with disabilities, would also close and that they would seek to reach an agreement with Stockland to end their lease.
In a statement, Stockland said it had worked with the owners to support the business and regretted the closure.
“We are exploring a range of opportunities for the site and will keep the community updated when we are able to do so,” a spokesperson said.
‘Perfect storm’ led to closure
While the Sunshine Coast draws tourists with its beaches and family atmosphere, it lacks the nightlife options of nearby larger cities Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Sunshine Coast singer-songwriter Andrea Kirwin played at the opening of The Station.
“It’s like a perfect storm,” she said.
“Alcohol prices have gone up, and you’ve got the economic climate that everyone is living in now with inflation.”
Nambour singer-songwriter Andrea Kirwin says the entertainment industry needs support to open in town (ABC Sunshine Coast: Meg Bolton )
Ms Kirwin said, despite a regular “core group” of fans at her shows, attracting bigger crowds was difficult.
Lenny Vance, who has more than 30 years’ experience studying tourism and events management and was the president of the Sunshine Coast Events Industry Association, said the closure would “leave a hole” in the local industry.
He said while Sunshine Coast locals may now have to travel to larger gigs, he was hopeful that the region’s boutique live music venues would continue to thrive.
“What is succeeding is the smaller local venues … places like The Lady Lane in Maleny, The Precinct up in Nambour, and the Junction at Noosa … we’re seeing local village-type places become more popular,” he said.
‘Optimistic for the future’
“I am optimistic about the future. I think that we are growing our own style and culture here,” Dr Vance said.
“Once the popularity of that grows, then the ability for a larger venue to succeed, I think, will come from that, then maybe that’s in planning and the timing of when the Olympic’s going to hit with 2032.”
Mr and Mrs Hignett said they invested about $2 million into the venue before and during its lifetime. (ABC News: Madeline Grace)
Dr Vance said the geographic spread of the Sunshine Coast was a challenge, but if locals wanted to see more live music venues succeed, they needed to support the acts.
“We have this sort of in-built stigma that nothing happens after 8pm on the Sunshine Coast,” he said.
“Get out there and enjoy yourselves. Support live music. Just go and have a good time.”