The Brisbane Botanic Gardens at Mount Coot-tha in Toowong area is a great place to lose a day with the kids or lose the kids, whatever you fancy.
With about 52 hectare’s of gardens to explore it takes us around 45 minutes to an hour to get there from the North side of Brisbane, so if you go, get there a little early so you can take everything in and also not be rushed.
The Gardens are open every day and entry to the park is free, so take a picnic rug and some lunch.
The Botanic Gardens feature a multitude of different things to see and do, the last time we were there, there was a brass band playing for the afternoon and also a model photo shoot happening too, so always something to look at as well as the living museum of plant life that exists here.
The whole place has footpaths and walking tracks so it’s easy to get around with a stroller or pram too and also parking the car wasn’t a problem either.
The Japanese Gardens, Freedom Wall Monument, The Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, Guided Walks, Mini Bus Tours, Gardening Workshops, Photography Classes & lessons, Children’s Story Time, Afternoon Symphony’s, Arid Zone & Cactus House, 27 Hectare’s of Australian Native Plants, Bonsai House, Fern House, Fragrant Plant & Herb Garden, Hide n Seek Children’s Trail, Picnic Areas, Lakes, Botanical Function Centre & Café, Library, Queensland Herbarium, Plant Identification, Fruit Trees, Eucalypt Forest, Native Plants, Bromeliad’s, Fig Collection, African Plants, American Plants, Conifer’s, Totems, Wetlands, Toilets, Drinking Fountains, Lagoon & Bamboo Grove, Rainforests and the Tropical Display Dome is just a quick rundown of what located or happening in the Brisbane Botanical Gardens, so as I said previously, there is a lot of stuff to do and see in the Brisbane Botanic Gardens.
Brisbane’s first botanic gardens were established in 1855 on a riverside site which was set aside as a botanic reserve in 1828 when Brisbane was first settled all those years ago and is an integral part, now, of Brisbane’s colourful history.
The land that was used was initially supplied food for the early penal colony, then later, as a botanic garden, it trialed crops and other plants from around the world, suitable for growing in the subtropical climate’s of Queensland.
The Brisbane Botanic Gardens was officially opened in 1976 and the work to build these magnificent gardens at the foot of mountain began in 1970 and over the years has evolved into the garden and park it is today.
The Brisbane City Council decided to establish new botanic gardens after eight major floods swept though the City Botanic Gardens between 1870 and 1974 and so, this open area on the east slopes of Mount Coot-tha was selected as a suitable flood free site so they wouldn’t have that trouble again.
So after writing this, as we haven’t been there for a while, we might head back, as the kids get older they get more out of what the park has to offer too, so enjoy and remember to plan for a whole day!
Park Name ::
Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mount Coot-tha
Address ::
Mt Coot-tha Road
Toowong QLD 4066
Opening Hours and Access ::
Entry to the gardens is free.
The Brisbane Botanic Gardens are open every day 8am to 5.30pm except closing at 5pm April to August.
Entry to the garden’s main car park is from Mt Coot-tha Road.
Disabled parking is available and access for the frail or the disabled is possible to most areas.
On weekdays, vehicles are permitted to drive through the gardens.
Gates are closed to vehicle access at 4pm and on weekends and public holidays.