Brisbane City Botanic Gardens
Encyclopedia
The City Botanic Gardens (formerly the Brisbane Botanic Gardens) is located on a point known as Gardens Point
on the Brisbane River
adjacent to the central business district
of the city of Brisbane
. The gardens area has frontages on both Alice Street
and George Street
.
The roughly triangular park is bordered by the Brisbane River on one side, and the grounds of Parliament House
and the Queensland University of Technology
's Gardens Point campus on another. The Alice Street frontage stretches from George Street (immediately opposite to Queensland Parliament House
) to Edward Street at the Brisbane River.
The Gardens include Brisbane's most mature gardens, with many rare and unusual botanic species. In particular the Gardens feature a special collection of cycad
s, palm
s, fig
s and bamboo
.
The Queensland Government Heritage Register describes the Gardens as "[T]he most significant, non-Aboriginal cultural landscape in Queensland, having a continuous horticultural history since 1828, without any significant loss of land area or change in use over that time. It remains the premier public park and recreational facility for the capital of Queensland, which role it has performed since the early 1840s."
, three years after the establishment of the European settlement
at nearby North Quay, Brisbane
. In 1855, a portion of the land was declared a 'Botanic Reserve' and Walter Hill
was appointed as curator, a position he held until 1881. Some of the older trees planted in the Gardens were the first of their species to be planted in Australia, due to Hill's experiments to acclimatise plants. The experiments served practical outcomes. Plants with potential commercial value were tested in the gardens, first to see if they were viable, to determine what they needed for growth and if a profit could be made.
The extant City Botanic Gardens was formed by the amalgamation of the original Botanic Gardens with the Domain (the southern side of Gardens Point) and Queen's Park in 1916, bringing its total area to around 20 hectares (Queen's Park comprised a 10 acre (4 ha) strip along Alice Street, which originally served as a park and a sporting field, where regular cricket and football
matches were held). The former curator's cottage built for J.F. Bailey, curator from 1905-1917, is now the City Gardens Cafe.
Due to the proximity to the river, the Botanic Gardens have been flooded nine times between 1870-2011. With many plants being washed away, the Brisbane City Council established a new botanic gardens
at Mount Coot-tha
.
The Gardens were also the home for over 100 years for 'Harriet', a tortoise reportedly collected by Charles Darwin
during his visit to the Galápagos Islands
in 1835 and donated to the Gardens in 1860 by John Clements Wickham
, former commander of the HMS Beagle
and later 'Government Resident' for Moreton Bay
. Harriet was named in honour of Harry Oakman
, curator of the Gardens from 1945 to 1962 and the creator of the (now disbanded) zoo at the Gardens.
The gardens are accessible by Alice Street, the Goodwill Bridge
and Brisbane City Council's ferries and CityCats at the Gardens Point and Eagle St wharves. The river frontage features a mangrove
boardwalk.
Points of interest in the gardens include:
As well as being a botanic gardens, the gardens have many other functions. Many office workers from the nearby business district use the gardens for reading and laying on grass in lunchtimes. It is a popular venue for weddings. A wedding can be seen nearly every weekend.
At the rear of the gardens is Brisbane River Stage
, in which many council concerts and big band names take place, as well as the annual Lord Mayor's Christmas Carols every Christmas. There are also guided walks, self-guided walks, picnic areas and a restaurant on the grounds of the botanic gardens.
Gardens Point, Brisbane
Gardens Point is a point on the northern bank of the Brisbane River. The Brisbane CBD extends northwards of the point.Located here are Queensland's Parliament House, the Gardens Point campus of the Queensland University of Technology, the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens and Queensland's Old...
on the Brisbane River
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River is the longest river in south east Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay. John Oxley was the first European to explore the river who named it after the Governor of New South Wales, Thomas Brisbane in 1823...
adjacent to the central business district
Brisbane central business district
The Brisbane central business district , sometimes referred to as the city, is a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and is located on a point on the northern bank of the Brisbane River. The triangular shaped area is bounded by the Brisbane River to the east, south and west...
of the city of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. The gardens area has frontages on both Alice Street
Alice Street, Brisbane
Alice Street is a central road in Brisbane, Australia. It is the most southern major road in the city's central business district, running parallel to the other female named streets in the city....
and George Street
George Street, Brisbane
George Street is a main street located in the Brisbane CBD in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. A major thoroughfare, George Street connects to the Queensland University of Technology as well as the state Botanical Gardens, to the commercial centre of Brisbane, Queen Street and Queen Street Mall.The...
.
The roughly triangular park is bordered by the Brisbane River on one side, and the grounds of Parliament House
Parliament House, Brisbane
Parliament House in Brisbane is the home of the Parliament of Queensland, housing the Legislative Assembly. It is situated on the corner of George Street and Alice Street...
and the Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology is an Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in Brisbane, it has 40,000 students, including 6,000 international students, over 4,000 staff members, and an annual budget of more than A$750 million.QUT is marketed as "A...
's Gardens Point campus on another. The Alice Street frontage stretches from George Street (immediately opposite to Queensland Parliament House
Parliament House, Brisbane
Parliament House in Brisbane is the home of the Parliament of Queensland, housing the Legislative Assembly. It is situated on the corner of George Street and Alice Street...
) to Edward Street at the Brisbane River.
The Gardens include Brisbane's most mature gardens, with many rare and unusual botanic species. In particular the Gardens feature a special collection of cycad
Cycad
Cycads are seed plants typically characterized by a stout and woody trunk with a crown of large, hard and stiff, evergreen leaves. They usually have pinnate leaves. The individual plants are either all male or all female . Cycads vary in size from having a trunk that is only a few centimeters...
s, palm
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
s, fig
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
s and bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
.
The Queensland Government Heritage Register describes the Gardens as "[T]he most significant, non-Aboriginal cultural landscape in Queensland, having a continuous horticultural history since 1828, without any significant loss of land area or change in use over that time. It remains the premier public park and recreational facility for the capital of Queensland, which role it has performed since the early 1840s."
History
The site was selected as a public garden in 1828 by the NSW Colonial Botanist Charles FraserCharles Fraser (botanist)
Charles Fraser or Frazer was Colonial Botanist of New South Wales from 1821 to 1831. He collected and catalogued numerous Australian plant species, and participated in a number of exploring expeditions...
, three years after the establishment of the European settlement
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
at nearby North Quay, Brisbane
North Quay
North Quay is an approved office development, consisting of three towers on the north side of Canary Wharf in London. The developer is Canary Wharf Group and the architect is Cesar Pelli.The heights of the towers will be:*Tower 1 - 221m - 40 floors...
. In 1855, a portion of the land was declared a 'Botanic Reserve' and Walter Hill
Walter Hill (garden curator)
Walter Hill was the first curator of the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens, located at Gardens Point, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.-Personal life:...
was appointed as curator, a position he held until 1881. Some of the older trees planted in the Gardens were the first of their species to be planted in Australia, due to Hill's experiments to acclimatise plants. The experiments served practical outcomes. Plants with potential commercial value were tested in the gardens, first to see if they were viable, to determine what they needed for growth and if a profit could be made.
The extant City Botanic Gardens was formed by the amalgamation of the original Botanic Gardens with the Domain (the southern side of Gardens Point) and Queen's Park in 1916, bringing its total area to around 20 hectares (Queen's Park comprised a 10 acre (4 ha) strip along Alice Street, which originally served as a park and a sporting field, where regular cricket and football
History of association football in Brisbane, Queensland
The first recorded regular games of Association Football in Brisbane were played in 1884, by a group comprising mostly Scottish immigrants, at the sportsfield behind the Pineapple Hotel, Kangaroo Point...
matches were held). The former curator's cottage built for J.F. Bailey, curator from 1905-1917, is now the City Gardens Cafe.
Due to the proximity to the river, the Botanic Gardens have been flooded nine times between 1870-2011. With many plants being washed away, the Brisbane City Council established a new botanic gardens
Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mount Coot-tha
The Brisbane Botanic Gardens are located 7 km from the city of Brisbane in Toowong, Queensland, Australia, at the foot of Brisbane's tallest mountain, Mount Coot-tha.-History:...
at Mount Coot-tha
Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mount Coot-tha
The Brisbane Botanic Gardens are located 7 km from the city of Brisbane in Toowong, Queensland, Australia, at the foot of Brisbane's tallest mountain, Mount Coot-tha.-History:...
.
The Gardens were also the home for over 100 years for 'Harriet', a tortoise reportedly collected by Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
during his visit to the Galápagos Islands
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...
in 1835 and donated to the Gardens in 1860 by John Clements Wickham
John Clements Wickham
John Clements Wickham was a naval officer, magistrate and administrator. He was a Lieutenant on HMS Beagle during her second survey mission from 1831 to 1836, which took the young naturalist Charles Darwin on what became the subject of his book, The Voyage of the Beagle...
, former commander of the HMS Beagle
HMS Beagle
HMS Beagle was a Cherokee-class 10-gun brig-sloop of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 11 May 1820 from the Woolwich Dockyard on the River Thames, at a cost of £7,803. In July of that year she took part in a fleet review celebrating the coronation of King George IV of the United Kingdom in which...
and later 'Government Resident' for Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay is a bay on the eastern coast of Australia 45 km from Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources...
. Harriet was named in honour of Harry Oakman
Harry Oakman
Henry Octave Cyril Vereecke , better known as Harry Oakman, was an Australian horticulturalist and writer. An immigrant from Belgium, Oakman wrote numerous illustrated books on gardening and, as a public landscaper, enjoyed enormous influence over the design of open spaces in Brisbane, Canberra,...
, curator of the Gardens from 1945 to 1962 and the creator of the (now disbanded) zoo at the Gardens.
Access
Goodwill Bridge, Brisbane
The Goodwill Bridge is a pedestrian and cyclist bridge which spans the Brisbane River in Brisbane Australia, linking the South Bank Parklands / Queensland Museum on the southside, to the Gardens Point Campus of the Queensland University of Technology on the northside.The Goodwill Bridge was opened...
and Brisbane City Council's ferries and CityCats at the Gardens Point and Eagle St wharves. The river frontage features a mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
boardwalk.
Points of interest
- the City Gardens Cafe (originally the curator's house)
- the Walter HillWalter Hill (garden curator)Walter Hill was the first curator of the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens, located at Gardens Point, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.-Personal life:...
Fountain - Gardens Cycle Hire station at Albert Street entrance
Functions
At the rear of the gardens is Brisbane River Stage
Brisbane River Stage
The Brisbane River Stage is an outdoor entertainment venue located on the Brisbane River, Brisbane, Australia. It has been used by many national and international acts through the years and is also used for annual community carols performances to ‘Sing for Water’ – a fundraising outlet staged as...
, in which many council concerts and big band names take place, as well as the annual Lord Mayor's Christmas Carols every Christmas. There are also guided walks, self-guided walks, picnic areas and a restaurant on the grounds of the botanic gardens.
Opening Hours
The gardens are open 24 hours, with pathways lit at night.