City Botanic Gardens

Why go

This is Brisbane's oldest heritage garden, with a long horticultural story behind its shade. Walk among the figs, palms and other mature plantings, then follow the river edge to see why the site has remained a public green space. It suits a slower break from nearby civic streets.

What to look for

• Mature fig trees and other heritage plantings.
• Palms, cycads and bamboo among the plant collections.
• The Brisbane River along the garden boundary.

The full story

Gardens Point has served as a planted landscape since Brisbane's earliest colonial years. Food crops were grown for the settlement, and a public garden was selected here in 1828. Walter Hill, appointed curator in 1855, used the grounds to test plants that might grow commercially in Queensland. His experiments ranged from fruit and spices to timber and sugar cane; Queensland's first granulated sugar was produced here in 1862. Older rows of figs and avenues of pines are visible reminders that this was both a pleasure ground and a practical botanical experiment. The river repeatedly flooded the site, later prompting the creation of another botanic garden at Mount Coot-tha. Those floods also make the long survival of the Gardens Point landscape more striking.

Useful to know

• Use the river edge and interior paths for two different views of the gardens.
• Pair the walk with nearby Gardens Point sites if already exploring the city centre.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.