City Botanic Gardens, Brisbane

The City Botanic Gardens in Brisbane were opened in 1855 after about 15 years of construction. The gardens, located on the shore of the Brisbane River, are home to ornamental ponds, a bamboo grove, sculptures, trees and an outdoor entertainment venue.

The gardens originated as a farm for the Moreton Bay penal settlement. Convicts of Moreton Bay used the area to raise food crops like cabbage, pineapple, cauliflower, peas, beans and potatoes. There were also a number of banana, apple and orange trees.

Moreton Bay closed in 1842 and became the basis for Brisbane. The City Botanic Gardens were divided into a Botanic Reserve and an experimental area. Plants like mango, ginger, tobacco, sugar, coffee, tea and grapes were planted to find if they could survive in the Australian climate. This proved to be an economic boon for those settlers in the area.

The gardens are open 24 hours per day. The fairy trees, fig trees in the gardens strung with lights, are lit from 7 PM to 10 PM daily.

The City Botanic Gardens were placed on the Queensland Heritage Register in 1997.

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Lilywatanabe.

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Sight Name: City Botanic Gardens
Sight Location: Brisbane, Australia (See walking tours in Brisbane)
Sight Type: Park/Outdoor
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

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