The capital of Queensland is often overlooked in the tourism circuit, but more and more visitors are discovering what Brisbane has to offer. Just one of its many attractions, the City Botanical Gardens is a riverside collection of scenic ponds and carefully crafted botanical collections.
Visitors can explore the City Botanic Gardens with a guide on an hour-long walk, or on their own. Either way, top highlights include the Bamboo Grove with 23 different species of bamboo, the historic Walter Hill Fountain, and the bronze sculpture of Jemmy Morrill, the sole survivor of a Great Barrier Reef shipwreck who went on to act as a liaison between Indigenous Australians and European settlers.
The gardens are accessible by foot from the Goodwill Bridge, the Parliament House entrance on George Street, or at the intersection of Alice and Edward Streets. The free Loop bus stops on George Street and Alice Street, while there are ferry stops at the rear of Parliament House and on Edward Street.
The City Botanic Gardens have more than simple beauty behind their creation. This riverside site originally provided crops for the early Brisbane settlers, officially becoming the City Botanic Gardens in 1855. The first curator, Walter Hill, tested crops and plants for their ability to grow in a subtropical climate and is responsible for bringing a wide range of produce to Queensland, including pineapples, mangoes, sugar cane, tobacco, coffee, and much more.