The view from Mt Coot-tha |
One of the public pool areas at Southbank |
Southbank parklands is also is home of beautiful 3 story high Nepalese Pagoda, a gift to the city from Nepal at the 88' world expo.
"Spectacal Garden" at the Roma Parklands |
'Fern Gully' with it's canopy of tree ferns and misty boardwalks lets you experience a sub-tropical rainforest right in the heart of the city and the large open parkland and amphitheater draw crowds of people in for special events throughout the warmer months of the year.
Photo's from the Brisbane Botanic Gardens at Mt Coot-tha |
The 52 hectares is free to visit and showcases the largest collection of Australian rainforests in the world! Much like a more colourful version of the National Botanic Garden in Canberra, there are a variety of 'zones' including a fernary, a steamy tropical greenhouse, tranquil Japanese garden and a bonsai house which is lovely, but still not as good as the one at the Canberra Arboretum!
I have to admit the highlight of my time at the Botanic Gardens was when we were strolling through the 'arid zone' admiring giant cacti, we stumbled upon two big lizards having an all out territory war right in the middle of the foot path! Completely oblivious to the masses of people and prams surrounding them the lizards tussled and hissed putting on quite a show for their delighted spectators! We finally tore ourselves away after watching (and videoing) for about 10 minutes and they were still going strong!
So all in all, if you feel like escaping the thick frosts and icy winds of the Windellama region for a while, then I highly recommend a holiday in balmy Brisbane to ward off the winter blues, but I warn you, it is hard to come back again!
Article by Katie