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Earlier this year, I was able to have a quick walk around part of the City Botanic Garden in Brisbane. It was just before sunset, and as the heat of the day began to fade, I was able to sample a few of the many delights of this beautiful space.

One of the joys of visiting botanic gardens, particularly those located in cities, is the creation of a beautiful botanic landscape within a perpetually changing cityscape. This was evident from various locations within my brief wander, with lovely open spaces set against a backdrop of the city skyline.

The Brisbane Botanic Gardens were established in 1855 following the lobbying of the Moreton Bay Horticultural Society. This was 30 years after the arrival of the British at Brisbane (Meanjin) to establish a penal settlement. A government garden had been established in the 1820s, and the original botanic garden was created from part of this site. It was expanded over time, and now encompasses 49 acres. There are many unique plantings, including an extensive fig tree collection. The Banyan Fig (Ficus benghalensis) shown above was planted in the 1870s. You can read more about this magnificent tree here.

Located alongside the Brisbane River, the City Botanic Gardens have been subjected to several major floods. During the flood of 1893, three naval vessels were washed into the gardens, and were returned to the river a fortnight later when another flood passed through. This flood marker shows the height of the 1974 flood, and the metal plate visible on the rear left shows the level of the major floods in 2011.

Although the day was fading as I walked through part of the gardens, the space was alive with people walking, running, riding bikes and in some cases simply passing through the park on the way to another location. As the day and the nearby river darkened, I passed by a stand of bamboos, their creaking and rustling sighs filling the air. There is a bamboo grove in the garden, with more than a dozen clumping bamboo species.

The City Botanic Gardens are one of three botanic gardens available to explore in Brisbane. There is also the Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha and the Sherwood Arboretum. Hopefully I’ll have more time to explore these gardens on a future visit.

Have you had a walk around a botanic garden lately?

Photo: Pink Torch Ginger plant