OASIS IN HEART OF THE CITY
BRISBANE CITY BOTANICAL GARDENS
SOMETIMES I feel the need to go into Brisbane, although it’s not usually to go shopping or to the theatre.
I’ll admit it – it’s mainly to eat the decadent cakes from a little vegan shop in Queen St.
But it’s also to stow away those culinary delights and take them to a relaxed setting just minutes away by foot in the Botanical Gardens.
When I grew up in the bush, Brisbane was the go-to spot for shopping on weekends with my friends. I didn’t even know Brisbane had gardens.
Now I find it a place of refuge. You barely realise you are in the city.
You could spend hours there whiling away the time, lying on the lawns or exploring the many different trees, shrubs, flowers and plants.
The bamboo grove is lots of fun to walk around in. I like to think back on my trips to Japan.
There are lots of footpaths to choose from, but I love meandering on the Central Path, which takes you past the bamboo grove and a tamarind tree, planted in 1858 and said to be the oldest tree in the gardens still alive.
Once at the QUT buildings, I follow the path around until I end up on the Bunya Walk, before walking right along the river.
On clear days it is so peaceful, with joggers coming by every now and then and boats moored on the Brisbane River moving gently with the current.
You can follow the footpath all the way to the opposite end, where you end up at Gardens Point Boat Harbour along Edward St.