The Brisbane Botanic Gardens (formerly the Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens and informally the Toowong Botanic Gardens) are located from the

Brisbane CBD Brisbane City is the central Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb and central business district of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It is also colloquially referred to as the "Brisbane CBD", "the city", or simply "to ...

at the foot of Brisbane's tallest mountain,

Mount Coot-tha Mount Coot-tha is a mountain and a suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Visible from much of the city, Mount Coot-tha is a popular bushland tourist destination including the Mount Coot-tha Lookout, Brisbane Botanic Garden ...

in the suburb of Mount Coot-tha,

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. The gardens receive around 1.4 million visitors a year. Entry to the gardens is free.

History

The gardens, which were originally called the Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens and which cover , were established by the

Brisbane City Council Brisbane City Council (BCC, also known as Council) is the local government of the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. The largest local government in Australia by population, BCC's jurisdiction includes 2 ...

in 1970, and officially opened in 1976. The gardens are the second botanical gardens established in Brisbane. The original gardens, now known as the

City Botanic Gardens The City Botanic Gardens (formerly the Brisbane Botanic Gardens) is a heritage-listed botanic garden on Alice Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was also known as Queen's Park. It is located on Gardens Poi ...

are located in the

at Gardens Point. The new gardens were developed by the City Council because the original city site could not be expanded and was flood prone. The Mount Coot-tha Library at the gardens opened in 1975. In 2023, approval was granted for the introduction of a year-round light show in the gardens.

Features

Features of the Brisbane Botanic Gardens include: * Tropical Display Dome — opened in December 1977, 28 m in diameter and 9 m high * Japanese Garden * Bonsai House * Fern House * Arid Zone and Cactus House * Exotic Rainforest * Australian Rainforest * Fragrant Plant and

Herb Garden The traditional kitchen garden, vegetable garden, also known as a potager (from the French ) or in Scotland a kailyaird, is a space separate from the rest of the residential garden – the ornamental plants and lawn areas. It is used for grow ...

* Temperate Garden * Lagoon and Bamboo Grove * Australian Plant communities * National Australia Remembers Freedom Wall The gardens are open every day of the year between 8am to 6pm from September to March and 8am to 5pm April to August. Entry to the gardens is free. Dogs are not permitted in the gardens.

National Australia Remembers Freedom Wall 06

Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium

Located adjacent to the entrance of the gardens is the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, which incorporates the Cosmic Skydome. Sir

Thomas Brisbane Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Sir Thomas MacDougall Brisbane, 1st Baronet, (23 July 1773 – 27 January 1860), was a British Army officer, administrator, and astronomer. Upon the recommendation of the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke ...

, in addition to being the

Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, Governor-General of Australia at the national level, the governor ...

after whom the city of Brisbane was named, was also a renowned

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...

who catalogued the southern skies of Australia during his term.

Mount Coot-tha Library

Also located at the gardens is the Mount Coot-tha Library operated by

. Unlike most public libraries in Brisbane which have general collections, this library holds a specialist collection about

botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

and

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

and related topics, reflecting its location within the botanic garden and the Brisbane Planetarium also on the site.

National Australia Remembers Freedom Wall

Australia celebrated the 50th anniversary of victory in the Pacific on 15 August 1995. The National Australia Remembers Freedom Wall in Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha is a space meant for quiet contemplation and reflection on the Sacrifice of the Generation who fought for the "Freedom" we enjoy today. The wall is not a war memorial but a symbol to celebrate 50 years of freedom. There are 16,000 tribute plaques on the walls to remember loved ones or simply an expression of thanks. Foundation stone laid on 11 November 1995 and unveiled on 11 November 1996.

Japanese Garden

Designed by one of Japan's leading traditional Japanese garden proponents the late Kenzo Ogata (his last work), the garden is faithful to

Japanese Garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desig ...

design concepts, and uses Australian trees, native shrubs and flowers. The Japan Pond and Garden was re-located from the Japanese Government Pavilion at Brisbane's World Expo '88, and was opened after the conclusion of the Expo on 6 February 1989 through the work of the

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Lord Mayor

Sallyanne Atkinson Sallyanne Atkinson AO (born 23 July 1942, Kerr) is an Australian former politician who served as Lord Mayor of Brisbane from 1985 to 1991 in Queensland, Australia. She is the only woman to have held the position. As of 2017, she was Chairman ...

and Nichahiro Hanamura, the chair of the Japan Association for the Expo. A commemorative dedication plaque from

and the Japan Association for the 1988 Leisure Exposition and a welcome gate with calligraphy on a dedication tablet above the gate by then

Prime Minister of Japan The is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its ministers of state. The prime minister also serves as the commander-in-chief of the Japan Self-Defense Force ...

Noboru Takeshita was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1987 to 1989. Born in Shimane Prefecture, Takeshita attended Waseda University and was drafted into the army during the Pacific War. He was first elected to the National Diet ...

greets visitors to the Garden at the entrance to the Garden. The Japanese calligraphy is engraved in gold, dedicating the name of the garden "yu-tsui-en". The theme of the garden 'tsuki-yama-chisen' or 'mountain-pond-stream' is reflected in the water feature of the garden. Another feature which is not to be forgotten is just as special as the previous; the stone 'tsukabai' or water bowl. It is more than 100 years old and is used to "provide running water needed in the purification ritual that occurs before the

tea ceremony Tea ceremony is a ritualized practice of making and serving tea (茶 ''cha'') in East Asia practiced in the Sinosphere. The original term from China (), literally translated as either "''way of tea''", "''etiquette for tea or tea rite''",Heiss, M ...

". The most captivating feature of the garden is the stones which create the mountain. These stones of the waterfall suggest "endurance and the eternal passing of time". In 2005 a clump of bamboo flowered just outside the gates to the Japanese Garden. Bamboo flowering is very rare and many bamboo enthusiasts go their whole lives without ever witnessing such an event. As is often the case after bamboo flowers, this plant died and was replaced with another specimen. An annual Japan Cultural Festival is held at the Garden in August, featuring

Japanese tea ceremony The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or lit. 'Hot water for tea') is a Culture of Japan, Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . The term "Japa ...

Japanese calligraphy , also called , is a form of calligraphy, or artistic writing, of the Japanese language. Japanese writing system, Written Japanese was originally based on Man'yōgana, Chinese characters only, but the advent of the hiragana and katakana Japane ...

and

ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is also known as . The origin of ikebana can be traced back to the ancient Japanese custom of erecting Evergreen, evergreen trees and decorating them with flowers as yorishiro () to invite the go ...

flower displays. Japanpondandgardenmtcootha

References

External links

Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mount Coot-tha

Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium
- Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium {{Authority control Botanical gardens in Queensland Parks in Brisbane Tourist attractions in Brisbane 1970 establishments in Australia Japanese gardens in Australia Buildings and structures in Brisbane Mount Coot-tha, Queensland