Brisbane Off the Beaten Path Tips by keeweechic

Founded in 1970, the Brisbane Botanic Gardens are set on 52 hectares at Mt Coot-tha. There are over 20,000 plants which represent some 5000 species collected from around the world. You can take a volunteer guided walk daily except Sunday and public holidays and between mid-December and mid-January which last around 1 hour. Admission is free and the gardens are only 8 kms from the city centre.

There are various displays including a tropical dome made up of tinted panels in an aluminium frame. Pathways meander through a variety of tropical plants and around a central pond. The dome is open between 9.30am and 4.00pm daily

Location : Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong

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The Japanese garden display is quite lovely and is in the theme of the Japanese Garden is ‘tsuki-yama-chisen’ or ‘mountain-pond-stream’. There are the usual stone pagoda’s and bolders strategically placed around tranquil ponds and cascading.

Location : Botanic Gardens, Mt Cootha

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Other areas in the Botanic Gardens are the Rainforest, Fragrant Herb and Plant Garden, the Bonsai, Cactus and Fern Houses, Lagoon and Bamboo Grove and the Australian Plant Community which takes up 27 hectares just by itself. There is also a Planetarium and Herbarium.

The Bamboo Grove existed on its own before the gardens were developed. There is a lagoon which is home to a variety of native wildlife from birds, lizards to turtles and eels.

Location : Botanic Gardens, Mt Coo-tha

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Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is great for getting close to all the Australian animals. Here you can cuddle a koala and hand feed kangaroos and emus. There are more than 130 koalas here but when you hold them, be prepared for the claws, they can dig in a bit.

Jesmond Road, Fig Tree Pocket, Brisbane

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Website: http://www.koala.net/travel/travel.htm

Glass House mountains are part of the great dividing range and are located between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast (just 40 mins north of Brisbane). There are 11 principal peaks, which date back 20 million years, the highest of which is Beerwah at 1,824 feet. They are composed of volcanic trachyte and rise abruptly from the coastal plain. Each of the peaks is a national park.

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The Big Pineapple is Australia's number one tourist attraction. It was established in 1971, and the first sight of the plantation is a large 16m high fiberglass pineapple. You can go inside and learn more about Queensland Tropical Fruit industries and get great views of the Sunshine Coast from the top level. You can take a ride on a genuine sugar cane train through tropical fruit orchards and pineapple fields.

There is also a natural rainforest area and an area with Australian animals. Next door is the Macadamia Nut Farm which you can also tour through.

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Mt Coo-tha lookout has probably some of the best views of Brisbane city and surrounding areas. If you are up for it, you can take a bushwalk from the Botanic Gardens to the lookout and look at the Aboriginal art galleries along the way. You need to be fit though as its quite a climb to the summit. At least the coffee shop at the top will be there to refresh you not to mention the views.

Mt Coo-tha is about 8 kms from the city centre.

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