Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(
www.romastreetparkland.com
; 1 Parkland Blvd; 24hr)
This beautifully maintained,
16-hectare, 16-precinct downtown park is one of the world's largest subtropical urban gar-
dens. Formerly a market and a railway yard, the park opened in 2001 and features native
trees, a lake, lookouts, waterfalls, a playground, barbecues and many a frangipani. It's
something of a maze: easy to get into, hard to get out.
reputedly the oldest surviving building in Queensland (1828). Due to a design flaw, the
windmill sails were too heavy for the wind to turn, and a convict-powered treadmill was
briefly employed before the mill was abandoned. The building was converted into a signal
post and later a TV broadcast site and meteorological observatory.
City Botanic Gardens
MAP
PARK
GOOGLE MAP
(
www.brisbane.qld.gov.au
;
Alice St; 24hr; )
On the river, Brisbane's favourite green
space is a mass of lawns, tangled Moreton Bay figs, bunya pines and macadamia trees
descending gently from the Queensland University of Technology campus. Free guided
tours leave the rotunda at 11am and 1pm Monday to Saturday. (Is it just us, or are things
looking a tad shabby here? New signage please!).
Also in the gardens is a sculpture known as
Jemmy Morrill & the Brolgas
. Morrill was
the sole survivor of an 1846 shipwreck on the Great Barrier Reef. Some local Aborigines
found him and he lived with them for 17 years before returning to the new European
colony in Queensland. He went on to play a pivotal role in improving relations between
Aborigines and white colonists in the new state.
Museum of Brisbane
MAP
MUSEUM
GOOGLE MAP
( 07-3339 0800;
www.museumofbrisbane.com.au
; Level 3, Brisbane City Hall, King George Sq; 10am-5pm)
Inside Brisbane's renovated City Hall, this great little museum illuminates the city
from a variety of viewpoints, with interactive exhibits exploring both social history and
the current cultural landscape. When we visited, the three long-term exhibits were a fab-
ulously kitsch display on Expo '88 ('We'll show the world!'); an exhibit on the history of
the Brisbane River; and a display of panoramic photos of Brisbane from 1860 to today.
Customs House
HISTORIC BUILDING
