What’s your idea of a perfect park? One with a large expanse of grass for a game of touch footy or one with a challenging children’s playground? Do you like parks with history or those with free bbqs? Do you prefer formal gardens or rambling native plants?
Catering to most tastes, we’ve selected some of Brisbane’s most appreciated parks and gardens. But tell us which ones you reckon are the best of the best, by leaving a comment below.
Roma Street Parklands, City
With manicured and covered spaces your can hire for a wedding or other function, Roma Street Parklands is an incredibly civilised park. It’s ordered and magnificent for plant variety and the public art adds vibrancy. Very popular for large group gatherings and terrific for accessing public transport. Hard to believe it used to be ugly railway yards…
Wynnum wading pool and park
This park has so much going for it – it’s beside the bay, with water views and cool breezes. It’s also close to fish & chips and ice-cream shops (perfect if you haven’t packed a picnic). You’ll see the popularity of this park on lovely Sunday afternoons when it’s full to capacity. Hooray! The wading pool is reopened and ready for splashing good fun. A winner.
Sandgate foreshore
Not just a single park, this is a destination for anyone who likes to go for a bike ride or long flat walk. The path curves around the foreshore between Shorncliffe Pier, all the way to (and across) the Hornibrook Highway to Redcliffe. There are plenty of pretty stops for a break or an ice-cream.
Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens, Toowong
This is THE spot for green thumbs. Gardening gurus will admire the tenacity and skills of the staff of the Botanic Gardens because they’ve managed to keep the place flourishing under very tough water restrictions. Get lost in the bamboo grove, see the cactus garden and get all the garden info you need at the specialist garden library on site. It’s also a nice spot for wedding photos and groups too. Tack on a bushwalk at nearby JC Slaughter Falls to feel like you’ve gone bush.
New Farm Park
No list of Brisbane’s parks and gardens could miss this favourite. The fig tree playground is almost famous and when the roses are blooming, it smells a treat. It’s the city park that everyone seems to love for all sorts of reasons – there’s space to sprawl out, listen to the band in the rotunda, have a café stop or arrive by CityCat.
Sherwood Forest, Sherwood
No, it’s not the home of Robin Hood, but it is a fabulous riverside park that has huge grassy spaces, lots of barbecues and a pretty footpath along the water’s edge. Lots of tracks make it perfect for cycling, especially for youngsters who need to avoid the traffic. This park is an extremely popular spot for kids' birthday parties too.
Captain Burke Park, Kangaroo Point
Tucked underneath the Story Bridge, you might be surprised to find this park has a small sandy beach beside the river. We love that you can set up a picnic or have a barbecue while looking up to the underbelly of the towering Story Bridge. It has a stunning view of the city skyscrapers and is wonderful on a summer’s night. Get in very early for a spot here for the Riverfire fireworks.
South Bank Parklands
Its riverside location and fabulous array of attractions and activities means South Bank gets a deserved spot as one of Brisbane’s top parks. There are children’s playgrounds, the man-made beach and Aquativity area. Get in early to grab one of the barbecue areas. This is a public space that welcomes thousands of tourists and locals, families and groups of friends – it’s diverse, colourful and there’s always something happening.
Rocks Riverside Park, Seventeen Mile Rocks
Created from an old cement quarry, the park has brought life and activity to the previous industrial site. There’s an amphitheatre and Great Lawn area plus a myriad of other spaces which can be hired for events by large groups. But it’s also an accessible park for a visit with the kids, with the bikes, with the dog. The river frontage is a pleasant bonus.
Read more about Brisbane's parks in our guide to top kids parks and parks that host free or cheap fitness activities.
Find out which park won Brisbane's best park in our Best of Brisbane poll.
What’s your favourite Brisbane park? And why do you love it so? Add your comments below.
We discovered the Tinchi Tamba wetlands on the weekend. Our extended family went there for Father's Day.
Top Spot
Even with so many people out and about because it was Father's Day and such a nice day at that, there was still plenty of room.
So much to do there with plenty of facilities. shelters, space to put up your own shelter trees to sit under, BBQs, boat ramp, fishing platforms, footpath for the kids to ride their bikes, space to play cricket or kick a ball, walk to a bird hide, walking tracks..............