Brisbane Botanic Gardens
The Brisbane Botanic Gardens celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2005.
The area was first selected as the Government Garden in 1828 when Charles Fraser, the Curator of Sydney's Botanic Gardens, Allan Cunningham, the King's botanist, and the penal colony's Superintendent, Captain Logan, visited the intended site. They marked out the boundaries and convicts were set to clear the area. At first, it was used to grow vegetables to feed the expanding colony. With the discontinuation of convict transport, the area was still used unofficially to grow vegetables and the land remained in Crown hands.
In 1855, the gardens were officially established with Walter Hill, the first Superintendent, appointed. At first they were used mainly as an experimental and educational garden. During Hill's term, a row of bunya pines was planted and these can still be enjoyed today. He also introduced trees such as the Jacaranda, Tamarind, Dragon, Lychee, Macadamia and Mahogany. Hill established Fern Island in the middle of the Botanic Gardens Lagoon which was used for irrigation. Fern Island was linked to the shore by two small footbridges and surrounded by a grove of giant bamboos.
Harriet
The Botanic Gardens were also home to a zoo in the first half of the 20th century, housing animals such as wallabies, emus, monkeys, and Harriet [new window], a Galapagos Island tortoise allegedly captured by Charles Darwin in the 1830s and brought to Australia in the 1840s. Harriet lived at the zoo until 1952, when the zoo closed. She spent the last two decades of her life at Australia Zoo, and died on 23 June 2006, aged well over 170 years old.
The Gardens also played an important role during World War II as the site for a number of air raid shelters. Over the years, the Gardens have been ravaged by floods, with many a ship running aground there.
Today
Today's City Botanic Gardens [new window] are situated on the banks of the Brisbane River on the slopes below Parliament House and Old Government House. Covering more than twenty hectares, they provide a quiet, shady haven from the hustle and bustle of the nearby CBD.
View more images of the City Botanic Gardens
More information
If you have an enquiry, you can contact us in any of the following ways:
For general enquiries:
- Ask at your local Queensland public library
- Other libraries[new window]
Last updated: 10th November 2009
Creatively linking Queenslanders to information, knowledge and each other
