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 suburb and central business district of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It is colloquially referred to as the "Brisbane CBD" or "the city". It is located on a point on the northern bank of the ...

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. In the , there were no residents in the suburb. Visible from much of the city, Mount Coot-tha is a popular bushland tourist destination including the Mou ...

in the suburb of Mount Coot-tha,

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia.

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) is the democratic executive local government authority for the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. The largest City Council in Australia by population and area, BCC's jurisd ...

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 Poin ...

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.

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 The Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium is located on the grounds of the Brisbane Botanic Gardens in the suburb of Mount Coot-tha, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The Planetarium was officially opened on 24 May 1978. The Planetarium is named af ...

, which incorporates the Cosmic Skydome. Sir

Thomas Brisbane Major General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, 1st Baronet, (23 July 1773 – 27 January 1860), was a British Army officer, administrator, and astronomer. Upon the recommendation of the Duke of Wellington, with whom he had served, he was appoint ...

, in addition to being the Governor of New South Wales 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 their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...

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 biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

and

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

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 desi ...

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 capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Lord Mayor Sallyanne Atkinson 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 prime minister of Japan (Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') 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 Stat ...

Noboru Takeshita was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1987 to 1989 during the bubble economy. Takeshita led the largest faction at the time in the Liberal Democratic Party, which he inherited from Kakuei Tanaka, from the 1980s ...

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 An East Asian tea ceremony, or ''Chádào'' (), or ''Dado'' ( ko, 다도 (茶道)), is a ceremonially ritualized form of making tea (茶 ''cha'') practiced in East Asia by the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans. The tea ceremony (), literally transl ...

". 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 ) is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . While in the West it is known as "tea ceremony", it is se ...

Japanese calligraphy also called is a form of calligraphy, or artistic writing, of the Japanese language. Written Japanese was originally based on Chinese characters only, but the advent of the hiragana and katakana Japanese syllabaries resulted in intrin ...

and

ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is also known as . The tradition dates back to Heian period, when floral offerings were made at altars. Later, flower arrangements were instead used to adorn the (alcove) of a traditional Japan ...

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