The Platypus Chair

Just in from the Alice and Edward Street entrance to the City Botanic Gardens you will find what I've dubbed The Platypus Chair. It is probably what you would more likely term as a seat, sculpted in a bidirectional fashion with one side facing the river, and the other back into the gardens. On the arm rest between the two seats is the platypus, quite happily there to make your acquaintance. I unfortunately am unable to find any reference as to who sculpted this, or why it was placed here other than for its great aesthetic value.

The platypus is an iconic Australian animal. A mammal, its bizarre duck-billed head, furred body and webbed feet made British naturalists at first think it was a hoax when originally presented. In fact, in 1799 British scientist, Dr George Shaw initial reaction to this original specimen was such that he even took a pair of scissors to the pelt, expecting to find stitches attaching the bill to the skin. Aboriginal people have many different names for the animal, including "boondaburra", "mallingong" and "tambreet".

On a hot day in the gardens, its a great place to take a rest. There is a water bubbler next to the chair, and as you can see, variance on the way you can sit in the seat - particularly if you're a kid! Brisbane and its surrounds have such wonderful parks that a day out exploring on the weekend will always find many and varied treats.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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