South Bank Parklands Grand Arbour

The Grand Arbour is a major architectural and horticultural attraction at South Bank Parklands. It weaves from one end of the parklands to the other, and is over a kilometre in length. Consisting of 443 curled pylons of steel, nearly all pylons are interconnected with up to nine steel wires on which grows trains of magenta bougainvillea plants. There are also yellow plates of steel which provide additional shade cover at various locations throughout the walkway.

The Grand Arbour was designed by a Melbourne-based firm Denton Corker Marshall in 1997 and completed in 1999. It was a significant feature in the redesign of the parklands. The walkway is not only enjoyed by tourists, it is also a popular route for runners having been used in a number of fun runs. Art exhibitions are also hung from the wires from time to times, and when the parkland markets hit their peak period many of the stalls use the shade of the arbour to provide comfort for visiting shoppers.


In full bloom the arbour is nothing short of spectacular. I recall when I worked at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in the late 1990's they had a similar but much smaller concept, which I looked forward to see growing. Imagine my delight when I came to Brisbane to find a similar framework, and over the years I've lived here watching it achieve the grandeur of the original design concept flower into what we all can enjoy today. I can't wait until it fully engulfs the entire steel frame!

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Spectacle Garden

The Spectacle Garden is one of the precincts of the Roma Street Parkland. Located in the centre of the parkland, it offers a collection of colorful and unique flowering and foliage plants, selected from throughout the sub-tropical world. These are displayed in a number of specialised theme gardens.


This is the horticultural heart of the Parkland. These shots are predominantly from the area around the Concentric Garden. The stainless steel sculpture Concentric Intersection by Wendy Mills forms the focus of a lot of annual flowering plants, although the drought continues to have an effect on what can be displayed. The Spectacle Garden features several themed gardens including the Topiary Maze Garden, Lilly Pilly Garden, Traditional Brisbane Garden, a wall of Epiphytes and an extensive collection of herbs.


One of the great things about the Internet is that you can do a virtual tour of the garden online. Modelling the The Spectacle Garden Walk, the virtual tour takes visitors on a visual trail of the areas. I'd encourage anyone who's not from the area to get online and have a look, but if you're a Brisbanite or tourist you should go there in person yourself.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Gardens on Buildings

One thing which has fascinated me about Brisbane is the number of buildings which are covered in plant greenery. Even in this age of drought and water restrictions, around the city there are a number of buildings where even palm trees are the norm. I've tried to capture this to some degree in this post, when as I was walking down Adelaide Street, I came across two such instances. This is by no means unique, and I must stress that for any visitor to Brisbane, if you look around, you will see greenery everywhere.


The first of these is what appears to be a small plantation of bamboo which masks the Zen Bar at Post Office Square. If you ever have the opportunity to eat here, and they do fantastic Asian food, you get a wonderful view of both the park and what appears to be an Asian garden outside the window, rather than your standard streetscape. This is at 215 Adelaide Street.

Further up the road towards Wharf Street, one of the office buildings is quite literally covered. The three tiered balcony at the base of the building is currently covered in overflowing garden beds, interspersed with large palms and other trees growing up through the concrete. On each of the central balconies all the way up the spine of the building it is like an urban oasis. Colourful flowering plants reach to the edge and beyond each balcony. This is so much better than a drab grey building or shiny steel modern monstrosity! With our sub-tropical climate, even in drought these areas seem to continue to flourish. I love it!

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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City Birds of Paradise

As much as Brisbane is paradise, and does have great Birds to use the colloquial for attractive women, I'm actually talking about something different. My favourite flowering plant is the Bird of Paradise, or Strelitzia Reginae. This particular photo was taken around the garden beds on the footpath near the intersection of Market and Charlotte Streets. The reason why its called the Bird of Paradise should be obvious due to its appearance like a bird's head and beak.

Indigenous to South Africa, the plant was introduced to Australia. All over the world the flower is symbolic of the tropics, but most residents of Brisbane will be familiar with it growing in local gardens. I've got two at my place, but they haven't quite reached this level. The plant grows to around 2 metres tall with broad strong leaves and stalks about 1 metre long. The flowers stand above the foliage at the tips of the stalks.


I love how there are flower beds and greenery dotted all around the city. Rather than just being a concrete jungle, you can always find pockets of greenery and tracks of grass where you can sit and escape. On top of this, you have the fantastic City Botanic Gardens as a feature of the city. What's not to love!

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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