Roma Street Parklands

 1 Parkland Blvd, Brisbane City QLD 4000 +61 1300 137 468 Website 12am – 11:59pm Brisbane Campervan Hire

blissfulgullet (contributor)

The Roma Street railway goods yards were an intrinsic part of Brisbane from the start of the railway system in the 1800s. The sort of scenic wonder all cities need – rusty tracks, grimy storage sheds, equally grimy railway wagons. So, in a city where modernisation is everything, it was only a matter of time before someone felt the need to upgrade the place. That process was started in 2000 and the new parklands opened in 2002.

We visited on a fiendishly hot summer day, with the humidity levels just one point below sauna level. Wandering really wasn’t pleasant, somewhere air conditioned would have been far more sensible. I don’t know if that influenced my pespective on the parklands, or if the parklands have been oversold, but they didn’t live up to my expectations. I’d read many times, on VT and in the glossy tourist brochures, that the parklands are “…the world’s largest urban subtropical garden…”. Well, it’s a park with subtropical vegetation (which is what you’d expect to find in Brisbane), but I found Southbank equally pleasant from the tourist perspective and with more to do. To the south, extending over the vestigial portion of the railway yards are new apartments, to which the park essentially forms an extended front garden.

The parkland has many water features (causing something of a challenge during the ongoing drought – but they’re apparently recycling water). We rather liked the water wall, because the fine spray it created was quite cooling. Nearby is a little jetty arrangement in a lake: this was closed to visitors for the afternoon because a wedding was to be held there. So we found a restaurant, in the process of closing at 1430 on a Saturday, and left after a cool drink.

Main photo: Frangipanni flowers, Roma Street Parklands
Second photo: The lovely cooling water wall feature
Third photo: Another water feature at Roma Street Parklands
Fourth photo: The “wedding jetty”.

despairing_newton (contributor)

These gardens cover a large area, 16 hectares, very close to the city and were opened approximately 4 years ago. The area was previously the old railway shunting yards and the redevelopment of the site commenced in 2000 with the gardens opened in 2002. Much of the garden is on sloping parkland with sections for the various categories of plants, some very nice water features, man made lakes and a well thought out watering system which recycles most of the water used on the gardens. There are good footpaths and boardwalk sections which bring you close to the speciality areas of this parkland. A cafe for those who need refreshment or wish to relax and view this beautiful garden a little longer.
When we visited in September, 2006 Brisbane was experiencing a drought and severe water restrictions were in place, however the gardens still looked good.
Admission is Free.

jakehanded (contributor)

Roma Street Parkland offers FREE WALKS for interested people.

The walks are for people as young as “under 5yrs” these are called “out and about with bub” and run for 45minutes.
They start from the Melange Cafe every Wednesday & Friday at 10am.

For the Adults, there is, The Art walk which takes a look at the differents artworks throughout the garden, Heritage walk, this one takes visitors through the varied history of the garden from the past to 2001.
The Sensory walk, is for people that are vision impaired or brain damaged. This walk is mainly in quiet surrounds and around the Spectacle Garden.
The Curator’s walk goes behind the scenes and helps you to gain a better understanding of the design and planning of the gardens. Each walk is different.

The Walks are daily, departing from the “HUB” at 10am and 2pm.

chanelcrush (contributor)

This is a lovely 16 hectacre parkground made from disused old rail yards in 2001.

It is in the heart of the city, not far from the Queen street Mall and King George Square. You can reach here by walking, Train (direct access from Platform 10 @ Roma Street station) or Public Transport.
It is a stop on the City Sights Tourist Bus route, and as well, there are numerous stops around the park if using a Brisbane City Council Bus.

The park has a lot outdoor art collections, an ever changing floral display, Australian Natives, a Lake and Lookout, Playground, Herb garden, Lawns, Cacti and displays of other types of Plants. The walks are many, with plenty of seating, some in secluded corners, the path is so you do not know what is around the next corner.
There is also a Cafe where you can have meals, or perhaps just that Icecream in a cone. A really nice spot to visit in the City

StanleyEach (contributor)

Roma Street Botanic Gardens are quite a large area to walk around.
For people with disabilities and children, there is a little trackless Train that takes a 1.3km route around the gardens.
The fare is a reasonable $3 For Adults and $2 for children.

The Garden’s are open every day and are FREE ENTRY

Main pedestrian entrances to the Parkland:

Albert Street entrance – from King George Square, head out of the city centre along Albert Street, 200m past the Turbot and Albert Streets intersection, to the main pedestrian entry, Albert Street Footbridge.

Roma Street entrance – access is available through the Brisbane Transit Centre and Roma Street rail station. Proceed through the train tunnel to Platform 10, across the road, along the pathway and up the lift or escalators into the Parkland. This entrance is open between 6am and 8pm.

Pilchardopera (contributor)

Wow!!!where do I start,I had some time to fill in before my train departed so I spotted the signs leading to the Roma Street Parkland and what an amazing surprise I got because I remember this area as a bit of a junk yard for the railways and thought I might just have a peek and see what has been done.

Well!!!all I can say is that I needed more time to walk around this magical reformed area.

I was delighted with all the different areas in the Parkland, it has the Australian arid land area,
The forest which is a subtropical garden which transports you into a magical place,it has a boardwalk and lots of water features.
There are 10 main gardens to explore and each one is spectacular.
The water cascade and the art work throughout the park is so good.
It is free and open every day of the year.There are free specialised guided walks ,these need to be booked in advance and other free guided walks that leave from the Hub at 10am and 2pm every day (except Good Friday and Christmas day) oh! and they also cater for mothers and baby’s walks for children under five. Wheelchair friendly. A kiosk and a licensed restaurant is available and also wedding and other special events are held in the parkland.
So if you are looking for something very special to do I strongly suggest this magical city parkland.

sadiepedant (contributor)

Brisbane’s Roma Street Parkland is the home of “the world’s largest subtropical garden in a city centre”.

This tranquil parkland area is located just a 5-10 minute walk from the heart of Brisbane city centre and is a great place to escape from the noisy street traffic and crowds. You can enter the parkland from Albert Street or Roma Street.

Attractions include:

“The Lookout” – a wooden platform where you can walk above and amongst the lush vegetation and admire the views over the lake;

“The Forest” – a small Australian rainforest featuring plantlife from such areas;

“Fern Gully” – a small area of fern trees with a path leading through them;

“Lake Precinct” – a lake surrounded by trees and flowers, seating areas and abundant bird life;

“Spectacle Garden” – a selection of very colourful tropical plants and flowers and water features.

There is plenty of natural wildlife within the gardens – you can see orb spiders weaving their webs between the trees, small lizards running around underfoot, colourful butterflies flitting around the flowers and lots of bird life around the lake and on the lawns.

Entrance to the parkland is absolutely free.

There are plenty of benches to sit on and grassy areas on which to enjoy a picnic. There is also a children’s play area within the boundaries of the park.

Latest Images of Roma Street Parklands, Brisbane