The J C Slaughter Falls Picnic Area is at the base of Mt Coot-tha, west of Brisbane CBD. There are…read morea number of wood fire BBQ's available to be used, as well as nearby tables which are perfect for a BBQ or picnic, and taps for water. To get there, get onto Sir Samuel Griffith Drive, but rather than driving up to the Lookout, stay on the road and follow it around until you see the signs for the J C Slaughter Falls. There are a number of car park areas as well as toilets open from 6am-7pm. A short walk in from the car park and toilets, you'll find the Picnic Area, a luscious green flat area, where all the BBQ's and tables are. A little further in there's a Bush Chapel area. It's an open air chapel with a sandstone pulpit and log seating on a concrete base. There's seating available for 30-40 people, and would be a fantastic space for an outdoor wedding. And if you're feeling adventurous after your picnic, walk up the Summit Track - 3.8km return trip, which takes about an hour to complete.

This is a beautiful and very popular place to spend time with family and friends enjoying the great…read moreoutdoors or hosting a picnic at one of the many covered BBQs and free electric grills provided by the Brisbane City Council. The council keeps these grounds immaculate with ultra-clean toilets, water fountains and dog bowl filling stations. A bonus of this area is a hike up to the Summit overlooking all of Brisbane in a 360 degree view. The hike from the car park is an easy ascent on a packed and graded trail that's very safe with water stations along the way and it's dog friendly too. The council has outdone itself on the presentation and perks for visitors and residents to enjoy here.

Lovely flower shows for a coin at auditorium n good bus services to & from gardens or summit…read morelookout etc mothers day rose society always was good. Orchid society , bonsai, violets n ikebana etc Japanese day lovely always nice atmosphere n we took a lot of photos of the flower shows with candid n professional lens shots . Miss the aroma of flowers.

So, it turns out that the botanic gardens downtown were flooded, so the city worked up a second…read morelocation here where it's safer for the plants. That is to say, these are the real botanic gardens. They're pretty impressive. You could easily spend several hours just getting around the place, and there is a diverse mix of flora here waiting for you. You'll walk from cacti to ferns in a matter of minutes, with a geodesic dome of tropical plants in between. In the way of animal life, I did not see a ton of spiders (whew), but the other local creatures are in abundance, including lizards, turkeys, and the obnoxious ibis. There are a couple of marginally okay bus routes that go here as well as ample parking. Besides the gardens, a planetarium and library offer indoor space if you need it. And, of course, it's free. You can't go wrong.

This was such a lovely and peaceful place. We took our children during the school holidays and it…read morewasn't very busy which was nice. We started out going through the environment centre, which was only small but had interesting pieces. The staff was friendly and welcoming while we were there and gave us more information and encouraged us to look into more events that Moreton Bay council rang. Afterwards we went on the Hide and Seek Children's trail which was informative and interesting, although we didn't get to see all the things that were promised. We played in the playground for a while, while the adults cooked lunch and then after lunch went on another hike through the other walkways and paths that were labelled around the area. All around it was a great way to spend the day and a way to get out of the house without costing a fortune!!

How good is it to find a chunk of bushalnd ripe for the walking in the middle of the suburbs?…read moreDownfall Creek bushland at McDowall is like that. Right on the bustling, big Rode Road you can pull in to this reserve - also known as the Raven Street Reserve and head past the interpretive centre (open 8.30am - 4pm Mon - Fri) to walk the paths that take you deep into the bush. There are so many species of birds, mammals and reptiles here and if you head and down to the creek and you're really lucky you might spot a bearded dragon sunning itself on a rock or swimming across the creek like a tiny, prehistoric creature. Afterwartds, you can can picnic or barbecue in the reserve and kids love the adventure playground.

This is one of my favourite escapes in Brisbane. There is enough bushland left here to escape the…read morecity for a short while and be led into believing you're in the countryside. There is also a good chance you'll see monitor lizards, and snakes. I've seen two browns in recent times. Be a little wary--and I think the police should do something about this--but not far from the car park men use the bush as a 'beat'. I hate that part of the park, so escape it and go explore the further reaches. There's a small creek, a bit of a billabong, some different vegetation, and some interesting walking tracks. If you like mountain biking there are some small tracks, but nothing really challenging. I prefer walking as you miss too much on a bike. As said, there is a surprising amount of the natural world left here and it is best appreciated on foot.

Toohey Forest is well known amongst Brisbane rock climbers for its great bouldering areas. For…read morethose who aren't climbers, bouldering is climbing across rather than up and means you don't need ropes or harnesses but is still a great way to get fit and strong and improve your climbing skills. Toohey Forest is the only place other than Kangaroo Point where you can boulder in the outdoors without having to drive several hours away from Brisbane. If you want to give it a go, it's probably a good idea to take a friend to spot you. You might see a few other climbers around but there's always plenty of room for all. Some of the bouldering areas are a bit off the track but its pretty hard to get lost as the park isn't very large.

The water looked a bit suspicious but the views, day and night, were pretty nice along the length…read morewe walked. Going east into town; http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/-291b0icXW_k2UNYJNiWBw?select=6ozJY9nV9r4dfqP8Czu6IA#6ozJY9nV9r4dfqP8Czu6IA Going west to the convention center; http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/-291b0icXW_k2UNYJNiWBw?select=1pJjcmdAPt1UwRSHhoE1YQ#1pJjcmdAPt1UwRSHhoE1YQ All shots taken handheld in auto-mode, go Sony!

It is hard to live in Brisbane and not appreciate the Brisbane River running through the city. It…read moreis iconic and acts like the main artery of the city. Whether it is Riverfire, or New Years Eve, the River is the centre of attraction with families friends and the community gathering together to watch Everyone I know has a memory of the river, whether it is jumping in near the UQ colleges in a ballgown after Emmanuel ball, waking up in the wee hours of the morning to practice rowing along the river, gracefully catching the CityCat and watching the tourists snap photos of the Brisbane City Skyscrapers, or watching as the river burst its banks and flooded half the city. One of my fondest memories is sitting on a friend's boat on New Years Eve and watching the fireworks reflect off the surface of the water. It is hard to sum up the history and importance of this river to Brisbane, or mention all the things you can do on the river like rowing or even just walking along the Riverwalk. The Brisbane River really is something special to the city and while it is not the most perfect, clean river in the world, it is ours and I wouldn't change it for anything.

This park and forest trek was a common picnic ground for locals when I was a kid, though it's died…read moreout in popularity a bit over time. However, I was glad to hear it's still a hang-out for hoons and horny teens alike after the sun goes down. Reminds me of the good old days. (Don't worry, I don't have kids.) Iron Bark Gully is sort of a mini-bushwalk park. That is, none of the walks go on for too long. Iron Bark Gully has three trails bushwalkers can take: the quick and easy 20-minute one; the longer one (up to an hour); and the even longer and I'm-not-even-sure-if-this-path-is-legitimate trek, which includes fallen trees and sudden clearings that make you feel like you've come the wrong way (an hour to 48 hours, depending on whether you get lost). As Iron Bark Gully is far from being located on the steepest of the region's mountains, the bush-walk views are less spectacular than as, say, those at Mt Glorious (which is about a 45 minute drive from Ironbark Gully via Samford). The forest area itself is also less developed and has less of a dense rain forest feel to it than you'd hope for. There is a dodgy, lonely-looking brick toilet hut that I would only use whenever necessary in the main park section. Aside from that, the park area itself looks lonely. I haven't really seen the park being ably occupied whenever I've driven past over the last few years. Apparently, though, local boys in hotted-up cars still take girls here at night for a make-out session before doing tough laps and donuts along the back streets of Samford. On the other hand, the serious drag-racers of my day seem to have died out owing to a stronger police presence in Ferny Grove. That's right. Growing up, I was like Sandy in Grease. PS. After looking up Ironbark Gully on the internet, I am now informed that it and its trails may possibly be frequented by horse riders and mountain bike fans. Possibly.

What a great park!! Previously the Milton Tennis Centre and Milton Bowl this location had been an…read morearea of wasted space that did flood during the floods in 2011. I am so glad this was turned into an amazing park and not another set of apartment buildings. The park is home to the Roy Emerson Tennis Centre which has 6 courts for hire and also has lessons. The playground area is packed on the weekends as it's an a amazing area for kids. While its way more advanced then for my 10month old there is still some great places for him to crawl around but I can see that the amazing rock climbing wall, huge slide and the curling slide would be heaven for any kid. There are 4 different bbq areas with 8 total BBQ that have picnic tables around them. There is decent shade for these areas but also a large grass are perfect for a picnic if you don't want to BBQ. Kids love circling the grass area on there bikes and scooters and it's all within the parents eyesight. There is also a table tennis table and some exercise equipment. Early mornings you may even have a boot camp or personal trainer working out there. Only wish there was a water feature for kids to play in but I guess with the past flooding that may have not have worked. Oh and there are toilets onsite and a cafe which I need to still check out.