This is a highlight free attraction in the heart of Brisbane. This used to be an industrial area…read morewhich has been transformed into one of the nicest botanical gardens I've ever visited. It's an easy walk from downtown and right next to the main train station, so it's great to spend a lunch or incorporate into exploring the city. At the entrance there are restrooms and water stations, plus maps of the different areas. The entrance areas are all sculpted flower gardens, as you walk around there are more forested areas, jungle, and ponds. We were there at a great time of the year, it wasn't so hot and everything was in bloom. There are ibis and lizards everywhere too! They really care about the maintenance of this area as landscapers were hard at work as well. There's information about the plants all over too. This would be a great place to relax, take a date, or explore with kids.

Lovely parklands, great variety of specimen plantings, water features are nice, reminds me of a…read moretiny version of Central Park. On the hill is a great spot to sun bake in summer.

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.

Tucked away in a bend of Brisbane River is Colmslie Beach Reserve, aka the Octopus Garden Park…read more It's so much fun and has something for everyone. It's on the river, with a little sandy shore, so you can fish; there are quite a few picnic tables and barbecues (but get in early on weekends); there are wide open spaces for kicking a ball around and lots of shady trees to spread a picnic rug beneath. The funnest part, however is the kid's playground. The Octopus Garden has lots wood and rope climbing areas, big sandpit, water play features, giant colourful fish and octopus play areas and a flying fox. For kids and kids at heart, this place has a lovely vibe, with a backdrop of the river and the Gateway Bridge in the distance, Brisbane City Council's done a really good job here. Check it out.

In my opinion, Newstead Park is the nicest Sunday afternoon hang out in Brisbane. Granted, it's not…read moreas huge as New Farm Park, but the benefits of this are that there's often more space and less crowds. And the trees are beautiful! A friend of mine celebrated their birthday in Newstead Park recently and it had been years since I'd hung out there. We had an afternoon full of food, friends and fun. There's an infectious relaxed vibe to the place and it's hard not to relax when watching the City Glider ride by on the river. Oh, the river! It looks so beautiful from the angle, especially on a beautiful day. It would be a beautiful place to host a wedding or any special occasion. Another friend of mine from overseas has fond memories of Newstead Park and maintains that some of his best times in Australia were simply spent taking a picnic there with some friends and kicking a football around for an afternoon. It proves that it's one of the best picnic spots in all of Brisbane.

This park is small but perfectly formed. The river curves beautifully around the manicured lawns…read moreand there's plenty of gorgeous old trees for shade. Kids can roll around and scream without bothering anyone, and adults can eat cheese and sip wine while enjoying a relaxing afternoon (what is it about the river that just instantly chills you out?) This is definitely a great picnic spot and although it is popular it never feels too crowded.

Did you know before I saw this park, I thought the Mansfield Place Wishart park was one of the…read morebetter ones for kiddies to go to... but I stand corrected. This park has all you need for your kids to have a super great time: 1) Shade - lots of shade for everyone, not just a big tree people hog! 2) A huge ass play area - which stretches about 50 meters! 3) Lots of things for little kids and big kids to play on, with space between so the little ones don't get clobbered! 4) It's across the road from Oxford St, hello... cafes! Restaurants! Food when they get feral. I love this park, it's definetely the best one. I stand corrected. It's in such a great neighbourhood too, really close to the Bulimba ferry which means... close to the water!

This little patch of land by the river seems to be a sop the developers provided to the council…read more(probably in exchange for some prime riverside land). There's not much in the way of trees (although they are growing as fast as they can bless them). There is a kids play ground and a fenced off leash dog area so if you have kids or pets you will no doubt see the point of visiting.

Wow, this park is pretty huge, but then again it does happen to be a river-side inner-city park so…read moreI probably shouldn't be all that surprised. In fact it makes a pretty nice end to the river-side walk that I took when I was last in Brisbane, and the park itself really does bring that trip to a lovely conclusion. There is quite a lot of shade, and also there is a converted factory to one side, which cafes and a bar. Yeah, this place is pretty good.

Just the best park in the Central Brisbane area. Beautiful gardens, roses, shady trees, great kids…read moreplay area. The Brisbane Powerhouse, Watt Restaurant and Bar Alto right on the park. Plus the beautiful river with a Citycat Terminal and Bus Stop right there. Always busy on weekends and find weather. The Rotunda is used for Weddings and small gatherings. Personal trainers, tai chi instructors use the large grassed areas. And there is a wonderful range of new bbq's and seating down by the river. Visit it often as the roses seem to go all year. The Farmers Market is there every second Saturday and it booms! Take a picnic, a ball, a kite, there is plenty of room. It's flat so easy for the elderly, it's also right there for the Free music or comedy from the Powerhouse. And you can keep walking along from the Park using the fabulous riverwalk all the way to Teneriffe. Just the best spot in Brissie for a weekend.

Downey Park is home to a lot of sports associations in Brisbane. The Women's Hockey Association of…read moreBrisbane, the Softball Association as well as the Brisbane Table Tennis Association can all be found along Downey Park. It is THE park to go to if you're an avid sports person of almost any kind. They've got heaps of basketball courts, and a grassy area with basketball hoops there if you just want to practice shooting hoops. They've got at least two football sized fields for use. A bikepath runs past Downey Park and so cyclists can either continue on or have a rest stop at the park. At the southern end of the park, there's a fenced off lease dog area with training jumps put in place for owners who want to train their dogs or teach them tricks. The sporting options are many, and the facilities are fantastic there. It's a great park that really allows you to do everything you could possibly want to do in a park, except perhaps skate. No skating facilities. Other than that, Downey Park is your oyster.

I was one of those kids who tried just about every sport available to me in the hope that I would…read moreexcel in one. I sucked at them all and eventually came to terms with the fact that I'm just not athletic. In fact, I'm totally uncoordinated and pretty much the last person you should pick in that humiliating team selection game thing. My sporting pursuits meant that I spent a lot of time at Downey Park. Whether I was tripping over clods of dirt on the hockey fields, tripping over the bases on the softball diamonds, or tripping over a painted line on the netball courts (do you see a pattern here?), I was always at Downey Park on a Saturday morning in one hideous uniform or another. Because I live quite nearby, even though I've given up my dreams of Olympic gold I still come to Downey Park quite often. For one thing they have a nice big enclosed dog park area at the back which is ideal for my two crazy terriers, but there's also a nice walking path along the creek which will lead you to City Farm. The playground at Downey Park was recently redone and now includes a dizzying whirly-gig that I can never walk past without taking for a spin and some swings under the shade of big jacarandas. There's always something to do at Downey Park, even for those of us who are athletically-challenged.

Every time I'm in Brisbane, this IS the place to visit. There is always some type of event going on…read moreon the weekends. One of the greatest was the week long Buddhist celebration ! All free with amazing entertainment and educational presentations. Good food, too. Children's play areas, benches along the river to be able to just sit, talk, watch the river traffic and wildlife. You can board the free ferry boats to other areas of Brisbane from here. Swim from the beaches, or walk through the beautiful gardens. Or, take a nap on the expansive, warm grass . . . . . Christmas lighting etc. is indescribable. You should try a 'warm weather' Christmas and New Year start.

How anyone could give this less than five stars is beyond me. The substantial length of riverfront…read morespace includes several artificial pools, even one with a beach (you wouldn't want to go in the river anyway), a rainforest walk, some kind of Nepali temple, a ferris wheel, docks for boats, and about a thousand other things. You'll spend some money if you go to one of the nearby eateries, for sure, or on parking if you drive, but the place itself is free and open. Split bike and pedestrian walkways and ample transit access make this area a frequent stop for commuters and tourists, and numerous attractions abound nearby, but here's the really good news: it's in Brisbane. Brisbane is not that crowded. So, unlike some of the public parks and water-based attractions in the really major cities (sorry, Brisbanites), you can actually find some space here, even during peak hours in the summer. The only reason not to come is if you've run out of sunscreen.

Like many of Brisbane's parks, Woolcock has gone over the last decade from being nothing more than…read moredirt, grass and a few lonely old swings to a respectable modern park. Woolcock is part of Brisbane's sweeping overhaul of park beautification and standardisation: sprawling, rolling and well-maintained grass; a playground including awesome swings that regrettably weren't around when I was a kid; and a path for power-walkers... in Woolcock's case, the path is stone and called Reflexology Walk. I'm no reflexology follower, but after loudly reading the sign with amusement I figured if I was going to talk the talk then I'd better walk the walk, so off went the shoes and I was taking the path to better health. Well, that's what the sign said; aside from the pleasant sensation of smooth pebbles on my feet, I did not develop the inferred health superpowers. However, it snakes by a creek and call me a cynic but it's damn pretty. Overall, like a park should be, the vibe is relaxed. Though not officially a dog park, many people bring their pets here for friendly interaction and some off-leash playing. The park also draws in a weekend crowd of families wanting to BBQ somewhere picturesque and not overcrowded: no one likes having to duel a stranger with tongs for the rights to a picnic bench. In terms of events, around a year ago I accidentally stumbled upon a fair at Woolcock. Though I'm not sure what it was in aid of, there were many real estate company tents set up, looking lonely beside stalls selling trinkets and fairy floss. People with dogs chatted with others about their respective pets and blocked the pathway (me included). There was also a sausage sizzle which I lined up for and heartily enjoyed even though I knew the meat was probably 40% cardboard. My dog also loves it here, as it's frequented by some of the people outside of our family who can actually stand her.

Ah Woolcock Park. I lived around the corner from here in 2002 and was among the first residents…read moreto enjoy the then newly upgraded facilities. I used to congregate here with my friends for a vegie-q, some yo ho ing and maybe a spot of fire stick twirling. Look I was young alright? It's nice to see the facilities have been well maintained in the intervening decade. This is a lovely park for families, friends or, yes, groups of urban hippies to enjoy and the BBQ's are still available (God I love that Brisbane parks have BBQ's, take that Melbourne! We finally win a point!) If you're in the area this is a little urban oasis that you should definitely come visit.

I went to this park and after being there for about an hour my son got ejaculated on by 6 teenage…read moreboys. I have tried to locate these boys on facebook and contact their parents to do something about it but nothing. This park is not safe for kids DO NOT GO HERE