Nature in the City | Brisbane's Natural areas

I arrived in Brisbane about five weeks ago. Since then, I’ve been taking life at a slower pace. I’m going to be here for a little while, the longest I’ve settled in the past few months. I’m working, and I’ve found myself a place to rent not too far from the CBD. 

I loved living life on the road again after my seven weeks in Adelaide. A week’s adventures in Tasmania, and then road tripping from Melbourne to Brisbane via Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Port Macquarie, Byron Bay, and the Gold Coast. My highlights – not including all the laughter and coffees shared with friends, of which there were a lot – were the views of the mountains, the sunrise swimming and surfing, the coastal walks. Whilst Sydney is an iconic city, and the Gold Coast is an impressive sight when you walk along the beach, it was the beauty of the natural areas I found most fulfilling.

I love to be surrounded by greenery, I find it refuelling and vital. Over the past months, I've fallen in love with the beach all over again, I've been mesmerised by the water and its patterns. Now, I’m in a city again, it’s very easy to feel far away from nature and the natural world. But I’ve found that Brisbane, besides being a city of large architecture and traffic, has its way of keeping things green.

I visited Roma Street Parklands a couple of weeks ago. I arrived and, after some confusion finding my way from the bus station that Apple Maps had led me to, to the parklands themselves – I had to go up an escalator! – I immediately filled up my water bottle. It was a hot day and the sun was crisping up every inch of skin it landed on. Water topped up, I decided to see where my feet took me, and first came to a man-made waterfall structure where a rainbow leapt out of the rush. It wasn’t long until I almost stumbled over the body of one of the hundreds of lizards I saw that day. Some of which were teeny tiny geckos, and others were scaly, bearded creatures, absorbing sun into their leathery skin until a human’s foot came too close and they scampered, their legs rising and falling in humorous, circular motions. 

I came upon a big lake with a fountain in the middle. Past that, the trees grew closer and became a rainforest. I love Queensland’s diversity of plants, you can really see the tropical climate in them. Next, I headed upwards, and caught sight of the kaleidoscopic arrangement of flowers being tended to. Mother’s Day was approaching and I could see ‘MUM’ spelled out in flowers. The heat was getting to me now, I craved a sit down, and when I came across the parklands’ outdoor amphitheatre, I knew I’d found my spot. I spent an hour on the grass, reading until I finished the book in my hand and the late afternoon sun turned to shade. 

Just beneath Brisbane’s CBD is the city’s Botanic Garden. Another day, I briefly explored some of the area in the sunshine, trying to hide my snacks from the ibis that patrolled, eyes poised for anything they could stick their unsettlingly long beaks into. Something I appreciated about these gardens was the quiet you could find there, even though you can see the city poking above the trees. The juxtaposition almost makes the natural feel more magical – it certainly reminds me to be grateful that it’s there, that the city isn’t just concrete and tarmac. 

More recently, I returned to the garden for ‘Botanica: Contemporary Art Outside’. I went with a friend after dark to see the garden lit up in a new way. There we came across a variety of installations. The first was a performance piece that used tulle, smoke, and bubbles that popped into swirls of gas when touched. We explored the sounds and sight of a fluorescent weaving structure – a very sensory experience. We were fascinated by ‘Blue Butterfly Effect’, a collection of mechanical butterflies that moved in relation to humans (and their bluetooth connected devices) passing by. The whole experience was themed around sustainability. I didn't purchase anything from the food vans or bar that were also on sight, but I would be interested to know if this was extended to all the processes used in making the event, and not just for the art aspect. Art that engages with sustainability is vital, but it's also important that the actions behind an event that shines a spotlight on the environment are caring too. Regardless, this was a very wholesome and refuelling way to spend a Friday night.

Another space where I’ve felt the joy of greenery and nature is the plant store and coffee shop, The Plant Bunker. The Plant Bunker is a beautiful haven of green on an otherwise industrial street in Milton. With pots of plants all over the shop – covering tables, levels of shelves, the floor, even hanging! – the store feels like an immersive wonderland. They sell plants, of course, plus items to take care of them, decorations, trinkets, and more.

They also do excellent coffee.

Having grown up in Brisbane over ten years ago now, it is so exciting to be rediscovering the city as an adult. Knowing myself more and what I value, I’m glad that I can find these things in a place that means a lot to me from experiences years ago.