Mt Coot-tha was originally home to the Turrbal Aboriginal people and the name derives from the aboriginal word for honey, 'kuta.' It has had a varied history of logging, gold mining and as a military base. Today the area offers over 50 kilometres of walking tracks and it is a popular area for people training to do the Kokoda Trail in PNG.
Today was very hot, so thank goodness we got an early start. We left home by 6:00 a.m. and by 7:30 we were walking through the Brisbane Botanical Gardens and onwards up to the summit of Mt Coot-tha via a steep trail in the energy-sapping heat. While recuperating at the summit cafe with a well-earned coffee and cake, the lovely view of Brisbane became encased in clouds and we were cooled with a delicious downpour. Mt Coot-tha was originally home to the Turrbal Aboriginal people and the name derives from the aboriginal word for honey, 'kuta.' It has had a varied history of logging, gold mining and as a military base. Today the area offers over 50 kilometres of walking tracks and it is a popular area for people training to do the Kokoda Trail in PNG. The trail down was much easier and we then spent a very pleasant couple of hours exploring the magnificent gardens, followed by a picnic lunch by a cool pond. 13 kilometres in all, but as I always say, hill kilometres count as more than flat ones. Brisbane is lucky to have two botanic gardens - the City Botanic Gardens on the Brisbane River near QUT in the city centre and the Mt Coot-tha Gardens at the base of Mt Coot-tha. The latter were founded in 1970 and include a tropical dome, a fern house, Japanese garden, bonsai house and a variety of rainforests and lagoon areas. The well-established 56 hectare gardens feature more than 20,000 plants. It is a peaceful haven to escape to from the bustling city. Throughout the Botanic Gardens are delightful pieces of art that blend perfectly with the surroundings.
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