Around the World (Again) Brisbane-Roma Parklands

Brisbane -Tuesday 26 Nov-Roma Parklands

I had heard from another hostel guest that this was well worth a visit and as I had seen it mentioned during my day out on the water, I thought today, it being a little overcast and cooler would be a good day to visit.

It isn’t far from the YHA, about 1km so easy to reach on foot. There are a few options to entering it but the two main ones are either the top one on College Close and the other being the one at Roma Street Station.

At the top of Roma Street is an area called the Barracks, so called because it adjoins the “who would ever believe it?” Victoria Army Barracks (must visit it seems to have a museum). This is also the area that backpackers do their shopping, it has a Sushi Restaurant, a small but wonderful Dim Sum stall (all fresh all hot and do try their amazing ginger chilli dip to go with them) there is a pharmacist’s, a few restaurants, some souvenir places Coles the Supermarket and the Hogs Breath Pub, good beer and events most nights.

1. Victoria Barracks

1a Barrack Block

I selected to do it the hard way, I went the long way right to the top entrance at the top , college Road, but it was a nice morning and I had made myself a good breakfast (bacon, scrambled eggs and fried tomatoes) before setting off. At the top I then followed a foot/cycle path (pedestrians beware), all the way back down to the entrance at College Close, I could have saved myself a good deal of effort, but this way I got to see the desert plant section, containing cacti of every shape and size.

Roma Parklands contains tropical and subtropical plants and trees from every continent (tropical and subtropical of course)

2. Cactii

Various

On the way down there are lots of warning notices telling you about being dive bombed by birds, this is the nesting season and they are only protecting their young. The path is quite shaded, with Paperbark Eucalyptus trees and shrubs harbouring large butterflies (which I failed miserably to photograph)

3. Bird Notice

4. Paperbark tree

5. White Frangipani

Pulmeria abtusa

6. Yellow Hibiscus

The pathway passed over the actual entrance to Fern Gully and so I eventually entered the Parklands proper via the Palm Garden entrance with its large Bronze and then into the Fern Gully.

7. Entrance fern Gully from above

8. A Bronze

This was the original source (not of the Nile but) of fresh water for the settlers back in the early years. It ran down from here along what is now Roma Street and then down Creek street and into the Brisbane River at Eagle wharf (now a very desirable area), but you know that already as you read about it on my boat trip (if you had been listening).

9. Entrance

10.Golden Candle, or Lollipop plant
(Pachystachys lutea) Peru

11. Watercourse

12. ferns

Fern Gully was full of bird (none dive bombed me) flora and butterflies (again I failed miserably).

13. Water cascade

14. Walkway

It goes through an area of rain forest and wet lands, Waterlily covered pools with its bird life, Moor hens with young hiding amongst the waterlilies (just in case you’re wondering, the big fella is not a moorhen but a bronze) and ducks also with some ducklings tagging along, strutting their thing on the boardwalk.

15. Yellow Waterlily
Nymphaea   Australia

16.  Dusky Moorhens
Gallinula tenebrosa

17 Australian Wood Ducks
Chenonetta jubata

I noticed a board walk and this lead to a small head land on a lake, the lake being the central feature of the Parklands.

18. fountain in lake

The Pandanus Headland had a couple of very interesting sculptures on it, One was depicting the early building of the railway (tools and other implements) the other is a corner of a settlers cabin.

19.Railway Bronze

20 Settlers Cabin

I backtracked and walked across the boardwalk and around the lake taking a rest in the free deckchairs (the Brisbane city fathers make sure there are a lot of free things for their visitors)and taking in the view, it was still quite early and not a lot of visitors were about, just me birds and butterflies in the main.

21 Deckchairs

22. View across lake

23. lake fountain

24 lake and hub

I then went to the Hub, this is as it suggest the place where all of the places to be visited radiate out from and incidentally where at 10:00 and 14:00 free tours start each day (except good Friday and Christmas day). Here is a water feature which spurts water in various directions at various times.

25. spurt  & 26. spurt

From there I entered the Colin Campbell place, this is the more formal part of the parklands with wonderful laid out flowerbeds in a fantastic display of colour and species (most of which I have no idea of the names of). I wandered around here for quite a while, photographing the plants and water feature.

27. garden plants - names to follow

28. garden plants - names to follow

 

29. Dumb Cane – Blue Ginger
Dieffenbachia Brazil

30. garden plants - names to follow

When setting out the Colin Campbell Place, they (whoever they were) decided to commission local artists to do pieces of art that would blend in with the garden, this I think they succeeded in very well.

Just before leaving there is a section of plants, shrubs and trees full of colour some just coming into bloom. Predominantly vivid reds and yellows.

34. Firebird flower
Halicona humilis 

35. Wild Ginger
Zingiber zerumbet India and SE Asia

36.Wild Ginger (different sort)

37. Wild Ginger (same as above but different from the first, I think)

 On leaving you pass the Weeping Fig Avenue,

38. Weeping figs
Ficus Benjamina Australia Asia

or you can go another way and visit the Amphitheatre, but I went for a third option and walked uphill along White Jacaranda Avenue, with its flower lined pathway.

This took me too the place I had been at right at the very beginning and if I had taken a left instead of the straight on would have been at least two hours earlier. Never the less, I did then discover the Memorial Corner, a place to remember the ANZAC and Australian Fallen in various conflicts. I stopped to reflect.

42. Gallipoli

43. Tobruk

 

44. Tobruk plaque

45. Vietnam

I then walked to the Harry Oakman Pavillion, passing various bird life some new to me and some not. I have since learned that Harry Oakman was the designer and main instigator of the Park as it is today.

46. Crested Pigeon

 Ocyphaps lophotes

48. Cicadabird

Coracina tenuirostris

 

49. pair of Australian Magpies

50. young Magpie

one is a bit of a bossy boots and tends to hide under bushes and hiss and jump out at you in the middle of the night (I had this experience about 20 years ago on a campsite while visiting the toilet after dark, almost didn’t need the toilet).

51. Bush Stone-Curlew

52. Three Stone-Curlews

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Harry Oakman Pavilion is the highest point and you can get a great panoramic view over much of the park and beyond.

53. view across park

I descended along a path that looked down on the Amphitheatre

54. Amphitheatre

 

There was a shrub full of little butterflies, I managed to capture one on film (all be it electronic these days), one in focus and alas one out. Ah well better than nowt!

55. Butterfly in focus

56. Butterfly out of focus

 

I reached a BBQ area, that was covered by a monster Fig tree (not the Mediterranean type), there a worker was cleaning the tables and grill ready for the next users, I stopped and had a chat with him and talked about the various types of Australian Fig Trees. I think I impressed him when I told him I had been to the largest in Australia up in North Queensland many years ago not only that but also knew about the strangler fig tree that is actaualy a vine and wraps itself round very large trees (normally Kori) and throttle it, the tree eventually dies but the vine is then able to stand alone.

57. BBQ area

The pathway took me past and through some tall palms and other exotic plants and their warming himself on the path was a largish lizard (well not komodo dragon size but still quite large).

58. Lizard on path

 

59. Lizard close up

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

60 shady palms

 

I then headed down to the exit at Roma Street, here at a area called Carriage Shed are toilets and seating, but also an ice cream place (well they do sell other things as well) and I partook of a well-earned double ice cone (Mango and Lemon). I sat on bench, beside the Queensland Greats Wall (I must admit most of whom I had not heard of) admiring the view across the events lawn and the water wall beyond.

61. Water wall

I also admired the antics of some old people (Older than I) having a great time they had gotten dressed up for the occasion, it was their Christmas Party, what a great way to spend a day.

62. Christmas Party.

I then walked through the Roma street station and across the bridge to the Library (it has become a daily stopping off point so that I can do my blog and read my e-mails (it’s the free WiFi thing you see).

I had a quick Skype with Linda she was up and getting ready for work, poor thing my heart bleeds, I then headed back towards the Barracks to have some Dim Sums and a pint in the Hogs Breath.

63. Dim Sums.

 

Back to the hostel for a Siesta, then dinner on the remains of my chilli from last night. There is a film evening twice a week in the hostel, I decided to watch this one (free popcorns), it was rubbish, Cyber-something or other, I left after about 20 minutes, the best thing about it was the popcorns. I decided to go to the reading room and read up a bit about the next part of my Journey Adelaide and Port Elliot.

N.B.

I will endeavour to get the names of the plants that I have missed over the next few days, bear with me I am on Holiday after all