City Botanic Gardens

The City Botanic Gardens sit on Gardens Point at the foot of the Brisbane CBD, eighteen hectares of heritage planting wrapped in 1.2 kilometres of river frontage. Here is the fact that decides the trip: this is the botanic gardens that takes dogs. Brisbane Botanic Gardens at Mt Coot-tha, the other one, does not, and the two get mixed up constantly.

Leash status

On lead, everywhere, the whole time. Brisbane City Council manages the gardens and the leash rule is not zoned or timed, so there is no corner where you can let go. Bag the waste and bin it. There is no off-leash area inside the gardens at all: Council points dog owners across the river to the Kangaroo Point parks for that. Give the playground a wide berth and stay off the garden beds.

The walk

The perimeter and internal paths come to somewhere between 1.5 and 2.5 kilometres depending on how much you wander, flat the entire way and a mix of sealed paths and gravel, so it suits short legs, old legs and wheels. Take Weeping Fig Avenue in from the Alice Street entrance, under figs planted in the 1870s, then follow the river past lily ponds, a bamboo grove and a rainforest pocket among more than 600 plant species. AllTrails maps a 2.4 km circuit via Bunya Walk at an easy grade.

Water and terrain

Drinking fountains and taps are dotted through the gardens, and The Gardens Club cafe in the heritage Curators Cottage is dog-friendly, open 7am to 3pm weekdays and 7am to 4pm weekends. Bring your own bowl anyway. Water dragons bask on the paths and low walls, and the ponds hold eels, so a curious dog needs a short lead near the water.

Getting there and parking

The main entrances are off Alice Street at the city end, with the Riverwalk and Goodwill Bridge linking the gardens to South Bank and Kangaroo Point on foot. Parking in the CBD is expensive, so the ferries, the CityCat and the train all beat driving; the gardens sit within a short walk of several stops.

While you're out there

For the off-lead half of the day, James Warner Park Fenced Dog Park sits across the river at Kangaroo Point. The Story Bridge loop extends the walk into a proper circuit, and South Bank via the Clem Jones Promenade pairs the gardens with a riverside coffee run.

More options are on the Queensland dog friendly trails guide and the Brisbane City destination page.

Max: flat, shaded and fenced by the river on three sides, so it is the easiest CBD walk in Brisbane with a dog. Just remember it is the gardens that allow dogs, not the one at Mt Coot-tha.