Fifty years of the Brisbane Botanical Gardens, in colour.

The Botanical Gardens in the City of Brisbane began as part of the Government Gardens. Originally the garden was a mixture of crops and early acclimatisation planting, tended to by convict labour.

When Thomas Dowse (Old Tom) arrived in the fledgling settlement in 1842, he saw the Government Gardens in their glory. A few years later, the rush of settlement saw the site raided for useful plants by new arrivals, and what was left was destroyed by grazing livestock.

RECURRING to that remote period of our early history, when the Government Gardens stood in their pristine beauty adorning the banks of our beautiful river, one cannot but regret — though they have been wonderfully regenerated under the careful and skilful management of the present director, Mr. W. Hill — that the many valuable trees, shrubs, and plants brought to the district from various parts of the globe at much trouble and expense, should have been allowed to be destroyed.

In about twelve months after the settlement was thrown open, scarcely a vestige remained of the gardens, with the exception of a few large trees.

Old Times. The Settlement. By Old Tom, 1869.

The 1870s – the Curator’s hard work pays off as the Gardens start to come to life.

Walter Hill had laboured ceaselessly throughout the 1860s, creating a public space that satisfied both the need for the Gardens to be “nice” in the English manner, and the desire to show tropical planting to its best advantage.

The Botanical Gardens in front of (old) Government House in 1875.
Another view of the Gardens in 1875, with the river glimpsed in the background.
In 1878, there was a little island, with wooden footbridges.
1875: What would soon be lushly planted is still quite open and formal.
Walter Hill, the man who revived the Gardens.

We commence the navigation between Brisbane and the railway terminus, a distance by water of some fifty odd miles, the whole distance teeming with interest. The first and most prominent in the vicinity of Brisbane, is that of the Botanic Gardens, under the able management of Mr. Walter Hill And permit me, my dear gossiping friend, to remark en passant that we Queenslanders owe a debt of gratitude to Mr Hill for his untiring energies in testing the capabilities of our soil and climate.

Old Times. The Settlement. By Old Tom, 1869.

1880s – after Walter Hill – refining and building on his legacy.

A view of the entrance gates to the Botanical Gardens in 1884. And possibly a cab rank to the left.
A view of the Curator’s Cottage in 1884.
The Gardens with the steps up to the Curator’s Cottage in 1889. Four years later, it would be under water.

The 1890s – before and after the deluge.

In the early 1890s, greenhouses and decorative installations were the order of the day in the gardens. Then, in February 1893, a disastrous flood put most of the site under water.

An impressive greenhouse allowed the cultivation of exotic plants.
“Egad, I rather hope Muriel doesn’t want a contraption like this in our back yard!” In 1891, a man gazes at a decorative installation in the garden. This was decades before a quick trip to a garden centre was a possibility.
People strolling along the paths in 1890, enjoying a mixture of tropical greenery and formal pathways.
The Curator’s Cottage, which was on a hill, was submerged by the floodwaters.
The gunboat Paluma and two other vessels were washed up on the destroyed shore of the Botanical Gardens.

The 1900s – a new nation, and a popular gathering-place.

On 1 January 1901, in the brutal heat of a Queensland summer, Brisbane put on its Sunday best and assembled in the Botanical Gardens to celebrate the fact that they now lived in a nation, and not a colony.

Someone brought their camera, and took some evocative (and frankly, charmingly crooked) photographs of the celebrations.

Crowds gathered at the bandstand, 1 January 1901.
This image’s caption states that these young ladies were singing on Federation Day at the Gardens.
Hats and parasols weren’t just fashion – they were a necessity in subtropical heat.
A view of the bandstand and formal gardens in 1908.
The fern house in 1907.
A water fountain – ideal for sailing toy boats – in 1900.

The 1910s – the Gardens became quite the place to be.

Relaxing in the shade at the Botanical Gardens in 1911.
The drinking fountain in the Gardens in 1910.
In 1910, a group of ladies enjoyed a tranquil moment on the Bamboo Island.
A day out in the Gardens – promenading and the now expanded fountain area.

OLD TIMES. By Old Tom. THE SETTLEMENT.-(Continued.) Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld.: 1866 – 1939), Saturday 31 July 1869, page 2.
OLD TIMES. By Old Tom. THE SETTLEMENT.-(Continued). Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld.: 1866 – 1939), Saturday 14 August 1869, page 2.

All images from the digital collection of the State Library of Queensland, and are out of copyright. AI colourisation by Copilot.

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