Roma Street Parkland

Wow, this Roma Street Parkland is massive! It's 11 hectares right in the heart of Brisbane, which is pretty incredible for a city center. Apparently, it's the world's largest subtropical garden in a city, which I can totally believe with all the different themed gardens and recreational areas I'm seeing. There are so many pathways and boardwalks winding through waterways and rocky spots, plus I've noticed some cool artworks by 16 local artists scattered around.

You can get in from the Roma Street railway station, which is right next door and where the park gets its name, even though it doesn't actually face Roma Street itself. There are also entrances from Albert Street and from the old Albert Park area on Wickham Terrace. Most of the park is open 24 hours, which is handy, but I did notice the Spectacle Garden and Rainforest Walk have more restricted hours, from dawn till dusk. If you're driving, there's a car park with road access from the intersection of Wickham Terrace, College Road, and Gregory Terrace.

It's wild to think this whole area was once a bustling railway goods yard. Indigenous people used it for thousands of years for meetings and ceremonies before the Brisbane settlement started in 1825. Then, in 1875, a railway terminal popped up, and it just kept growing. They did a huge excavation between 1911 and 1934, moving over half a million cubic meters of earth, which permanently changed the landscape and created the escarpment we see today. It was even super important during WWII for moving war supplies and personnel. Eventually, the railway operations moved in 1991 because of all the changes in freight handling.

Then, in 1995, they announced it would become parkland, and construction started in 2000, opening to the public in 2001. The design team, 'PARC', even won an award for the innovative concrete finishes before the park even opened! Oh, and I spotted a statue of Gandhi here, unveiled by Narendra Modi in 2014 during the G20.

There's also an amphitheater here, which has been around for decades, even before the parkland was established. They still have plays and concerts here, and Moonlight Cinema even runs an outdoor cinema during the summer. Apparently, the Lord Mayor's Christmas Carols used to be held here before Riverstage was built. It’s pretty cool that this place has such a rich history and is still so vibrant. It even has a Green Flag Award, which is a big deal for green spaces worldwide.