A 15-minute drive or bus ride from the city, this huge bush reserve is topped by 287m Mt Coot-tha (more of a hill, really). On the hillsides you’ll find the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, walking trails and the eye-popping Mt Coot-tha Lookout . On a clear day you can see the Moreton Bay islands.
To get here via public transport, take bus 471 from Adelaide St in the city, opposite King George Sq ($6.10, 25 minutes). The bus drops you off at the lookout and stops outside the botanic gardens and planetarium en route.
Just north of the road to the lookout, on Samuel Griffith Dr, is the turn-off to JC Slaughter Falls, 700m along a walking track; plus a 1.5km Aboriginal Art Trail , which takes you past eight art sites with works by local Aboriginal artists. You can also hike to the lookout from JC Slaughter Falls (about 4km return – steep!). There’s a cafe and flashy restaurant at the top.
