Brisbane’s newer botanic gardens near Mt Cootha were no match for the city gardens with one boundary against the Brisbane River. I wandered under an old banyan fig tree planted in the 1870s, savouring the shade. It may have been a native of India, but its expansive foliage was perfect under Brisbane’s heat.
Further into the gardens I discovered a macadamia tree, a Queensland native renowned for its tasty nuts. But I was eager to return to the mangrove walk.
I’d often followed the pier that circled over the river through mangroves. They weren’t attractive, but their importance couldn’t be underestimated. Mangroves not only held the banks in place, but were home to small creatures and birds; as well, they purified the water. When I arrived along the waterfront however, I discovered the walkway through the mangroves removed.
I liked that walk too.
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