Just west of Brisbane on Sir Samuel Griffith Drive. Brisbane has one botanic gardens in the centre of the city. This is the other one – and the better of the two. It has been laid out with great care on the lower slopes of Mount Coot-tha, which overlooks the western suburbs. The landscaped gardens take full advantage of the rising terrain, with pine woods on the highest slopes, falling to subtropical rainforest, complete with waterfalls. Below this there’s an excellent Japanese Garden, an arid zone, and an atmospherically controlled tropical dome filled with tropical and equatorial plants. The gardens also contain the Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, which is the largest in Australia (www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/facilities-recreation/arts-culture/sir-thomas-brisbane-planetarium); and there’s the Summit Restaurant, $$; tel. 07 3369 9922, which serves cream teas (and other food). The gardens themselves are open 8 am to 5.30 pm daily September – March and 8 am to 5 pm April – August; entry free (www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/facilities-recreation/parks-venues/parks/brisbane-botanic-gardens-mount-coot-tha).