The Brisbane Botanic Garden is located 7 kilometres from the city centre in the suburb of Toowong, at the foot of Brisbane's highest mountain, Mount Kut-ta.
The original name of the garden, which sprawls over 52 hectares, was the Botanical Mount Kut-ta Botanical Garden. It was opened to the public in 1976 by resolution of the Brisbane City Council Brisbane City Council. It is the second botanical garden in the city. The first and older, known as the City Botanic Gardens, is located in Brisbane's the business centre of Brisbane. The gardens had to be divided because the plant collections grew and could no longer fit in one area.
Today at Mount Kut-ta Botanical Gardens offers several themed exhibits: the Tropical Tropical Dome, which opened in 1977 and is 9 metres high and 28 metres in diameter; Japanese Garden; Bonsai Garden; Fern Alley; an arid zone with cacti; exotic rain forest; temperate zone garden; bamboo thickets; Australian plant communities.
A particularly popular tourist attraction is the Japanese Garden, designed by Kenzo Ogata, one of the leading promoters of the fashion for traditional Japanese gardens. It is made in exact accordance with Japanese canons, but Australian trees were used to Australian trees, shrubs and flowers. The garden was transported to the Botanic Garden from the Japanese government pavilion at Expo '88. Visitors to the garden are greeted by a commemorative plaque from Brisbane City Council and the Japan Association, and at the entrance gate is a plaque with a calligraphic inscription by the then Prime Minister of Japan, Noboru Takeshita. On the The plaque is engraved in gold with the name of the garden "yu-tsui-en", which can be literally translated as "pleasure, blue-green, garden" and which means "Come to this garden and enjoy the blue water and green trees". The most captivating attractions of the garden are the stones, which depict mountains and symbolise "patience and the eternal passage of of time".
In 2005, a bamboo bush bloomed right at the gate of the Japanese Garden. Bamboo blooms very rarely - many bamboo lovers may never see it bloom in their entire lives. As usually happens in such cases, after the bamboo wilted and was replaced by another plant.
The Japanese Garden holds its annual Japanese Cultural Festival in September, where you can take part in a tea ceremony.
