Lined with towering trees and rolling lawns, Brisbane’s New Farm Park is not only the oldest park in the city but also one of its finest recreational highlights.
From a Farm to a Park
With a history that stretches back over a century, New Farm Park was once a farm that was used to cultivate crops that fed the convicts of the local prison. In the park’s history, it was then converted into a racecourse which was extremely popular during its heyday until the Eagle Farm Racecourse was set up back in 1863.
Conversion by Brisbane City Council
The racecourse fell into ruin and the wilderness took over the land until it was eventually bought by the Brisbane City Council during the period of the First World War. Harry Moore, the park’s first park superintendent and its finest by many estimates collaborated with renowned city builder Alfred Foster to create the park as we know it today.
Main Attractions
One of the key aspects of New Farm Park is that most of its original landmarks and features are still part of the landscape and this includes the spectacular bandstand designed by Alfred Foster back in 1915. The circular avenue full of Jacarandas and the picturesque rose garden closure are other highlights visitors can still explore today. The rose garden, in particular, was expanded in the 1950s and now includes nearly ten thousand blues of every colour imaginable. Travellers based at Oaks Casino Towers, or any of the many Brisbane city hotels near the park must take the time to witness the roses named after country legend Dolly Parton.
