The Cacti and Bromeliad House

A stroll through The Cacti and Bromeliad House located within the 52-hectare Brisbane Botanic Gardens at Mt Coot-tha offers garden enthusiasts a great display of plants to pore over.

If this exhibit is your first spot to check out, it’s easily found by entering the gardens at the gate nearest the café and veering slightly left where you’ll see the building ahead on your right.

The Cacti and Bromeliad House is one of the many places of interest to discover if you’re following the Gardens Explorer Trail, which takes around 30-40 mins walk time, depending on your pace.

Creatively designed with the intentional use of different building materials, the house offers two diverse eco-climates, enabling it to present as a true contrast of plant environments.

The plants are varied in their origins, with a mix of Australian natives intertwined with plants from Asia, the Pacific Islands, the deserts of Africa, the Americas and parts of Canada.

The side that houses the cacti is, understandably, dry and needs to be watered less, whilst the side that is home to the lush bromeliads, orchids and ferns, is shaded and watered more frequently than its neighbour.

As you exit through the other side, you’ll stumble upon the Arid Region Plants, the Tropical Display Dome and the Fern House.

Good to know – There’s plenty of free parking available at Mt Cooth-tha Botanic Gardens, with overflow parking available across the road from the car park entrance. Brisbane City Council runs regular public bus services to the site, with the nearest bus stop right beside the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium.

Opening hours of the gardens in general:

8am-6pm Sept-Mar
8am-5pm Apr-Aug

Opening hours of the Cacti and Bromeliad House:

9am-4pm

By Danella Perrins

Looking for more things to check out in Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha, why not explore the zen Bonsai House, the peaceful Japanese Gardens, the fun Hide n Seek Children’s Trail, the educational Kitchen in the Garden, the humid Tropical Display Dome, the Arid Region Plants section, and more.

The gardens are the perfect place for a picnic, so pack your basket of gourmet goodies, or grab a drink and a bite to eat from the onsite cafe.