The highest point in the Brisbane area at 287 metres above sea level, Mt. Coot-tha is 6 km west of the Brisbane Central Business District. Mt. Coot-tha offers the best views over the city, suburbs and outlying regions, including Moreton Bay and the Glass House Mountains. Visible from much of the city, Mount Coot-tha is a popular bushland tourist destination including the Brisbane Botanic Gardens and Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, as well as a mountain drive, bike trails, parks including a waterfall, and television and radio towers. Mount Coot-tha is the source of Ithaca Creek.

A restaurant and cafe at the summit near the lookout are favourite places for locals to take visitors and show off their city.

The lookout is part of Mt. Coot-tha Forest, which is a component of the massive Brisbane Forest Park which covers nearly 29,000 hectares. Brisbane Botanic Gardens, which cover 52 hectares, are situated at the foot of Mt. Coot-tha. The gardens are the second botanical gardens established in Brisbane. The original gardens, now known as the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens are located in the Brisbane CBD. The new gardens were developed by the City Council because the original city site could not be expanded and was flood prone. Free admission to Lookout.

Located adjacent to the entrance of the gardens is the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, which incorporates the Cosmic Skydome. Sir Thomas Brisbane, in addition to being the Governor of New South Wales after whom the city of Brisbane was named, was also a renowned astronomer who catalogued the southern skies of Australia during his term.

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Simpson Falls are located within the Mt Coot-tha Forest. The waterway formed by Simpson Falls is the western branch of the headwaters of Ithaca Creek. Approach from Sir Samuel Griffith Drive or Gap Creek Road, Mt Coot-tha. Limited parking is available. The area is popular with birdwatchers, who can see White-throated Treecreeper, Variegated Fairy-wren, Powerful Owl, Rose Robin and Varied Sitella.

There are several popular walking tracks around Mount Coot-tha, one of which includes an art display comprising works produced by local Aboriginal artists. The tracks vary in difficulty, with most involving some uphill sections or steps. Tracks around Mount Coot-tha are often used by hikers training to walk the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea as the terrain and climate are considered similar. One of the Mount Coot-tha trails, the Currawong trail, is named the Kokoda trail in honour of the Australian soldiers who marched the Kokoda Track during World War II.



The Western side of Mount Coot-tha Forest or Gap Creek Reserve as it is known to the locals is a haven for Brisbane mountain bike riders. The establishment of a world class mountain bike trail network by the Brisbane City Council has created a diverse range of recreational experiences for off-road cyclists.

The mountain bike trails at Mount Coot-tha have been assigned a grading under the International Mountain Bicycling Association, Trail Difficulty Rating System. The multi-use trails in Mount Coot-tha provide the least degree of technical challenge to mountain bike riders, however many of them are steep and loose. Riders are advised to pay special attention when riding over the erosion control banks (water bars) which have been the downfall of many a novice rider. The trail ratings provide a guide to the relative difficulty of each trail. The multi-use tracks are used by horses, pedestrians and mountain bikers. Each year orienteering events are held in the area.



Mt Coot-tha Aboriginal Art Trail showcases Aboriginal art in its natural setting. You can see how Aboriginal art is used as a way of mapping the land and passing on cultural information. The 1.5 kilometre walking trail features eight artworks. This includes the main gallery at the end of the track, which is an Aboriginal map of the whole site. Interpretation signs are provided at each location.

Contact: (07) 3369 9922. Brisbane Botanic Gardens website. Location: Sir Samuel Griffith Drive, Brisbane, QLD 4066.

How to get there: by car, proceed north along Riverside Expressway into Milton Rd, entrance on right at Toowong prior before commencement of Western Freeway; by Bus No. 471, or the Great City Circle bus (No. 598 or No. 599) from various suburbs.

Brief history: Before the Moreton Bay penal settlement, Mount Coot-tha was the home of the Yugarapul Aboriginal people. Early Brisbane people called it One Tree Hill when bush at the top of the hill was cleared except for one large eucalypt tree. The Aboriginal people of the area used to come to the area to collect ku-ta(honey) that was produced by the native stingless bee. Mount Coot-tha (Honey Mountain) is a derivative of the indigenous term which replaced the former title One Tree Hill in 1880 when the area was declared a Public Recreation Reserve.



During World War II, the hill was used as a military base by the RAAF and the US Navy. It was converted to a vast explosives depot and at one stage held more than 120,000 tonnes of high explosives, bombs, depth charges and materials used in the production of mines. When darkness fell the lookout bristled with search lights in an amazing display as soldiers kept an eye out for enemy planes. On 15 September 1945 there were 8 Officers and 179 enlisted men stationed at the US Naval Magazine at Mount Coot-tha. One of the few reminders of these activities is an open-air chapel once used by US military personnel. A picnic shelter t J.C Slaughter Falls stands on a concrete slab once used for a military building during World War II. It is located at the endof the road before the track to the summit of Mt. Coot-tha.