BBQ at Kholo Gardens

BBQ at Kholo Gardens, originally uploaded by EclipseAu.

On the agenda for Smythville today was a BBQ with some mates.

Shane and Leila were back in Country from Riyadh and Abu Dhabi and were keen for a meetup so we organised a little soiree at Kholo Gardens.
It was awesome to catch up with everyone outside of work. We need to do this more often.

After everyone left we took the girls for a walk in the rainforest creek. On the way back up CB started screaming and ran out of the water crying. To our surprise she had nearly stood on a snake in the creek.

We stood and watched it for a while and it just stayed there, its head just sticking up through the water until I went down to have a closer look, then it disappeared under the water.

Some Info about Kholo Gardens:

The Kholo Botanical Gardens is a small park located on a bluff overlooking the Brisbane River with a path leading down to the river.

The park was established in 1988 as a bicentennial project. It has two 1878 vintage pump wells on site, the original source of water for the ‘city’ of Ipswich.

Featuring significant remnant vegetation has been enhanced with more ornamental native plants combined with a few exotic species. A protected gully has been restored to preserve local rainforest species and a boardwalk created to maximise enjoyment of the experience.

Of interest in the Gardens are the 50m tall Queensland Kari pine and 60m tall hoop pine planted by early settlers. A number of water features including water falls and ponds attract native birds and provide restful spots for family picnics on the nearby lawns.

For public use covered cooking facilities are present and further development will include refurbishment of the historic “Woollen Mills” homestead relocated to the site, additional parkland improvements and upgrades to park amenities.

The Kholo Botanic Gardens has been overlooked on tourist destination booklets however it is a location that provides an ideal escape on weekends for families, couples, bird watchers and plant lovers.

Address: Kholo Botanical Gardens, Riverside Road, Kholo, Ipswich