Sherwood Arboretum — Attraction in Brisbane City

The free volunteer-guided walk helped with deeper insight and appreciation. One of our guides mentioned these are held monthly.

Details can be found on the Brisbane City Council website Events page - type "Sherwood Arboretum" in the "Search for an event" box, then scroll through the results to find the guided walk as there are a number of other regular events at the Arboretum such as Tai Chi Qigong and Billy's Buddies ball sports for kids that show up in the search results.

Our guides were engaging and knowledgeable about the features and history of the Arboretum, also Brisbane and nature more generally.

We were lucky enough to spot some colourful birds using the nesting boxes, and indications of a particularly elusive critter that I won't be a spoiler about but only say keep your eyes peeled in the mangroves. The kookaburras were effusive, and there were ducks out fossicking in the grass that didn't seem at all fazed when we walked amongst them.

The Arboretum has a variety of zones e.g. rainforest, wetland.

There are trees that most people probably would never encounter outside of an arboretum or botanical garden, and more common trees that are interesting within the setting for the ability to examine them closely and other factors such as the size some of them have attained due to being cared for in a controlled space away from competitors.

At certain trees, our guide showed us a small sample about the size of a bank card of timber from that tree and explained its uses.

There are fruiting trees including bush tucker such as the quandong with such intensely coloured fruit that it can almost look artificial. There are also flowering trees including the ylang ylang which is famous for its perfume.

In 2025, it is 100 years since the Arboretum was established. It has some new paved paths, a play/learning area under a large shady tree and some new plantings, so it has had a boost to its sprightliness for a...

Lovely wide open spaces and an interesting variety of mature trees. Best enjoyed in Autumn, in my experience, when the weather is cooler, grass is greener and the leaves are changing colours and falling. Great big open spaces for kids to play, kick a ball or throw a frisbee. Pond with ducks and the river provide a variety of settings for picnics and there a bbq's too. A word of warning, when we visited this park in early spring my young child was swooped repeatedly (for quite a long distance) by a magpie, not far from the playground. It gave him quite a shock as it just kept returning while we tried to get out of it's territory. So take caution during nesting season. Kids playground areas are good and shaded by large trees with toilets nearby. Great...

I love visiting the Sherwood Arboretum! It’s a peace of tranquility hidden within suburban Brisbane. All of the paths are well maintained and there is a broad walk down along the river. I enjoy the avenue of ancient trees, planted in 1925 if I remember correctly. The pond is fun to watch, filled with 4 species of turtles, various water fowl and fish. I was even lucky enough to spot a tawny frogmouth owl on my latest visit! There’s plenty of parking and lots of space to picnic. There is at least one gas bbq and numerous wood fired bbqs scattered throughout the Arboretum. There are 2 lovely playgrounds and plenty of grass for playing cricket,...