At a glance
New Farm Park is a park in the Brisbane suburb of New Farm. Brisbane City Council says it was created in 1914, is one of the city’s oldest and best-known parks, and is listed in the Queensland Heritage Register. Other sources give different early dates; see the history section. Council pages give two different street addresses for it, so this guide does not quote one. Use a map app and check the council page before you go. This guide leaves out opening hours, fees and event dates because they change.
What is in the park
As listed on the council page, checked 9 November 2026, the park has two playgrounds, taps, water bubblers and toilets, a coffee kiosk, New Farm Library, a basketball half court, tennis courts, a croquet club and an Edwardian bandstand rotunda. The council suggests visitors admire the rose gardens, jacarandas and poincianas. Council’s park vision leaflet adds an internal ring road, sporting fields for croquet, tennis and football, and picnic facilities beside the playground areas.
Name and heritage values
The park carries a dual name. Council says the area is known to Aboriginal people as Binkinba, meaning “place of the land tortoise”, and that it adopted the dual name in October 2004. The same leaflet says the park was created in 1914, with a kiosk and bandstand built the following year. The council’s planning material describes the historic bandstand as one of the park’s elements of high significance. Council’s Your Say page also lists the views, mature trees and croquet club, along with the ring road and paths that come from the original design.
In late 2021 Council asked the community what mattered most, and more than 535 people took part in its online survey. The five features people valued most were open green space, well-established trees, views to the river, feature gardens, and paths for walking and cycling.
Roses and jacarandas
According to the Museum of Brisbane, the park was officially opened in 1919, with rose plants laid in the ground some years earlier. The ABC reported in 2018 that 800 roses were planted in 1916. Queensland Places credits the famous rose beds to Harry Oakman. The ABC adds that Oakman, as head gardener, redesigned the beds in the 1940s so roses were grouped by variety and colour, and that parts of his spiral design remain near the bandstand.
Rose numbers are reported inconsistently, so this guide does not pick one. The museum says some 20,000 roses filled the gardens by 1936, while the ABC says a state tourism bureau reported about 20,000 by 1940. The museum article says more than 7,000 rose bushes fill the gardens today, though the article is undated. The ABC’s 2018 report put the garden at about 2,500 roses, with Council hoping to reach 5,000. The ABC also says floodwater covered the beds in silt during the 1974 floods and many original plants were lost.
The council points visitors to the park’s jacarandas, though they did not begin here. The Museum of Brisbane says the first jacaranda planted in Australia was most likely in the Brisbane Botanic Gardens in 1864. For timing, see Brisbane Jacaranda Season Guide.
A short history
Sources differ on the park’s early dates. Brisbane City Council says it was created in 1914 and has been used as a council park since 1914. Queensland Places says the Council took over the park in 1913, and the Museum of Brisbane says it was officially opened in 1919. Queensland Places also says a racecourse was laid out at New Farm in 1846 and used until 1861. The Museum of Brisbane says the January 1974 floods left much of the park destroyed, and Queensland Places says about half of the park flooded in January 2011. For the wider story, see The Great Flood of 1974 Explained.
Getting there by river
As listed on the council page, checked 9 November 2026, the park’s facilities include a New Farm Park ferry terminal, and the council’s CityCat guide calls it an easy stop-off for the park. The same council page says the New Farm Park River Hub offers access to the park and Brisbane Powerhouse via the Brisbane River. See Brisbane CityCats and Ferries Guide for services, and check Translink for current timetables.
With a dog
As listed on the council page, checked 9 November 2026, leashed dogs are welcome at New Farm Park, and the council points owners wanting off-leash time to the nearby dog off-leash area at Powerhouse Park. More tips are in Brisbane With Dogs: Travel Tips.
Plan your visit
Look at the council’s page for current facilities, closures and booking rules before you travel. For other green spaces, see Best Parks in Brisbane.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take my dog to New Farm Park?
As listed on the council page checked 9 November 2026, leashed dogs are welcome; the council points to Powerhouse Park for off-leash.
Can I get to New Farm Park by ferry?
As listed on the council page checked 9 November 2026, the council lists a New Farm Park ferry terminal among the facilities.
Does New Farm Park have playgrounds?
As listed on the council page checked 9 November 2026, the council lists two playgrounds among the park facilities.
What does the name Binkinba mean?
Brisbane City Council says Binkinba is the Aboriginal name for the area and means ‘place of the land tortoise’; the dual name was adopted in October 2004.
