Allerton Garden

Enchanting is most accurate way to describe this “must-see” botanical garden on the south shore, located just across from Spouting Horn Park. A two-and-a-half-hour walking tour meanders through the gardens—ancient Moreton Bay fig trees, frangipani, heliconia and blue and red jade vines—fronting the house where the Allertons lived after purchasing the property in 1937 and then left in trust with an endowment for its upkeep. The most magical of sights is the bird’s-eye view of the 80-acre garden and the 1870s house, which once served as a retreat for Queen Emma, who started it all. The tram that transports visitors to the garden stops on a cliff above it, offering breathtaking views of the valley below. This is where Jurassic Park was filmed, and anyone who saw the movie will easily recollect the land where dinosaurs once roamed. Amazing, too, is the beach in front of Emma’s house, where sea turtles come to lay eggs each year (you can get to it only by boat).