Centenary Place

Some parts of Brisbane just need a little patch of green and the top end of the Valley is one of these, so Centenary Place is perfect. It’s like an oasis in the centre of a busy four way taking traffic into and out of the city and over the Story Bridge. It’s historic — opened in 1925 to celebrate 100 years of European settlement in Queensland — and green and shady and the best place to stop for a rest and cold drink after burrowing through the shops in the Valley all day. Oh, and there’s a statue of the great Scottish poet Robert Burns there too!

This place is a bit of a weird one. Weird and wonderful.
Technically, it’s a large median strip that divides two main roads that lead in and out of Brisbane city. Instead of cheap, lame council placed agapanthus being shoved in the median strips, Centenary Place is home to some beautiful old fig trees, some grass, and just charming little garden beds.
You’ll always find corporate types taking their shoes off and getting blades of grass between their toes on their lunch breaks, and couples who are having a romantic reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the screaming city.
If you’re walking from the Valley to the city, or vice versa, it’s a great place to stop and have a rest under the shade of an ancient old fig tree.