Mount Coot-tha Lookout

Mount Coot-tha is part of the Taylor Range which forms a backdrop of hills to the City of Brisbane. == Description ==

The Mount Coot-tha Lookout and Kiosk are located at the summit of Mount Coot-tha fronting Sir Samuel Griffith Drive to the southeast. The kiosk The kiosk, located to the north of the lookout, is a single-storeyed timber building on a stone base with a terra-cotta tiled gable and half-gable roof. The roof has a prominent central fleche ventilator, terra-cotta finials and chimney pots, and half-timbered gables. The building has evolved from an open sided kiosk, and the main section is formed by two adjoining similar kiosk structures, with a two-storeyed service wing to the rear and an addition to the northeast. The kiosk section has sliding multi-paned sash windows which can be concealed within the solid balustrade below, and multi-paned fanlight glazing above. The balustrade has fibrous cement panels with timber mouldings. The service wing and northeast addition have weatherboard cladding, with a brick base to the northeast. A tall timber framed tankstand is located to the north of the building. The lookout The lookout is located at southern and highest end of the site, with views from the south to the northeast. It consists of a large radiating lookout platform above a porphyry stone retaining wall, surrounded by metal balustrading with a raised viewing platform at the southern end. The octagonal raised viewing platform is located on a stepped base of concentric paths and garden beds with porphyry stone retaining walls. The platform has a terrazzo floor with an inlaid brass star pattern and a concrete canopy supported on steel posts. A carpark is located to the west of the lookout. == Heritage listing ==

Mount Coot-tha Lookout & Kiosk was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 13 January 1995 having satisfied the following criteria. '''The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history.''' The Mount Coot-tha Lookout and Kiosk site has been recognised as the best vantage point from which to view the surrounding area since the first recorded European ascent in 1828. Since this time, the growing popularity of visiting the summit has reflected the emergence of leisure and recreation time for the general populace, and the advent and popularity of the motor car. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places. The Kiosk is important as a building which has evolved to meet the changing requirements of use, but has retained the integrity and character of the original structure. The evolution of the Kiosk is displayed in its cohesive and legible form, with the c.1918 structure forming the basis of the present building. The Lookout is representative of a 1950s interpretation of the functionalist idiom. The place is important because of its aesthetic significance. Both structures are representative of the high quality of civic architecture produced by the Brisbane City Council Works Department and of the City Architect. == References ==