Eight Mile Plains: Parks, The Glen Hotel and Getting There

Eight Mile Plains is a south Brisbane suburb about 20 minutes by car from the CBD, best known for the South East Busway station at its southern end, a fenced dog park at Holmead Park and The Glen Hotel, a pub that has been trading since 1865. It is more of a local stop than a big day out, so it works best as a lunch, a dog walk or a playground visit.

The name comes from early settlement days. It refers to the area’s flat terrain and its distance of about 8 miles (13 km) from One Mile Swamp, now Woolloongabba.

Holmead Park: fenced dog park

Brisbane City Council’s off-leash dataset lists a fully fenced dog off-leash area at Holmead Park, with a small dog enclosure. It does not have lighting, so plan to go in daylight. Council does not list toilets or other facilities in that dataset, so bring water for yourself and your dog.

The Glen Hotel

The Glen Hotel is at the corner of Logan Road and Gaskell Street. It started as Baker’s Hotel, which opened in 1865, and the hotel says it is among the oldest continuously trading licensed premises in Queensland. Cobb and Co. coaches stopped there daily by 1875, when it was The Eight Mile Plains Hotel, and it became The Glen in 1927.

Today the venues include Lily restaurant, Alphonsus Pizza (wood-fired Neapolitan pizza in a courtyard), Charles Baker Donuts and Coffee, and The Deck, a casual dining area with a gazebo for families. The Deck’s verandah looks over a kids’ playground with a double slide, a tractor and a caterpillar tunnel, and the hotel lists free secure parking. The hotel’s pages do not give opening hours, so check its website before you go.

Heritage in Eight Mile Plains

Two heritage-listed buildings are in the suburb: Hughesville, a timber house from 1892 and 1893 at 2497 Logan Road, and St Johns Lutheran Church at 24 Levington Road, dedicated in 1951. Hughesville and the church are on private grounds, so look from the street rather than planning a stop inside.

Getting around by busway

Eight Mile Plains busway station on Miles Platting Road opened on 30 April 2001 and is in Translink fare zone 2. It is the southern stop on the South East Busway, with a park ‘n’ ride and many bus routes, so it is the easiest way to arrive without a car.

A simple half day in Eight Mile Plains

If you want to see the suburb rather than just pass through it, this is an easy route by car. Start at Holmead Park so the dog gets a run in daylight. Drive to The Glen Hotel at the corner of Logan Road and Gaskell Street for lunch, and let the children use the playground while you sit on The Deck verandah. Free secure parking at the hotel means you only need to park once.

If you are travelling by bus, get off at Eight Mile Plains station on Miles Platting Road. The suburb is spread out along Logan Road and the motorways, so check the walking distance on the Translink Journey Planner or a map before you set off on foot.

Brisbane Technology Park, which opened in 1986 on Logan Road and Miles Platting Road, is also in the suburb, but it is a business park rather than a place to visit.

Planning your visit

• How long: an hour for the dog park, or a couple of hours for a meal at The Glen.
• Best time: daylight for Holmead Park, which has no lights.
• Cost: the parks are free.
• Dogs: off-leash only inside the fenced area at Holmead Park; keep dogs on a lead elsewhere in Brisbane parks.

Getting there and parking

By car, Eight Mile Plains is about 16 km from the Brisbane CBD, about 20 minutes by car without traffic. Bulimba Creek forms the northern and western edge of the suburb, the Gateway Motorway the north-eastern edge and the Pacific Motorway the south-eastern edge. By public transport, take the South East Busway to Eight Mile Plains station and plan your trip on the Translink Journey Planner. The Glen Hotel offers free secure parking.

Nearby

• Karawatha Forest – bushland walks, about 15 minutes by car from the busway station.
• Mount Gravatt Lookout – city views, about 15 minutes by car from the busway station.
• Sunnybank – the neighbouring suburb, known for its food.
• Indooroopilly – another Brisbane suburb to pair with a southside day.

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