Toowoomba, Queensland’s largest inland City, also known as the Garden City, is just over an hour’s drive from Brisbane, Queensland’s capital city.
Sitting 700 metres above sea level on top of the Great Dividing Range, Toowoomba’s fertile soils from this once active volcanic range reward us with beautiful parks and gardens. But wait, there is more!
Enjoy country charm along with culture, cool street art, artisans, great coffee, history, and theatre. It’s a city with something for everyone, even those that like their speed.
Tantalising Toowoomba’s top 9
1. Carnival of Flowers
One of the longest-running events in Queensland’s glowing calendar of activities, the Carnival of Flowers all began in Spring 1950 with a street procession that stretched three miles in length. Led by a bullock team and watched by a crowd estimated to be 50,000 strong, it was a resounding success and has been ever since. Today there is a dedicated team to design and plant the beautiful enormous public floral displays. Each year over 150,000 seeds, bulbs and seedlings are planted to guarantee there is a wonderful flowering exhibition each Spring. The two major feature displays of bulbs and flowering annuals are located at the Botanic Gardens and Queens Park. Further plantings around the CBD, Picnic Point Lookout and Spring Bluff Station all add to the enthralling floral display. There are many more.
2. The Empire Theatre
The Empire Theatre in Toowoomba can boast of being Australia’s largest regional performing arts complex. Hosting everything from opera to comedy and musical theatre under its grand arch, it is perfect for a cultural fix, Check out what’s on while you are in town.
3. Explore the Street Art
An outdoor gallery awaits with Toowoomba’s Street Art Trail. Tip: Start in Neil Street and allow at least an hour or two to weave your way along the streets and lanes while pausing to enjoy the cafes, coffee and culture along the way. Don’t forget the camera.
4. Oldest Public Urinal
The oldest public urinal in Toowoomba could easily make the list as one of Queensland’s quirkiest buildings. The heritage-listed male toilet was constructed in 1919. It’s not open to the public, for use for obvious reasons.
5. Cobb+Co Museum
Forming part of the Queensland Museum, the Cobb+Co Museum is home to the National Carriage Collection. Along with the coaches and a vast range of vehicles, the collection includes an array of memorabilia from the horse-drawn era, of farm wagons and delivery carts to the Rolls Royce of Carriages, the landau is proudly displayed.
6. Toowoomba Speedway
Get the adrenalin pumping at the Toowoomba Speedway. Every genre of a car is on display and revving their engines. See sprint cars to racy V8s and Formula 500s. If you are a car enthusiast, you should travel to Toowoomba as it has a huge calendar of events to choose from to get your gears into top speed.
7. Russel Street Historical Walk
Toowoomba boasts a large number of iconic Queenslanders – an architectural style developed o make the best of the climate on top of the Great Dividing Range. Get your architecture fix wandering down the Russell Street Historical Walk, with grand buildings dating back to the 1860s. Along the 2.5km easy walk or you can drive, are Queenslanders and other architectural styles. Renovators will gain much inspiration.
8. Take a Hike up Table Top Mountain
This track is used by those training for Mount Kilimanjaro and the Kokoda Trail, so a certain amount of fitness is required, it is not a Sunday stroll. This uphill hike rewards at the summit with spectacular views of the Lockyer Valley and surrounds. The climb can be demanding with many large steps over the Camel’s Hump and then the scramble before the summit. However, the views are the ultimate reward.
9. Laurel Bank Park and Japanese Garden
Along with Toowoomba’s long list of gardens, these are two of our favourites: Laurel Bank
One of the prettiest in Toowoomba. Spanning over 4 hectares, it’s the place to stop and smell the roses. It’s an olfactory treat with a large portion of the garden created by the Downs Association of the Blind for the visually impaired.
Ju Raku En Japanese Garden: Discover tranquillity in one of Toowoomba’s most peaceful and beautiful parks in the Japanese Garden. Encompassing 4.5 hectares, Ju Raku En roughly translates as ‘to enjoy peace and longevity in a public place’. Toowoomba’s Japanese garden is Australia’s largest, most traditionally designed Japanese garden and perfect for a stroll.
Travel to Toowoomba
Tag TrulyAus in your adventures @trulyaus on Instagram and Facebook if you ever happen to travel to Toowoomba. You can research more about outback Queensland with our other story on Bedourie.
You can travel to Toowoomba with Rex Airlines on their Western 2 Route from Brisbane to Toowoomba (Wellcamp) to Charleville to Quilpie to Windorah to Birdsville to Bedourie to Boulia to Mount Isa and return.
See the map below for details on how to travel to Toowoomba and book your flight here.
