Toowoomba

Toowoomba Qld 4350 (Pop 92 000)
Pic: by Danubis

Toowoomba is a gracious and historic South East Queensland city located 125 km west of Brisbane via the Warrego Hwy. It is also known as the Garden City because of its many parks, public gardens and wide tree-lined streets, Toowoomba sits at 700 m above sea level on the edge of the Great Dividing Range and was established in 1840s as a stopover route for drovers and rural workers. The name is thought to be an Aboriginal word meaning 'swamp’. Queen’s Park markets every third Sunday each month. Toowoomba Royal Show (Mar), Australian Gospel Music Festival (Easter), Carnival of Flowers (Sept).

Tourist Attractions & Info: 
Picnic Point Lookout, Tourist Dr sits on the edge of the escarpment and offers sweeping views of the Lockyer Valley, Tabletop Mountain and waterfall. Parks and Gardens 1 000 ha of bushland escarpments of Redwood and Jubilee Parks and centrally located Queens Park and Botanical Gardens. Historic Toowoomba includes Royal Bulls Head Inn (1859), Post Office (1878), Court House (1870s), St Stephen's Church (1884), St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church (1889) and historic houses (Vacy, Fernside, Clifford, Tawa). Cobb & Co Museum, Lindsay St extensively traces Australia’s horse drawn transport history together with Aboriginal and pioneering displays and artifacts. Open (10am-4pm) every day (exc ANZAC Day, Good Friday, Xmas Day). 

Nearby:
Lake Cooby (35 km north) popular for fishing and walking. Yandilla (77 km s-w) home to the shire’s oldest building, All Saints Anglican Church (1877). Millmerran (87 km s-w) small industrial town with historical museum and many colourful murals depicting the town’s history.

Accommodation:
Toowoomba has over 30 motels, 6 hotels, over a dozen B&Bs/cottages and 5 caravan parks. Visitor Information Centre: Cnr James & Kitchener Sts. Tel (09) 4639 3797 or 1800 331 155. 

Airports:
Toowoomba Airport (TWB), off Warrego Hwy, Wilsonton. Tel (07) 4630 1444. (6 km n-w); Brisbane International Airport (BNE), Lot 1 Airport Dr, Hamilton. Tel (07) 3406 3000. (139 km n-e).

Hospital:
Toowoomba Hospital, Pechey St. Tel (07) 4616 6000.

Parts of Brisbane, Toowoomba, Ipswich and others towns in SE Qld were devastated by floods in mid January, 2011. The resilient community is rebulding, but all help and donations are greatly welcomed. Please contact the Australian Red Cross for donations of any kind.