Toowoomba is a city in Queensland, Australia. It has been voted as one of the top 10 places to live in Australia for its low crime rate, beautiful weather, and breathtaking scenery.
Toowoomba, Queensland, also famously known as Garden City, is home to several attractions, including museums, galleries, and gardens. These are perfect for families with children who want an educational day out or people looking for something relaxing.
You can do plenty of things here, especially if you go to Toowoomba with Kids. They are from visiting gorgeous gardens like Rodeleagh House Gardens on the outskirts of town or exploring historic buildings like The Old Mill Complex that dates back over 100 years ago! Or go to the Cobb+Co Museum to discover the culture’s history.
Toowoomba is a city in the Toowoomba Region of Darling Downs, Queensland. It’s located 125 km (78 mi) west of Brisbane and has an estimated population of 136,861, as we speak, with an annual growth rate of 1.02%. This makes Australia’s second most populous inland city after Canberra and the largest town on the Darlington Down.
Toowoomba is a town in Queensland, Australia, with about 132 kilometers of area. It has an altitude of around 700 meters (2,300 feet) above sea level. Most areas are west side of the range, but some streets are also to the east.
There are 24 suburbs within the City of Toowoomba, with Toowoomba City as the city center.
What is Toowomba Queensland Known for?
Toowoomba – a prestigious one-hour drive west of Brisbane, Queensland’s second largest city.
Toowoomba is also often referred to as the Garden City due to its abundance and variety of public parks and gardens, many with flower displays, sculptures, and statues.
The botanic gardens were established in 1867, making it Australia’s second oldest park after Sydney Bright’s Gardens in Adelaide (1842). But this isn’t the only thing that makes Toowoomba an Eden-like destination.
Toowoomba City
A bustling hub of activity, Toowoomba City, is a suburb at the center of one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions. The Toowoomba City Hall on Ruthven Street, The population has grown by almost 25% in the last decade. An ever-growing number of businesses are relocating to this once-country town for its proximity to Brisbane and affordability.
Grand Central and Garden Town Shopping centers are located in Toowoomba, both of which offer a variety of shops. The Grand Central has Myer, Coles, Target, and 145 specialty stores, while the Gardens town shopping center features Supa IGA supermarket alongside Best & Less store, just two.
Two smaller centers, the Hooper Centre and a homeware center, are just some of the many places you will find to shop in Toowoomba. You can also walk up Ruthven Street, where there’s street shopping along this busy stretch! There is even an area called Southtown which has supermarkets, newsagents and Post Offices too!
Heritage-Listed Sites
Toowoomba is home to several heritage-listed sites, including:
Boulton Street:
Tawa
Herries Street:
St Luke’s Anglican Church
Soldiers Memorial Hall
St Luke’s Church Hall
Margaret Street:
Toowoomba Post Office
Strand Theatre
Exchange Building (Margaret Street)
Emily Street:
Carlton House
Mort Street:
Toowoomba North State School
St James Church
Neil Street:
Toowoomba Court House
Toowoomba Police Station Complex
Wesley Uniting Church
Empire Theatre
Russell Street:
Men’s Toilet
Toowoomba railway station
Toowoomba Permanent Building Society
Toowoomba Trades Hall
St James Parish Hall
Clifford House
Kensington
Wislet
Vacy Hall
Ruthven Street:
Toowoomba Foundry
Defiance Flour Mill
Pigott’s Building
Karingal Chambers
Alexandra Building
White Horse Hotel
Toowoomba City Hall
Toowoomba with Kids
Do you and your family enjoy traveling? Are you looking for activities in Toowoomba for the kids? Then you will love the experience of visiting Toowoomba with kids.
Firstly, an excellent zoo near the city center, called Darling Downs Zoo, has plenty of animals and activities for all ages.
Secondly, there are many beautiful parks around town where everyone can have fun playing or relaxing on one of their many picnic tables.
Lastly, if you’re looking for something educational, check out The Discovery Centre, which features interactive exhibits about our natural world! And do not forget to visit the Cobb and Co Museum near Queens Park.
Carnival of Flowers
Toowoomba is renowned for the annual Carnival of Flowers, held each year in September.
The carnival of Flowers celebrates our diverse variety of flora. It offers various activities for people to get involved in, from floral arrangements to fun-filled games for kids. Many of the city’s major parks and gardens are specially prepared for the carnival, including a vital home garden competition and a parade of flower floats.
It’s a great day out with friends and family that will leave you feeling refreshed and energized. They can get there by taking a bus or by train. The trains are old and wooden, which means they bring back images of when people used to travel in the 19th century.
How far is Toowoomba from Brisbane?
It’s about 220 km from Brisbane, and it takes approximately 3 hours to drive there by car.
Is Toowoomba a Good Place to Live?
Toowoomba is a great place to live – you can’t beat the lifestyle. It’s all about the outdoors, with beautiful natural parks and botanic gardens everywhere. Even if nature isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other things to do in Toowoomba that will excite just about anyone!
16 Activities in Toowoomba Queensland
1. Queens Park Toowoomba
Flower Display in Queens Park Toowoomba.
Visit the Queens Park Toowoomba. It is over 110 hectares of pure green open space, with over 2 km of natural bush trails that lead to a haven of peace and tranquillity.
Pink and White Flower Garden in Queens Park Toowoomba. Credit: canva
Queens Park is on the edge of suburban southwest Queensland and can be found just 800 meters from Drayton West train station—the perfect spot for visitors interested in seeing all we have to offer!
With plenty each year, including our Queens Park Festival – when pastries beckon your appetite – you are guaranteed an eventful day out at Queens Park Toowoomba.
2. Laurel Bank Park
Sweet Alyssum and Everlasting Daisies in Laurel Bank Toowoomba. Credit: canva
Visit the Laurel Bank Park. It is located 10km south of Toowoomba and features three soccer fields, a cricket ground, and an athletics track. The skate park includes numerous challenges for all abilities.
Dozens of garden beds accommodate local wildlife with shelter, food, and water. Sensory gardens highlight the beauty that can be felt cross-culturally thanks to rainforest plants, including those from Asia or Africa.
3. Crows Nest National Park
Crows Nest National Park is a large nature park located in the Toowoomba region, East of Brisbane. Due to its elevated position on the Great Dividing Range, the Crows Nest provides one of the most extensive views over low lands in this area.
The Crows nest is also home to unique wildlife with interesting plants and endangered species such as orchids and pitcher plants.
4. Preston Peak Wines
Preston Peak Wines are award-winning producers of quality wines made from New World and Old World varieties. Established in 1984, the family-owned company produces sparkling wines, white table wine, rosé as well as shiraz from grapes grown in five vineyards across Australia: Toowoomba (Queensland), Clare Valley (South Australia), and Margaret River (Western Australia).
The varieties include classic fortified French champagnes, premium Australian Sparklings, light ‘dry’ white Rhones, and cooler region German Rieslings. You may visit and stroll the vineyards. Or you can sip their extraordinary wines.
5. Ravensbourne National Park
Ravensbourne is a national park in Queensland, Australia, which adjoins Toowoomba. With a relatively new entrance on the Connelly Range Road off Mamre Road, this 1300-hectare national park is spectacular and becoming more well-known for people to visit and enjoy its sugar-glazed granite boulder outcrops of the Broken River.
6. Highfields Pioneer Village
Visit the Highfields Pioneer Village Toowoomba and learn about the living history museum situated in Queensland on the Darling Downs.
This interactive pioneer village offers visitors an authentic insight into what life was like living and working on the land 150 years ago. The 17-character buildings portray many essential functions of rural life, including farming, blacksmithing, woolsheds, school rooms, etc.
Set within 12 acres of rolling pastures with hay bales and windmills, it provides a delightful slice of country lifestyle for everyone to visit and enjoy.
7. Ju Raku En Japanese Gardens
Japanese Garden at Toowoomba Summer. Credit: canva
Visit Toowoomba’s Japanese Gardens situated at the University of Southern Queensland Toowoomba. Ju Raku En roughly translates as ‘to enjoy peace and longevity in a public place.’
The gardens cover many elements such as a mountain stream and waterfall, a Dry Garden, a central lake, Azalea Hill, 3km of paths, 230 species of Japanese and Australian native trees and plants, and lawns, all combined in seamless and restful harmony.
The Japanese Gardens are also great for kids – there are plenty of opportunities to explore and be active, as well as encouraging stewardship amongst our youngest visitors.
8. Picnic Point Parklands
Sunrise at Picnic Point Lookout. Credit: Canva
Picnic Point Parklands are a sprawling, beautifully manicured green space rising out of the beautiful hills just thirty minutes west of Toowoomba. It is rich in history and nature and especially well-loved by herbivores!
Sunrise at Picnic Point Lookout. Credit: Canva
Picnic Point’s family-friendly events include Free Family Fun Fridays with free games, rides, and activities for kids; Moonlit Cinema on the sand; Music In The Park events – and a lot more to keep you entertained all year round.
Picnic Point features lookout points, picnic areas, sports fields, woodlands, and walking trails to visit and enjoy.
9. Table Top Mountain
Table Top Mountain Toowoomba. Credit: canva
Table Top Mountain is Queensland’s tallest point, originally situated at the edge of the Toowoomba.
The peak offers the best views in town. No need to hike, though—take a 20-minute drive! What is on your must-see list? The range, lush forests of Blue Gums lining ridges and precipices, breathtaking panoramas from the 765 meters summit… you name it! It’s all up there waiting for you.
10. State Rose Garden
It boasts over 120 new rose varieties created by breeders worldwide, including ten regional Queensland selections.
With 3km of winding pathways that allow visitors to soak up every detail and enjoy panoramic views of Mount Lofty from elevated Great Walkways, it’s impossible not to connect with nature in this natural jewel. If you’re looking for all-around relaxation and enjoyment, then there is no better place to visit than The State Rose Garden Toowoomba.
11. Big Scenic Drive
The Big Scenic Drive Toowoomba is a 180,000-acre natural spectacular touring drive through Queensland. Along the way, you’ll find state forests and national parks.
Fauna and flora abound, as do other exciting sites of cultural significance, such as Aboriginal rock carvings along the route, large petrified logs from millions of years ago, and giant boulders near Brisbane Ranges National Park, which are picnic-ready with tables set up around them!
12. Great Dividing Range
View of Great Dividing Range Toowoomba. Credit: canva
The natural area of Australia’s East coast is the volcanic spinal spine that runs from Sydney to Cairns. It is Australia’s largest and greatest natural icon. It stretches 3,000km from south to north and can be seen all over the country – but nowhere better than in Toowoomba!
13. Rodeleagh House Gardens
Rodeleagh House Gardens is a wonderful English-themed garden with over an acre of cultivating rooms and beautiful flowers to visit. There is a pond, waterfall, gardens full of ferns and blooming flowers, waterfalls, rhododendrons in season (1967), fernery, and lit pathways to cover so you can look at something on your way there.
14. The Old Mill Complex
The Old Mill Complex Toowoomba is a collection of historical buildings in Toowoomba that now function primarily as commercial and residential spaces.
Locals love the Old Mill Complex Toowoomba because it inspires visitors to engage with history to see firsthand what life was like 100 years ago or more. Making your visit a great experience for you will be beneficial on every level possible!
15. Cobb+Co Museum
Cobb+Co Museum is a must-see tourist destination if you go to Toowoomba with kids, which is just a short walk from Toowoomba’s iconic Queens Park.
This Cobb and Co Museum is part of the Queensland Museum Network and home to the National Carriage Collection, which shows a variety of interactive displays, galleries, exhibits, and heritage trade workshops.
Visit the museum, immerse yourself in Toowoomba’s natural and cultural history, and revisit an Australian transport era. Wander through the charming Carriage Collection gallery, and discover how these 47 horse-drawn vehicles played a role in Queensland’s development.
The kids will have a blast of a visit at The Coach Stop’s play area. They can become shop attendants in the old Museum General Store, dress up as an architect or see the world on top of a life-sized replica horse!
16. Lockyer Valley
The Lockyer Valley is a region located in southeastern Queensland, Australia. The valley is known for its rich agricultural land, which produces some of the best produce in the country, including fruits and vegetables.
The population of this region has been steadily growing over the past few years, with many people choosing to buy homes here due to its proximity to Brisbane and access to many regional attractions such as waterfalls and mountain biking trails or bushwalking tracks!
The University of Southern Queensland
The USQ is a medium-sized regional university based in Toowoomba. They are well known for their law, health, engineering, the sciences, business, education, and the arts. They have three campuses: Toowoomba, Springfield, and Ipswich.
The University is recognized for having one of the largest Japanese gardens in Australia, Australia’s largest solar-integrated car park, and a library with rainforest and water features.
The Toowomba campus is the main campus. It is located on West Street, Darling Heights, QLD 4350, Australia.
The campus offers degrees in sciences, creative arts and media, business and commerce, engineering and built environment, education, health and community, information technology, humanities and communication, law and justice, English language programs, and pathway programs.
There is a performing art theatre, science laboratories, Olympic standard basketball courts, a 24-hour-access gym with high-tech equipment, a tennis center, an aerobics center, and netball courts at the Clive Berghofer Rec Center, social clubs, and other accommodations. It has the country’s largest Japanese gardens (the Ju Raku En) and the Gumbi Gumbi gardens.
