Everyone laughed when we told them we were going to Toowoomba. They told us to expect a haplessly humdrum, far from hip town. Fortunately, they were wrong.
Photo Credit: tmba-spinners.com
Toowoomba? Where the heck is that? Toowoomba is situated on a top edge of Australia’s Great Dividing Range – a complex of plateaus, uplands, and escarpments – which is the third longest dividing mountain range in the world. With a width between 100 to 190 miles, these mountains stretch more than 2,000 miles from the northeastern tip of Queensland through New South Wales and into Victoria.
Driving west from Brisbane about 90 minutes, just approaching the outskirts of town, you climb a very sharp rise and the Darling Downs highlands emerge. Toowoomba is the commercial center of this plateau. The Darling Downs plateau contains the largest amount of rich black agricultural soil in all Australia, ideal for farming and ranching.
Toowoomba beyond Picnic Point escarpment – Photo Credit: Picnic Point
Settled in the 1840’s with a population today of 160,000, Toowoomba is known as the Garden City. With over 150 parks and public gardens, Toowoomba holds the famed Australian Carnival of Flowers in September, and an annual musical Easterfest in Autumn in its largest park, Queen’s Park.
At the edge of Queen’s Park
Here’s what we’ve come to find out about Toowoomba during our month long stay:
Toowoomba is Temperate
People complain about the cold winds in winter, but the fact is that Toowoomba has a semi-tropical climate. We were warned the summer would be unbearably hot and dry. We’re here primarily to make sure the homeowners’ prolific vegetable garden didn’t burn to a crisp. Although we’ve had the air conditioning on a couple of times, temperatures have been comfortable. And there have been steady periods of rain, even thunderstorms. Most interesting and definitely easy to bear.
Toowoomba is Trendy
Photo Credit: https://www.u3atoowoomba.com/
Toowoomba’s traditional downtown facades along Margaret Street are punctuated with renovations and innovations alike. The classic art deco lines of the Strand Cinema building are a great example. How many towns in the USA can boast a downtown theater that’s even open? You’ll see busy stores, multiple restaurant choices and very few empty spaces, along with an impressive condo project that incorporates the gothic facade of a former church.
Photo Credit: panoramio.com
There’s a growing renaissance in the area around the railway station, making it a fast-growing destination for folks who like history and character with their cafe food and craft beers. Situated between the main Central Business District and more suburban neighborhoods, this area is convenient for foodies and coffee lovers.
“Toowoomba is on the verge of a development boom,” according to a local news radio story from May 2014. Major projects totaling about $11 billion AUD are planned, which have the potential to create 10,000 new jobs.
Toowoomba’s Sunday morning fresh outdoor market is a pleasing array of fresh produce and local business displays. You can buy items from the hardware store’s large layout, visit the fishmonger for the week’s catch, get fresh-baked loaves of bread and stock up on your veggies and fruits. At this market, Aussies present a diverse bunch: Caucasians, Asians, Africans, Indians all mingle, with the music of many languages forming the backdrop.
Toowoomba is Tenacious
Four years ago, a freak weather system with heavy rains caused an enormous flash flood with water levels reaching up to 2 meters in the Central Business District. Eight people were killed. There is very little sign of this catastrophe today, other than some signs pointing out the high water mark, and thanks from businesses which rebuilt.
Photo Credit: cinabrio.over-blog.es
Toowoomba is Tidy
Toowoomba was voted Australia’s Tidiest Town in 2008. Pride of ownership is on display in our neighborhood, and throughout the city. We like neat and clean places that give off a good impression, don’t you?
Toowoomba is Tasty
We’ve been most impressed with the restaurant scene in Toowoomba. We’ve had a series of superb and sophisticated experiences that, admittedly, were most unexpected on our part. Here are the highlights:
Fitzy’s Outdoor Deck
The Tapestry Bar (part of the Fitzy’s family) – newly opened in October with an old world library pub feel and 100+ person function room. We enjoyed the specialty tapas. The second time we visited, the bartender remembered our names and our drinks. As we’re used to being strangers, this little detail was big for us.
Fitzy’s on Church is the main restaurant in the complex. The outdoor seating has a see and be seen atmosphere. Click on any of the gallery photos below to see larger:
- Bangers on mash
- Cob loaf – an Australian pub favorite
We enjoyed a cob loaf (which is a bread bowl with a yummy mixed dip including corn) and bangers on mash. Both were exceptionally good.
Veraison (named for the French term that denotes the ripening of the grape) is a special effort from two couples who are partners: Chef Alex Weston is English, raised in South Africa and, we were astounded to learn, completely self-taught. His wife Karen keeps the front of the house efficient and friendly. Andrew Smith is the sommelier (Mrs. Smith is at home with a newborn). The restaurant features what it calls degustations (a new, and not particularly attractive term to us, but nonetheless). These are multiple course presentations paired with wine. The a la carte menu also has suggested pairings. We enjoyed opening the experience with a carrot honey soup and stout bread with butter. In Australia, your starter is called an entree, which caused us a bit of confusion. After a bit of clarity (improved with alcohol), we began with chicken cranberry terrine with watercress, pickled nectarine and ciabatta, and Hervey Bay scallops with cured salmon combined with squid ink risotto and dill creme fraiche.
- Chicken Cranberry Terrine
- Hervey Bay Scallops
Then we moved on to the main courses: Blackbutt venison with parsnip cream, caramelized yogurt and chocolate soil (literally crumbed bittersweet chocolate, amazing) and roasted duck breast with coulit potato, carrots and cherries.
- Duck breast
- Venison
Dessert was dreamy: Dark chocolate mousse, chocolate soil (again) and chocolate olive oil. Pete’s chocoholic fantasy! I made do with the white chocolate pannacotta with berries and fresh honeycomb.
- White chocolate pannacotta
- Dark chocolate mousse
Needless to say, Veraison gives you an experience that any big city would be hard pressed to rival.
For Pete’s birthday just before Christmas, we went to Sofra, the #1 TripAdvisor rated restaurant in Toowoomba. “Sofra” is Turkish for “where angels gather.” The restaurant is proud of its Ottoman heritage cuisine, and adds to its exotic atmosphere with musicians and Middle Eastern folk dancers on Friday and Saturday evenings.
- Swinging Sultan Cocktail
- Dip Platter
We started things out with cocktails and a dip platter: kiz güzeli – roasted beets, garlic, sour cream, herbs and spices, hummus, babaganush – smoked eggplant, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and spices, cacik – yogurt, cucumber, garlic and herbs. Our favorites were the kiz güzeli and babaganush.
Then we moved on to a char-grilled Adena Kebab (which is a favorite in the south of Turkey) of minced lamb and red peppers and Kayseri Manti – Turkish steamed dumplings with seasoned beef, yoghurt, tomato concasse sprinkled with sumac. Deliciously exotic and so filling that we passed on dessert. Excellent service with a free drink for the birthday boy, too.
- Adena Kebab
- Kayseri Manti
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the pub food available at many of the hotel bars. Toowoomba has many historical hotel buildings that have now been repurposed into bars and restaurants with event spaces and even gambling. Most of these have hearty, workingman’s food at reasonable prices. Here’s what we had at the very friendly Grand Old Crow Hotel in Crow’s Nest (about 30 miles north of Toowoomba):
- Lamb shank dinner
- Roast Beef dinner and fixings
Toowoomba is a Tree-hugger’s Dream
We’re in love with Australia’s trees. From the stately queues in Queen’s Park to the forested hillsides in our adopted Mt. Lofty neighborhood to the pinnacle of Picnic Point, Toowoomba’s trees are magnificent.
We spent a recent Sunday morning at Picnic Point, which everyone who laughed about Toowoomba said was a “must-do.” They were right. Set in reserve in 1886, the 160 acre site was entrusted in perpetuity to the municipality of Toowoomba as part of a petition in 1888 that proposed a larger 2000 acre escarpment below the point itself. Through the turn of the century into the 1920s and 1930s, recreation-based improvements, including public lookouts and a directional cairn were made. Picnic Point was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register in 2008.
It’s a marvelous place to wander about. Whether you prefer a more manicured setting, or wish to venture down one of the trails, Picnic Point rewards you with magnificent views, particularly of Tabletop Mountain. Have a look at what we saw:
Manicured grounds give way to more wild areas
- Tabletop Mountain in the distance
- Still standing
The path descends the escarpment
- Kookaburra poses
- Tabletop Mountain
Tabletop Mountain
Tabletop Mountain
After our walk, we headed into the Picnic Point Cafe for lunch. Owner Catherine Kristenson was graciously on hand to give us a perspective. Picnic Point’s event center is a traditional place to hold special events, wedding receptions and holiday parties. The design of the restaurant and its views are simply stunning. The food is terrific, and moderately priced.
Picnic Point cafe
- Turkey with cranberry brie sandwich
- Smoked salmon with horseradish cream and onion
Outdoor seating at Picnic Point cafe
Toowoomba is Traditional and Tranquil
It’s true, life is relatively quiet in Toowoomba. If you’re looking for a big city, urban experience, this isn’t it. Businesses close early on Saturdays, and altogether on Sundays. Bars and restaurants have fixed serving hours, and kitchens close between 9 and 10pm. Annual events the Garden City is famous for in addition to the Garden Tour are the Christmas Wonderland of lights in Queens Park, and Easterfest, a Christian music festival. These are all family-friendly. As is true with many towns outside urban areas, values are more traditional, yet welcoming.
To be sure, Toowoomba has its detractors. Young people want the bright lights and big city, and they should chase that dream instead of staying put and complaining (something we just can’t understand). And for some people, Toowoomba would just seem too small and provincial despite all the fun things going on. That’s really okay, too. However, if you were born and raised in a smaller city or town (like one of us was), Toowoomba feels like what you wish you could come back to. And that isn’t a bad thing at all.
Tips and Info:
The Greyhound bus is the fastest way to get to Toowoomba from Brisbane if you don’t want to rent a car. The busses are new and sleek, with air conditioning, free wifi, and USB ports at every seat. You can get quite a few things done in the just under two hour trip. There are plenty of accommodations in town, ranging from Best Western to family-owned motels and B&Bs.
Sofra, 164 Margaret Street, Toowoomba 4350 Phone: 07.4638.0044
Picnic Point, 164 Tourist Road, Toowoomba 4350 Phone: 07.4631.5100
Tapestry Bar and Fitzy’s on Church, 153 Margaret Street, Toowoomba 4350 Phone: 07.4631.3700
Veraison, 205 Margaret Street, Toowoomba 4350 Phone: 07.4638.5909
Old Crow Hotel, 32 William Street, Crow’s Nest 4355 Phone: 07.4698.1108
Tips for Trip Success
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I had not heard of Toowoomba before but it sounds inviting even if it is a quieter spot (or maybe because of that). The scenery is gorgeous.
Hi Donna – The scenery truly is beautiful. It’s a lovely town.
The other thing we learned about dining out in Australia is that salads do not come as appetizers before the main course which as you point out is not called an entree. Knowing this will save you “complaining” about the tardiness of your salad service only to get a look which makes clear that the customer is NOT always right. 😉 Toowoomba sounds like a nice place to spend the “winter” holidays. Are you heading back to Brisbane?
Hi Suzanne – Yes, the Aussies have their different ways. Like going up to the counter to place your order or get your drinks in lieu of waitstaff. 😉 We’re headed back to Brisbane for a couple days before the next destination, yes.
The countryside looks spectacular, I would love to do some of the hikes in the area. I’m sure it must be quite aromatic with all those huge Eucalyptus trees everywhere.
Hi Noel – And the eucalyptus trees often come with their own koala! 🙂
Sounds like a tempting taste of temperate trendiness in Toowoomba! Was this house sitting? Sign me up. I’m tenacious, too.
Hi Kristin – What terrific alliTeration we have! Yes, this is a housesitting gig. We’re enjoying it very much.
Toowoomba sounds like a great discovery- one of those places tourists never get to. Would love to see all those parks and try some of the tasty-sounding food.
Hi Billie – I think you’d enjoy this town. There’s more here than meets the eye at first glance.
I’ve never heard of Toowoomba but it looks like a place I’d love to visit! I love all of the trees and the Tabletop Mountain. Beautiful.
Hi Lauren – We’d never heard of it either! But it’s a fine place to get to know. 🙂
Your first question was “where in the heck is Toowoomba?” and that was mine as well! However, I’m impressed that a city of its size has over 150 parks and I’d love to see the Carnival of Flowers as well as visit Picnic Point. Sounds like you found another fabulous housesitting location!
Hi Anita – The Carnival of Flowers is spectacular by all accounts. We missed it by a couple of months. Yes, this was a fortunate housesitting match-up. 🙂
Why we love where we live! A great review of our beautiful city – Toowoomba is also home to a university; a well used, greatly loved and beautiful art deco theatre as well as a new airport (about 30 minutes from the CBD) with direct flights between here and Sydney.
Hi Gail – The theatre’s architecture is just spectacular, and so wonderful that it is in operation, too. Lovely town.
We were very near Toowoomba on our visit to Queensland and yet didn’t hear about it. Seems as though we missed out on a very cool city.
Hi GypsyNesters – yeah, the coastal communities and the reef get all the love. Hope we’ve spread it around a bit. 🙂
I guess it’s the rains that allows for all that greenery but I do wish you had put the picture of the floods further down in the post. Everything seemed so idyllic until then:-)
Hi Irene – Yes, and by all accounts this flash flood happened in a matter of minutes. Things are back to normal now several years later. 🙂
I’ve never before heard of Toowoomba, but I’ve made note to check it out when I get to Brisbane. I’ll be heading to the Sofra restaurant for drinks and dinner and to see the Middle Eastern folk dancers. 🙂
Hi Carole – I hope you like Sofra as much as we did. Very unexpected in a town of this size, and reputation well-deserved.
Where the f* is Toowoomba? Thats what probably most people think at first.
We were quite close some months ago but we missed it. Thanks for the great pictures. Looks like quite an interesting peace of earth.
Best regards from Colombia
Hi Abwesenheitsnotiz – It’s the nicest little town you’ve never heard of. 🙂
I think Toowoomba look marvelous. I think I could spend a month there with all that great looking food and scenery!
Hi Nancie – We’ve really enjoyed it. There is plenty to do and the pace of life is very relaxed.
That is some tasty looking food! I will definitely try to visit Toowoomba next time I am in Australia.
Hi Charles – Glad we could plant the seed! Yesterday we got additional recommendations, so there may be a followup post; we’ll have to see. 🙂
I had never heard of Toowoomba and was glad for the map. 🙂 But I can see why you enjoyed yourselves. It’s a community with a lot to offer. I think, really, that’s the way it is with a lot of less know destinations; there’s still a lot to offer if we look for it!!! Well done!
Hi Marilyn – You’re so right about the lesser known destinations. We’ve had so much catching up to do (and still have) with the main international destinations up until this point. It’s fun to discover and mix things up a bit. 🙂
I have never heard of Toowoomba, I would have laughed too if you told me you were going there. This place looks amazing for it’s nature alone. I would definitely go there and have a field day taking photos of the nature (no pun intended).
Hi Erick – Before we got here, I laughed myself silly trying to pronounce Toowoomba over and over again. Your photography talents would be put to good use here. 🙂
haha I grew up in Toowoomba – it’s so interesting to see someone elses point of view. Sometimes it’s hard to see the nicer parts of a town you see every single day. Now you’ve made me feel a little homesick 🙂
Happy New Year Megsy – You’re so right about daily life having the potential to obscure the better aspects of a place we know well. I think it’s one of the reasons we travelers get the wanderlust, wouldn’t you agree? Glad we could make you see your hometown with new eyes. 🙂
Certainly not a boring town. Some of that food looks fantastic!
Toowoomba really is the best city to live in! Our four distinct seasons give us four wondering gardens ‘events’ in the year. There are plenty of fabulous restaurants, cafes and coffee shops, and the art galleries and boutique shops are excellent. It is possible to live an urban or rural lifestyle, or even a mix of both, and 30 minutes in the car will take you just about anywhere you need to go.
Hi Mark – We agree, Toowoomba is a lovely, livable city. Great shopping, superlative restaurant scene, and lively arts and culture options. We really enjoyed our stay. Thanks!
Hello! I’ve just come across this post. I have lived in Toowoomba for 23 years. I was one of those young people who complained about the place. My husband and I moved away to Brisbane for a few years but came back to be near our families and to raise our two girls here. It’s a great place for families. Thank you so much for your glowing review of our little city (15th largest in Australia) it’s nice to hear positive things from an ‘outsider’. Reminds me how blessed I am to live here 🙂
Hi Rachel – We loved our stay in Toowoomba and very much agree that you are blessed indeed. 🙂
I missed reading this post when it first came out, as I was overseas –
But knowing you spent some time in Toowoomba (not far from where I live in the Bay off Brisbane) I’ve come back to seek it out!
What a perfect place to experience some Aussie lifestyle – Certainly not a place many tourists could claim to have seen as I feel it tends to more attract day trippers to enjoy the Parks and the Flower Festivals.
Great write up Betsy 🙂
Hi Linda – Thank you so much for returning to this post. Yes, Toowoomba is under the radar and part of me hopes it stays that way. There are big civic plans, though, so who really knows?
Hi Betsy, I would love to use this image of the Escarpment for a short piece on birding in Toowoomba in our upcoming magazine, Australian Birdlife. We are a non profit organisation promoting the birds of Australia, and we have a “Five Places to go Birding” segment each issue–this June it is Toowoomba. We would need the high res version and would cite you as the photographer, and send you a complimentary copy when it is printed in June. It would be great to hear from you via the above email address! Thanks, Bronwyn.
Hi Bronwyn – So happy to come to an arrangement on the photo and we look forward to seeing the magazine come out! 🙂