Toowoomba

Located just 90 minutes from Brisbane, Toowoomba crowns the edge of the Great Dividing Range 800 metres above sea level, overlooking the Lockyer Valley laid out below.

Queensland's garden city, Toowoomba has more than 250 public parks and gardens. Enjoy free live music in three of Toowoomba's major parks: Picnic Point, Laurel Bank and Queens Park held each Sunday in January and February. Pack a picnic and enjoy sultry summer days in the great outdoors. From March to May mellow tints of red and gold mark the autumn showing. In the winter months, enjoy rugging up and winding down. Spicy scents of local wines and delicious foods will tantalise the taste buds and warm the soul. In spring the gardens are a kaleidoscope of colour. The city celebrates the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers (opens in new window), held annually in September.

Cruise north to Crows Nest through the hamlets strung along the eastern escarpment and check out nurseries, cafés, museums and galleries. In the north-west, the Bunya Mountains rise dramatically against the sky with dense rainforest, waterfalls, walking tracks and the largest remaining stand of bunya pines. To the west are the rolling plains of the Darling Downs and little rural townships, some offering bed and breakfast accommodation. Go south into the country that was the setting for Steele Rudd's stories and enjoy the atmosphere in the popular historic pubs.