10 minute read
TOOWOOMBA FEATURE
In October 1950, about 50,000 people lined the streets of Toowoomba to watch a bullock team lead the inaugural Carnival of Flowers procession.
During the past 72 years, it has grown into a month-long event that begins on the first day of Spring and attracts more than 250,000 visitors.
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The Carnival of Flowers has been awarded gold in the Major Festival and Event category of both the Queensland Tourism Awards (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) and Australian Tourism Awards (2016, 2017, 2018).
On top of that, it also entered the Hall of Fame at the 2017 Queensland Tourism Awards and 2018 Australian Tourism Awards.
Toowoomba, Australia’s biggest regional city outside of Canberra, sits some 700m above sea level and with rich volcanic soils, giving it a landscape of both national parks with panoramic views and more than 240 public parks and gardens.
Its mix of historic streets and open spaces quickly earnt it the title of Garden City.
Toowoomba’s gardens date to 1865, when the local council took control of land and developed Queen’s Park. Today it is 25ha of bright flower beds, stately Toowoomba bursts into colour for the Carnival of Flowers trees and green lawns, yet has retained the charm and character common to 19th century public parks and botanic gardens.
The Carnival of Flowers is a perfect time to explore Toowoomba – learn about its landscape, heritage and community while the region’s food, flora and fauna, arts and crafts and urban and country dining are being showcased.
The city has four distinct seasons but Spring is when nature is at its best and the festival offers various ways to explore its beauty, history, architecture and produce. Take a three-hour tour of private gardens and public floral displays within the city limits, accompanied by a commentary of Toowoomba’s historical events, with Toowoomba Sightseeing Tours. A Talking Pubs Tour goes to four character-filled Toowoomba pubs, starting with appetizers at Toowoomba’s new brewery The Brewhouse, and followed by entree at Tatt’s Hotel, main at the new Proof BBQ & Booze and dessert at The Rock.
Toowoomba Walking Tours introduce the city’s architecture, street art and history. Discover the street art hidden in Toowoomba’s laneways and the remarkable architecture of the historic city centre.
For history and architecture buffs, the exploration continues to the historic St Stephens Uniting Church where a display of flower arrangements, bouquets and wedding dresses throughout the decades will be a feature this year.
The Toowoomba Farmers Markets is a chance to buy seasonal produce, local meats, hand-made bread, pasta, jams, salts, honey, eggs and locally grown herbs and salad items from local farmers and artisans. In the evening, the Spring Vibes Twilight Market is a mix of local craft, vendors, food trucks, live music and carnival activities.
Toowoomba’s past is as interesting and colourful as its journey into future and the Carnival of Flowers is the perfect excuse to go and see it for yourself. Visit tcof.com.au
This is our invitation to you!
Pack a picnic and stroll through our Region’s award-winning parks and gardens
Laurel Bank Park
A kaleidoscope of colour, Laurel Bank Park features manicured gardens, mature trees, children’s play equipment, barbecue and picnic areas and two croquet lawns. Queens Park is something to behold, with bright flower beds, large canopies of stately trees and an off-leash area that keeps the local dogs very happy. Peacehaven Botanic Park is home to more than 400 different native plants and trees, expansive green lawns and stunning views towards the Bunya Mountains.
Visitors to the University of Southern Queensland’s Japanese Garden are treated to waterfalls, traditional Japanese bridges, cherry blossom trees, bamboo avenues and a tea house.
Queens Park Peacehaven Botanic Park Japanese Garden
Highway up the hill ... a dramatic range view from Picnic Point lookout.
The main Aboriginal language groups in the Toowoomba region are Barunggam, Jarowair, Giabal speculate that it means “reeds in the swamp”. In the First Nations community, Toowoomba is known as a key meeting and Kienjan.
Early European settlement was based on the region’s highly fertile farming land.
There are a number of suggested sources for the name Toowoomba, including an Aboriginal word meaning “place where water sits”.
It is also said the name was probably derived from toowoom, the name of a native melon.
Another theory is that it’s derived from the word for “swamp”, while others place along the ancient pathways that led to huge festivals at the Bunya Mountains. The festivals were held to celebrate the harvest of bunya nuts. Until the 1870s, Aboriginal people from as far as the Clarence River in the south, Condamine and Maranoa in the west and Stradbroke Island in the east travelled via Toowoomba to this spiritual event. The area’s reliable water supply, productive grasses and nutritious local plants were a drawcard. Gumbi Gumbi Gardens were designed in partnership with Elders from Toowoomba and the Jarowair people. Featuring more than 100 plant species over 2.2ha, the gardens include flora used for a range of purposes including food and medicine.
A free app is available to connect to the stories of the Gumbi Gumbi Gardens while walking its paths.
Location: University of Southern Queensland, 487-535 West St, Toowoomba.
Gummingurru ceremonial site on Jarowair country is near the township of Highfields, 20 minutes’ drive north of Toowoomba. It features ancient stone arrangements and was used until the late 19th century to perform initiation ceremonies for young men en route to the Bunya Mountains.
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Gummingurru Aboriginal Corporation invites anyone interested in Aboriginal history and culture to book a tour with a traditional custodian to see stone artefacts and experience grinding ochre.
Open by appointment only. Visit gummingurru.com.au
The Farmers Arms, just beyond Highfields is Australia’s oldest surviving licensed pub. When it opened in 1863 it was part of a gaol but now it’s good for a meal and a beer. BESIDE the Toowoomba region’s logo are the words “Rich traditions, bold ambitions”.
It’s an apt description for a vibrant community that spans almost 13,000 sq km on the edge of the Great Dividing Range 125km west of Brisbane.
A city steeped in history, it generates one-fifth of Australia’s economic growth and has established itself as a centre of education excellence.
Last year, 2.7 million visitors arrived to explore the region and there are more than 164,000 permanent residents, not bad for a village founded in 1849. It became a town in 1858, a municipality in 1860, and a city in 1904.
Toowoomba’s rich past can be seen in its heritage buildings including the town hall built in 1862 in James St which was Queensland’s first town hall.
In 1881, the original timber building was demolished and replaced with a brick building but by 1898, the demands of a growing community meant new municipal buildings and town hall were needed.
They were constructed on the site of the School of Arts which had been destroyed by fire earlier that year and the current City Hall opened in 1900 at a cost of £10,000. It was refurbished in 1996 at a cost of $3.4 million.
Clifford House opened in the mid-
Toowoomba’s floral emblem is the violet
DID YOU KNOW TOOWOOMBA HAS …
• 13 libraries • 2 cultural centres • 4 art galleries • 7700ha of open space • 539ha of council-maintained sports and recreation parks • 561 council parks • 152km of paths, tracks and trails • 13.98ha of planted beds in parklands • 956ha of parkland grass to be mowed Toowoomba’s historic town hall by night 1860s as a Gentlemen’s Club on land owned by James Taylor, a squatter and politician who became popularly known as the King of Toowoomba after he successfully replaced Drayton with Toowoomba as the regional centre of the Darling Downs.
Saint James’ Parish Hall was built in 1912 opposite St James’ Church (c1868) in Russell St. Taylor, who became mayor in 1890, donated the land and erected the hall designed by architect Harry J. Marks, as a memorial to his parents.
While Toowoomba protects its past, it has also forged ahead transforming its agricultural base into a diverse and strong economy with a range of business, investment and employment opportunities.
The region generated $11.6 billion in Gross Regional Product in 2019-20 and supported an estimated 82,413 jobs, the health care and social assistance industries being the biggest employers.
Manufacturing contributes $627 million to the local economy and is the region’s second largest international exporter, driven by specialisation in food products.
Since 2014, when Qantas became the first airline to announce regular services, the Wellcamp Airport has become known as the gateway airport to Toowoomba and the Darling Downs.
There are direct services to Townsville and western Queensland and onward global connections with Qantas and the Oneworld Alliance.
Toowoomba Regional Council expects to attract about 55,000 new residents in the next 30 years and has the Toowoomba Region Futures plan to ensure an enviable lifestyle for generations to come.
The program will deliver a new planning scheme, infrastructure plan and growth plan, which together will provide a roadmap for managing urban growth throughout the region.
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