📍Is Toowoomba Worth Visiting In 2024? And 10 Reasons Why It Is.

WONDERING WHETHER TOOWOOMBA IS WORTH VISITING?

As Queensland’s largest inland city, Toowoomba is one of those places that crosses many people’s minds as to whether it’s worthwhile stopping by. As someone who has visited this beautiful place many times, I can tell you there is much more to it than at first glance. Aside from being known as the Garden City and having an incredible location atop the continent-spanning Great Dividing Range, let’s dive deep into the question, “Is Toowoomba Worth Visiting?”

The short answer is a resounding YES!

Toowoomba has many incredible attractions and things to do on and off the mountain that make any trip to this stunning mountaintop destination one to remember. From picturesque lookouts, tranquil gardens, heritage sites, glistening lakes beautiful hike trails and peaceful camping spots, the gorgeous regional city has an appeal irresistible to many travellers.

Is Toowoomba Worth Visiting For Families?

Yes. Toowoomba is a fantastic tourist destination for families. Young kids will love exploring the parks, especially the Ju Raku En Japanese Gardens where there are always ducks swimming around the ponds, with babies often following them and spotting water dragons hiding in plain sight with their exceptional camouflage and the Picnic Point Parklands, where the playgrounds and hidden waterfall allows kids to use their sense of imagination and play to entertain and amuse themselves.

They’ll also love engaging with the interactive displays at the Cobb & Co Museum while inadvertently learning about the region’s heritage, while Crows Nest offers lovely opportunities to wild swim and see wildlife such as the impressive rock wallabies bouncing up cliffs at the Cascades, whilst staying overnight at the campground means seeing friendly possums and tawny frog mouths are likely.

Is Toowoomba Worth Visiting For Adults & Couples?

Yes. Along with being a great place for families to visit, Toowoomba also has plenty of appeal for adults and couples. Particular highlights include the romantic views from Picnic Point, which overlooks the distinctive Tabletop Mountain, home to one of the region’s best hikes, and my personal favourite. While it is challenging with an short scramble at the end to reach the summit, the sweeping panoramic views from the top of the undulating landscape are magnificent.

In a region full of beautiful walk-able viewpoints, Koonin Lookout in Crows Nest National Park is a sight to behold as the scenery from it showcases no visible sign of civilisation, a rare sight in this day and age.

The three regional lakes provide excellent opportunities to enjoy a few hours of peaceful picnicking or kayaking, while the Australian Army Flying Museum is a poignant way to pay tribute to the efforts and sacrifices of the Australian Defence Force.

Toowoomba isn’t just a city. It’s a destination filled with tonnes of fantastic things to do, places to see and areas to discover. Whether it’s learning about its history at the numerous heritage sites, or enjoying its many beautiful country landscapes, here are the top reasons to add Toowoomba to your list of regions to discover.

1. The City Is Very Scenic.

One thing about Toowoomba is that it is beautiful. This isn’t only because of its reputation as a Garden City that vibrant comes alive during the iconic city-wide Carnival Of Flowers festival each September and having streets lined with shady trees all throughout the year.

It’s also because of its position atop a mountain range. It has many, many picturesque lookouts and viewpoints, most notably, the Picnic Point Parklands, which overlooks the western side of the Great Dividing Range as it flattens out into the dry plains of the vast Lockyer Valley.

2. It Has Many Lovely Outdoor Spaces.

Along with its numerous vantage points, Toowoomba also has many lovely outdoor spaces, which ties neatly into its aforementioned status as the Garden City, and these places are fantastic for enjoying time in the sun, whether that be having a romantic picnic, cooking up a storm at the free BBQs or letting the kids run wild on the playgrounds.

A notable highlight is the Ju Raku En Japanese Gardens where ponds, cherry trees, waterfalls and red bridges create a tranquil setting perfect for unwinding.

3. Heritage Sites.

For those who like uncovering secrets of the past, the mountaintop city has various attractions highlighting the city’s heritage. Places such as the Cobb and Co. Museum have the most focus on Toowoomba’s generalised history, such as the horse-drawn carriages used for transportation back in the days before cars were commonplace, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders connection with the land along with some of the megafauna that existed before them, while DownsSteam focuses specifically on the old railway network.

4. There Are Some Great Walking Trails.

Another fantastic reason to visit Toowoomba is its trails. The walk up Tabletop Mountain, the distinctive peak easily observable from many points across the city, including as you come up the Toowoomba Connection Road, is a particular highlight. Although it is steep and challenging, it is well worth it as the view from the top is a sweeping panoramic that really encapsulates the dramatic shift between the plains of the Lockyer Valley and the mountain of the Great Dividing Range.

Not to be outdone, Crows Nest National Park is home to another fantastic walk leading outstanding vantage point. Koonin Lookout at the far end overlooks what is known as the Valley Of The Diamonds. It’s a fancy way of describing the glistening waters of Crows Nest Creek deep in the gorge. It’s a very pretty view but what makes it even more remarkable is it has no obvious signs of civilisation, which is a rare sight in this day and age, especially given how small the national park is, which is what makes it one of my favourite places in the region to visit.

5. It’s A Beautiful Mix Of City-Meets-Country.

What’s also great about Toowoomba it is the perfect blend of the city and the country. The CBD is vibrant, and has plenty of buzz and enjoyable attractions to discover. But it’s also very nature-based with its many lookouts and walking trails while the rest of the region is full of typical countryside scenery such as rolling hills and vast plains with small towns dotted, making it perfect for those who like both worlds.

6. The Region Has Three Beautiful Lakes.

There are three lakes that supply the mountaintop city of Toowoomba with water, and each are visitable to varying degrees. Lake Perseverance has some lovely viewpoints overlooking it, but can’t be accessed, while Cooby Dam and Lake Cressbrook each have picnic areas, playgrounds and boat ramps to enjoy kayaking, boating and stand-up paddleboarding on the water. The latter also has a campsite for those looking to stay longer.

7. It Is A Great Road Trip Stop.

Like many regional cities, Toowoomba lies at the intersection of several national highways. By default, this makes it a great road trip stop for anyone heading along the Warrego & New England & Gore Highways, coming from or going to Ipswich, Dalby, Warwick, Yarraman or Moonie.

It is also not that far from Brisbane (125km/90-minute drive), making it a fantastic day trip destination rather than just a fleshed-out multi-day adventure.

8. Wide Range Of Accommodation.

Adding to the list of reasons to visit Toowoomba is that it has accommodation for various travellers. Those who like a soft bed to sleep on are well catered for with hotels, motels and apartments all across the city.

As for folks who like sleeping in a tent, formal campgrounds like at Crows Nest National Park and Lake Cressbrook exist for a few dollars a night. Meanwhile, one of the best things about being in a country area is that there are plenty of free overnight rest areas for spontaneous people to park their caravan, motorhome, or car tent.

9. It’s Inexpensive To Visit.

Another fantastic thing about the Garden City is that it is inexpensive to visit. Most of the attractions are free, so it’s mostly eating, getting there and accommodation that’ll cost the most. And as I mentioned earlier, there are plenty of free overnight rest areas dotted across the region that’ll keep costs down in that department.

10. The Climate Is Cooler.

Something else to note about the mountaintop destination is that because it’s 700m above sea level atop the Great Dividing Range, the climate is noticeably cooler than it is at the base on the plains on either side. This is great, especially during those hot summer days. However, on the flip side, winter can also get really cold and it doesn’t help when the wind picks up, which it frequently does and is particularly noticeable on the outskirts of the city and at the viewpoints.

Who Would Toowoomba Appeal To?

Toowoomba is a city and region that would appeal to many people, such as those who like:

• Peaceful Country Escapes.
• Lookouts.
• Walking trails.
• Spending time out on the water.
• Outdoor picnics and BBQs.
• Road Trips.
• Camping.
• Affordable places to visit.

Who Would Toowoomba Not Appeal To?

There are also a few people who may not be interested in the city such as:

• those looking for action-packed adrenaline adventures.
• people who don’t like the country.
• folks who don’t enjoy long drives.

There are multiple ways of reaching Toowoomba: car, touring bus, or flight, however the most convenient is to go by car as there are no train services that go to the regional city, even from Brisbane. It’s also much easier to get around and see all the attractions as there are limited bus services.

Car/ Vehicle.

As a major regional city, Toowoomba lies at the intersection of several state and national highways, the Warrego Highway (A21) & Toowoomba Bypass (A2), and the New England Highway (A3) and the Gore Highway (A139) so it’s an easy place to find by personal or hire vehicle and has excellent roads leading to it.

There is, however, the Toowoomba Bypass (A2) is a tolled road which is payable with a pre-existing Linkt Pass or online up to 3 days later on the Linkt website for those without one, and provides a quick and easy way to avoid the city, which is especially handy for people driving big rigs. (If hiring a car, you’ll have to ask about their toll policy.)

But for tourists, traversing through the city is what you want to be doing, so the scenic but steep-in parts, Toowoomba Connection Road is the most suitable option if you aren’t driving something long and/or heavy. Plus, there’s no toll on that route and it has amazing views too!

If you’re coming from Brisbane, it’ll take about 2 hours to traverse the 127km distance along the Warrego Highway(A21), while a trip from the stunning heritage city of Ipswich is a 70 min, 90km drive along the same motorway.

For those coming from Warwick, it’ll be a little over an hour to travel the 84km distance along the New England Highway(A3) and 2 hours from Kingaroy both the New England Highway(A3) and D’Aguliar Highways.

Bus.

Another way to get to and from Toowoomba is by bus. Touring companies such as Greyhound provide luxury bus trips to the mountaintop city from Brisbane, which will take about one hour and 50 minutes.

Flights.

Toowoomba’s Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport is serviced by airlines such as Qantas, Rex, and AirNorth. Direct flights from destinations like Sydney, Melbourne, Townsville, and Charleville are available while connecting flights from Darwin, Mt Isa, and other towns in western Queensland offer additional options for air travel to Toowoomba. Upon arrival, transportation options such as taxis and shuttle buses are available to cover the remaining 20km to the city.

Toowoomba is worth visiting year-round, however, there are a few factors that come into play when determining the best time to visit.

The stand out month is September as this is when the city’s revered Carnival Of Flowers is on and has colourful floral displays all throughout the city, really emphasising why it earned the title of Garden City. It also means it is the busiest time of year.

It’s also the month when magpies are known to swoop people unprovoked to protect their babies. It’s something to be aware of as some folk have gotten physically attacked by these ordinarily sweet and docile birds. However, it’s not pigeonholed into that month in particular as I have been I was hit in the face when visiting one of the beaches near Bundaberg in December, completely out of the typical time for this to occur..

If you want to see the flower exhibits without the crowds and festivities, going just before the carnival starts is also a great time to visit as the gardens will already be ready for when it does. Sadly, they clear out the beds pretty soon after the event finishes, which seems like a waste of all that hard work and effort.

Spring and summer are overall great times to visit as the cooler climate of the mountaintop city is a nice relief from the heat and humidity of places at a lower elevation. On the flipside, winter is cold up there for the same reasons, which is particularly unpleasant when visiting the lookouts on the outskirts of the city as the wind comes up the mountain.

Numerous factors go into figuring out how many days is enough to spend at any destination, such as whether you like to go through places quickly, or like to linger and look around more, your general pace and energy and the types of things you like to do. After all,

However, as a rough estimate, I’d say that 6 days is an acceptable amount of time for the general population to spend discovering all this beautiful mountaintop city and the sprawling countryside around it has to offer at a reasonable pace.

The answer to the question, “Is Toowoomba worth visiting?” The answer is yes. Absolutely.

Toowoomba is a great place to visit for those who are looking for an exciting, unique adventure. There are plenty of activities and sights to explore, from hiking to the summit of the spectacular Tabletop Mountain to the annual burst of colour displayed during the stunning Carnival of Flowers. The city also has some beautiful lakes, gardens and overnight rest areas perfect for those who love outdoor pursuits such as hiking, kayaking camping and picnicking.