📍 8 Best Lookouts In Toowoomba On The Mountaintop & Surrounds. (2024.)

Located 126km west of Brisbane 700m above sea level along the continent-spanning Great Dividing Range, you don’t have to stray far from the stunning mountaintop destination of Toowoomba to find the gorgeous scenic lookouts to enjoy the landscapes as many reside within the city limits.

But that’s not all that the gateway to the Darling Down has to offer, as scattered around the nearby national parks, lakes and bushland reserves are even more viewpoints well worth seeking out. From easily accessible ones in picturesque parklands and by the roadside to others being the epic reward at the end of a hiking trail, such as in Crows Nest National Park, here are the best lookouts in Toowoomba you won’t want to miss.

1. Picnic Point.
Picnic Point Parklands.

Chances are that if you’re visiting Toowoomba for the first time, or even the 30th, the Picnic Point is high on your list of unmissable places to see. And it’s not hard to see why as within just a few metres of the main car park is a spectacular fenced lookout that overlooks the unmistakable pancake summit of the isolated and aptly-named Table Top Mountain, which looks like it lost a fight with a chainsaw, along with the gentle slopes and ridgelines of the Great Dividing Range as it transitions into the plains of the Lockyer Valley.

It’s quite the sight, particularly during the golden hours of sunrise and sunset. But that’s not all. From the northern side, you can peer down onto the Toowoomba Connection Road and watch the cars slowing making their way up and down the mountain, which makes some great slow shutter photography shots.

What’s also great about Picnic Point is that it’s not solely a place to enjoy the lay of the land. It’s also a gorgeous parkland with a cafe and event rooms, numerous picnic tables and BBQ for outdoor dining, two playgrounds and even a hidden forest area featuring a lovely artificial waterfall, perfect for all sorts of kid’s play adventures.

2. Tabletop Mountain.
Tabletop Mountain Bushland Reserve.

Speaking of Toowoomba’s most easily recognisable peak, Table Top Mountain is not just a striking natural landmark to gaze upon, it’s also home to what I consider the region’s most challenging and rewarding hike.

This incredible trail, which involves steep elevation changes, rock hopping, scrambling and traversing over loose rock makes it a solid, sweat-inducing workout, but the magnificent uninterrupted panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and plains from the track that goes around this flat and almost treeless peak makes it all the more worthwhile.

Note: You can start this trail at the car park closest to the peak, or from the Picnic Point Parklands, which adds to the difficulty of this already challenging trail.

3. Koonin Lookout.
Crows Nest National Park.

Another top-notch lookout in Toowoomba to make time for is Koonin Lookout. Located within nearby Crows Nest National Park, this place may only be small, but it more than makes up for what it lacks in size with its breathtaking natural beauty, all of which can be found along the singular trail that goes through this stunning landscape.

Enjoy stunning cascades, picturesque creeks, glistening rockpools and trickling waterfalls before reaching the spectacular lookout at the end of the 4.5km return trail. This viewpoint is remarkable because it looks across into the gorgeous Valley Of The Diamonds, a completely wild and pristine landscape refreshingly untouched by human development.

It’s even more impressive knowing that the national park is tiny and that cleared and cultivated lands exist not that far away. But this place allows visitors to see how beautiful it was for thousands of years before it was irrevocably changed, making it one of my favourite places to explore in the region.

4. Gus Beutel Lookout.

Not far away from Koonin Lookout, Ravensbourne National Park’s Gus Beutel Lookout is another lovely viewpoint in the greater Toowoomba region. The beautiful scenic spot bordering its southeastern side provides picturesque views of the Lockyer Valley’s gently undulating hills, especially at sunset, when the low light and long shadows highlight the sharp ridges and gentle valleys.

And thanks to its layout and road’s position relative to the scenery, it is also one of the nicest places to park up and enjoy overlooking the terrain from the comfort of the car, or go outside and enjoy a picnic or outdoor BBQ. There’s also the short, family-friendly Cedar Block Circuit walk nearby to stretch your legs and get a feel for Ravensbourne’s ecosystem before heading to the longer trail.s

5. Lake Perseverance.

Between Crows Nest National Park and Ravensbourne National Park, lies the beautiful Lake Perseverance. Although it’s one of Toowoomba’s three supply lakes, this is, unfortunately, the only one where you can’t go down to the water and do aquatic activities, BBQs or enjoy picnics by the shoreline as a casual visitor. However, that’s not to say you can’t visit it all.

On each side of the dam wall are two small day-use areas where you can enjoy scenic views overlooking the northern section of the lake and the small cliffs surrounding it. One side also has a picnic table, making it a lovely spot to relax, drink in the scenery and eat some chow. Plus, there’s a pull-over bay slightly west along the road where you can also stop and see the water if you missed the turn-off for the other two.

6. Tobruk Memorial Drive Lookout.

If the views of Table Top Mountain from the Picnic Point Parklands entranced you and you want to enjoy views of it closer, Tobruk Memorial Drive Lookout places the striking mountaintop front and centre. It’s a particularly fantastic place to be if you’re into photography. And if you come at the right time of year, you can even capture the sun or the moon rising over the mountain in what would make an incredible shot.

7. Lions Scenic View Rest Area & Blue Mountain Hotel Carpark.

Back in the city, two roadside lookouts on the northside provide lovely sweeping views of the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range.

Lions Scenic View Rest Area is a more formal lookout with picnic tables and bins so you can relax and absorb the scenery a little longer, while the other is in the car park of the Blue Mountain Hotel, so it’s not the best place to linger. But they’re both goods spots to check out the scenery on a road that doesn’t have many places to stop.

Note: Lions Scenic View Rest Area is only accessible from the north, but it’s best to head up a bit further and U-turn to see both of them as they’re not too far away from each other.

8. Prince Henry Drive.

Last on the list of lookouts in Toowoomba is a 4-for-1 drive. Prince Henry Drive in the northeast of the city Prince Henry Heights. is a small looped road that has some lovely scenic views looking eastward. Most of the road is one-way, and the parking bays are a little hard to spot at a couple of the lookouts, but it’s a nice quiet drive away from the traffic to see the scenery for the less able-bodied.