Unique Things To Do In Toowoomba

From huge flower festivals to quirky little rail museums and the city’s nascent arts scene, there’s plenty of things to do in Toowoomba.

Queensland’s largest inland city is home to its fair share of attractions and events, drawing in visitors from near and far whatever the season. Choose your own adventure from this list of the city’s best.

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Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers

The so-called Garden City is awash with a sea of colourful petals come spring, when the annual Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers descends. The longest running floral event of its kind in Australia, this festival takes place every September and welcomes hundreds of thousands of flowers in full bloom, planted across the city’s parks and public spaces, and a similar number of anthophile attendees. But it’s not just the plants that attract out-of-towners: during the festival, you can expect twilight tours, light installations, live music, fairground rides and plenty of foodie events to boot.

Cobb+Co Museum

This highly rated Toowoomba museum’s primary calling card is the National Carriage Collection, comprising 47 restored horse-drawn vehicles, which played an important role in Queensland’s development. But the Cobb+Co Museum has plenty more to offer beyond: kids will love the interactive displays in the Sciencentre, as well as the Coach Stop play area, where little ones can become shop attendants in the old Museum General Store, dressing up in old fashioned clothes. Adults, meanwhile, can dabble in the super niche heritage trade workshops (think leadlighting, blacksmithing or millinery), which are available for beginners right through to consummate professionals looking to polish their skills.

Cobb & Co horse and cart — The museum explores more than 50,000 years of history of the Darling Downs and Toowoomba.

Public parks

Even if you don’t venture to Toowoomba for its annual Carnival of Flowers, green thumbs and budding botanists will still find themselves in total floral heaven in Toowoomba: simply stroll around the city’s plethora of public parks to find a bit of zen, or a perfect picnic spot. Two of the city’s standouts are Queens Park and Laurel Park. The former is an impeccably manicured 26-hectare heritage-listed garden that sits smack bang in the centre of town. The latter is home to ‘scented gardens’, a vast arched trellis dripping with wisteria and even croquet greens.

Toowoomba Queens Park from above — Queens Park is something to behold.

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The great outdoors

Toowoomba’s doorstep is littered with bushland, mountains and national parks waiting to be explored. Go for a bushwalk and journey to the summit of Table Top Mountain: a walk that typically takes around two hours one-way, and is steep in parts. Or save your legs and drive up to Picnic Point Lookout and Parkland, which promises panoramic views over the surrounding farmland.

To the northeast of Toowoomba, less than an hour’s drive away, lies Ravensbourne National Park, home to towering red cedars, eucalypts, rainforest and an abundance of birdlife – at least 110 species of birds either visit or live in this park. There’s a handful of short walks to uncover, as well as lookout points and picnicking areas.

And some 49 kilometres north of Toowoomba lies the Crows Nest National Park, which features a eucalypt forest, granite boulders, cascades and a waterhole that’s perfect for a dip. Lucky day trippers may even spy platypus, swamp wallabies, echidnas, bandicoots or lace monitors on their travels through this sprawling park.

Crows Nest National Park boulders — Crows Nest National Park protects spectacular creek scenery.

DownsSteam Tourist Railway & Museum

Trainspotters rejoice! This volunteer-run attraction in the Toowoomba suburb of Drayton has quite the collection, and is staffed by rail enthusiasts who offer tours of the old carriages it has rehomed. Peruse the historic displays and railway memorabilia, and wander through the Dreamtime Journey Coach, an SX coach that’s been repurposed as a permanent art installation in acknowledgement of the contribution made by Indigenous people to the building of Queensland’s Range Railway. Entry is by donation and there’s a small gift shop on-site too.

Pride of Toowoomba: C16-106 undergoing steam tests at DownsSteam Drayton.

Explore the local arts scene

Toowoomba might not have all the arty assets of a major city, but it still punches above its weight when it comes to creative attractions. For one thing, the Southern Queensland city is home to a bit of a burgeoning street art scene. The murals painted along the side of the CUA bank building in 2012 are recognised as Toowoomba’s first, kickstarting the trend city-wide. More than 90 different artworks now pepper the city’s streets, including creations by internationally acclaimed artists Adnate and Fintan Magee, based in Melbourne and Sydney respectively.

Those a bit more traditionally inclined should pay a visit to the Toowoomba Regional Arts Gallery , the oldest of its kind in regional Queensland, and a venue that plays host to three permanent collections, as well as contemporary exhibitions that change each month. Or, spend an evening at the heritage-listed art deco Empire Theatre , the largest regional performing arts complex in Australia, which regularly hosts music and ballet recitals and comedy events. You can also uncover a little more of the building’s architecture and history, by signing up for one of the venue’s backstage tours.

Read more about Toowoomba here.

City buzz, gourmet trails, surf breaks and art scenes are all at your fingertips.

When it comes to planning a trip, picking a holiday destination is the easy part. The real dilemma is where to set yourself up for the night. Do you go coastal, city, or countryside? Somewhere remote and rugged, or right in the action? Luckily, the Sunshine Coast, and huge number of amazing Sunshine Coast day trips, have kindly made the choice for you.

Ditch the hotel-hopping and suitcase-lugging. Instead, base yourself at Novotel Sunshine Coast or Mantra Mooloolaba , where big-city culture, vine-covered valleys, and theme parks are all within a two-hour drive.

1. Sunshine Coast to Brisbane

Drive time: 1 hour 20 minutes (105km)

Shake off the sand from your sandals and swap the beach for the throb of the Queensland capital. Ease in gently with a bougainvillea-filled stroll through South Bank, iced latte in hand, before cooling off at Streets Beach lagoon – Brisbane’s answer to the coast (but without the waves).

Once firmly in big-city mode, hit up the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) , home to Australia’s largest collection of modern and contemporary artworks. Dive into the past at the Queensland Museum, where prehistoric fossils of Australian dinosaurs and megafauna collide with First Nations cultural collections and interactive science exhibits.

All this learning got you hungry? Howard Smith Wharves calls. Here, riverside dining delivers breweries with meat-forward menus, Japanese fine dining and overwater bars. If you’ve got room for more, Fortitude Valley’s shopping boutiques await you and your wallet.

woman walking around Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) — Wander the Gallery of Modern Art. (Image: TEQ)

2. Sunshine Coast to the Scenic Rim

Drive time: 2 hours 15 minutes (170km)

Make your way inland to the Scenic Rim for the state’s best vineyards and age-old volcanic slopes. Start your day early (like, sparrow’s breakfast early) at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat in Lamington National Park . Here, take a treetop walk through the canopy and hand-feed the wild birds who flock here.

Next, it’s your turn to eat. Here, the food scene operates where locally sourced produce is an expectation, not an exception. Order a picnic basket crammed with regional wine and cheese to devour next to the creek at Canungra Valley Vineyards . Or perhaps a grazing platter of vegan and non-vegan cheeses at Witches Falls Winery .

Feeling bold? Tackle the Twin Falls circuit in Springbrook National Park. Or keep the gourmet life going with a Scenic Rim Brewery tasting paddle, best enjoyed while taking in the rise of the Great Dividing Range.

woman with cheese and wine at Witches Falls Winery — Enjoy a cheese platter at Witches Falls Winery. (Image: TEQ)

3. Sunshine Coast to the Gold Coast

Drive time: 2 hours (180km)

Surf, sand and sparkling skylines might be the Gold Coast’s MO, but there’s more to Surfers Paradise and beyond. Kick things off with a beachfront coffee at Burleigh Heads, then hike through Burleigh Head National Park to look over the ocean and whale sightings (dependent on the season, of course).

Cool off in the calm waters of Tallebudgera Creek before chowing down on the famously buttery Moreton Bay bug rolls at Rick Shores . Travelling with the kids? Then you can’t miss Australia’s theme park capital, with Dreamworld ’s big rides and Warner Bros. Movie World ’s Hollywood treatment at hand to keep the family entertained.

aerial view of Tallebudgera Creek — Dive into Tallebudgera Creek. (Image: TEQ)

4. Sunshine Coast to Tweed Heads

Drive time: 2 hours 15 minutes (200km)

Dare to cross enemy lines? Then welcome to New South Wales. Tweed Heads blends the laid-back attitude of the Northern Rivers with high-quality dining, experimental art, and farm-fresh indulgence – a combo worth the drive.

Start strong with a long, lazy brunch at Tweed River House , then swing by Tropical Fruit World for exotic finds like red dragon fruit, handfuls of lychees and black sapote. Next, hit M|Arts Precinct – an art deco hub of micro galleries, artist workshops and one-off boutiques.

Round off the day with sunset drinks at Husk Distillers among the glowing cane fields, and order one with their famous Ink Gin. You’ll thank us later.

exterior of Husk Distillers — Taste the famous Ink Gin at Husk Distillers. (Image: Destination NSW)

5. Sunshine Coast Hinterland

Drive time: 1 hour (70km)

Strap on those hiking boots and make tracks inland, where volcanic peaks, misty rainforest and hinterland townships beckon. Ease in with the Glass House Mountains Lookout Walk, or, if you have energy to burn, tackle the Mount Ngungun Summit Walk for a 360-degree sight of the surrounding summits.

Next: Montville. This township delivers European-style architecture and old-world appeal. Nearby, settle in at Flame Hill Vineyard, where a large pour of estate-grown wine comes with encompassing views of the countryside.

Not ready to leave the hinterland villages just yet? Of course not. Meander past art galleries and indie shops at Maleny. Nab some fudge from Sweets on Maple for a sweet fix. Or go salty at Maleny Dairies with a farm tour and a chunky wedge of their deliciously creamy cheese.

End the day among the eucalypts and rainforests of Kondalilla National Park. Here, the Kondalilla Falls Circuit winds down through trees humming with life to a rock pool beneath a waterfall – as if designed for soaking tired feet before heading back to the coast.

view of Mount Ngungun on the scenic rim queensland — Take on the Mount Ngungun Summit Walk (Image: TEQ)

Start planning your Sunshine home base at all.com.

Unique things to do in Toowoomba