“Never get so
busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”
Up
early Saturday morning we headed to the gateway of Queensland’s west, Toowoomba
which is a casual two-hour drive from Brisbane and perches on a crest of the
Great Dividing Range, 700 metres above sea level. Once a quiet farming
community with some well-heeled residents and numerous private schools, the
region is now embracing the arts, food and multiculturalism.
A
friendly, small-town vibe prevails in the Garden City, with its distinct
seasons and heritage buildings.
Australia’s
biggest regional inland city is getting a bit hip in its old age. A
food-and-arts scene has sprung up to complement the aroma of flowers and the
sense of history that permeate Toowoomba’s fresh mountain air.
We
headed up the top of the Great Dividing Range and stopped first at Picnic Point.
You’ll be mad not to check out the views. It was a great start to the day by
taking the short drive up to Picnic Point and feasted our eyes on the Lockyer
Valley and Table Top Mountain.
The
Picnic Point Cafe and Restaurant offers superb breakfasts (try the wholemeal
buttermilk pancakes with bacon and maple syrup or grilled chipolatas with
scrambled eggs and herb-crusted tomato) in a stylish space with big windows
that make the most of the vantage point. You may be lucky enough to be there on
a clear day, like today but a Toowoomba fog can be just as dramatic as last
time we were here.
We also
recommend The Finch. The café recently doubled in size by expanding into the
space next door and is now a light-filled place of exposed brick walls and a
high pressed-metal ceiling
Toowoomba
isn’t called the Garden City for nothing. You should make time to explore at
least a couple of the 150-plus public parks and gardens. Our next stop was a Monument
to poet George Essex Evans (1863 -1909). George was husband of Kim’s 3rd
Great Aunt – Blanche Eglinton. Evans was born in London in 1863, emigrated to
Australia in 1881 working initially as a farmer and later as a teacher,
journalist and Toowoomba`s Registrar of Births Deaths and Marriages. He
contributed articles to numerous journals and newspapers, particularly The
Queenslander, for which he wrote as `Christophus`. Two of his books of verse
were published, in 1891 and 1897. In 1901 he won the Commonwealth Poetry award
for his " Ode for Commonwealth Day." The memorial was located Dudley
Street, Webb Park, Toowoomba. Dudley being Kim’s 2nd Great
Grandfather.
We then decided to head to the heritage-listed Drayton and
Toowoomba Cemetery to check the graves of George, Blanche and Sister Amy
Eglinton. The cemetery is large, containing over 45,000 burials.
We then
headed to one of Toowoomba's most peaceful and beautiful parks - the four and a
half hectare Japanese Garden at the University of Southern Queensland. Located
on the northern side of the campus, it's Australia's largest and most
traditionally designed Japanese stroll garden, and you can take your pup around
on a lead.
Its
elements of mountain stream and waterfall, Dry Garden, central lake, Azalea
Hill, three kilometres of paths, 230 species of Japanese and Australian native
trees and plants, and lawns combine in a seamless and restful harmony.
Japanese
gardens emphasise the use of rocks to create three dimensional pictures. All of
the large rocks in Ju Raku En were placed by the garden's designer, Professor
Kinsaku Nakane of Kyoto, to appear naturally dispersed in a random way.
You can
stroll through the garden or relax on the seat near the Dry Garden; it's not
uncommon to see artists quietly painting a scene or children feeding bread to
the fish or birds, which include swans, ducks, geese and smaller natives.
Japanese maples provide a riot of autumn colour, while in spring masses of
lilac blossoms hang from the Wisteria Pergola - the perfect backdrop for a
wedding. Being there nice and early we had the place almost all to ourselves.
Only when leaving we noticed more people just coming in.
We
headed back to the CBD which is home to one of Australia’s largest outdoor
galleries? Yep, you heard right! Toowoomba is now the proud holder of this
title and home to over 55 street art murals.
Thanks
to the First Coat Festival, Toowoomba’s streets and laneways are awash with an
ever-evolving exhibition of colour, giving residents and visitors a whole new
reason to get outside and explore.
The
festival started in and has added new murals in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Grab your
camera and take a little walk to check out these 36 new works of art from the
2015 First Coast Festival.
While
checking out the murals, Kim popped in and out of shops.
In the
last decade or so Toowoomba has done a 360. It's embraced the fact it's
beautiful, a viable tourist hotspot, and
homes some of the richest people in Queensland who don't mind putting a bit of
coin back into the town. Toowoomba is known for its gardens and flowers, so be
sure to check out all the parks in the area; Laurel Bank, Queens Park and
Picnic Point are the top three. Ground Up Espresso is king of the café scene,
showing off an insane eggs Benedict and Toby's Estate coffee. The Spotted Cow
is the top pick for a craft beer or Saturday night gig.
Tony And Kim are Travelers, Adventurers, and Bloggers from Brisbane. Tony & Kim + Shari Outdoor Adventures has something for everyone to enjoy including what adventures you can have in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and Overseas. One thing’s for sure: once you start browsing our blog, you’ll be booking annual leave before you can say “bucket and spade”.
While we don’t identify ourselves as writers, We've always been travelers. From a young age, we both were given the opportunity to travel and spend countless hours on family road trips & vacations to what seemed, at the time, distant places.We got our first taste of traveling as a couple in Palm Cove, Queensland on our Honeymoon and learned about each others same passion.We are not writers, so why blog? It’s a commitment to ourselves that holds us accountable. It’s the home for our Adventure Stories. We want this blog to inspire you, to inform you and to add fuel to your Wanderlust. We hope you’ll join us on this adventure!
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