What to do on a family caravan holiday to Toowoomba

From Brisbane, it’s an easy drive out west and little more than an hour’s travel to your next destination, Laidley. But before you get there, make a family-friendly detour off the Warrego Highway to The Workshops Rail Museum outside Ipswich.

Located inside Australia’s oldest railway workshops still in operation, the hands-on museum has huge steam locomotives and industrial machinery on display, with plenty of interactive exhibitions to get little brains buzzing.

When they’ve had enough of learning and exploring Queensland’s railway history, it’s play time at the Nippers Railway. Here, they can drive a kid-sized train, build wooden train networks, or quietly read through the selection of rail-themed children’s books.

For more great kid-friendly museums in Queensland, check out this list.

Explore your surroundings

You know you’re in Laidley when your modern caravan appears practically space-aged compared to the historic houses lining the streets.

Nestled in the heart of the Lockyer Valley, it’s an ‘RV-friendly town’ which includes a free camping spot where caravans can rest for up to 48 hours while their owners step back in time at the Pioneer Village and Museum , before sipping tea and nibbling scones at Annie’s Place Coffee Shop in the vintage surrounds of Das Neumann Haus on Patrick Street.

Sleep by the lake

Stop by local institution Schulte’s Meat Tavern (established in 1952 and still going strong) to pick up some snags and steaks for tonight’s dinner. Then, drive on to Lake Dyer Caravan and Camping Ground and set up for a country evening camping under the stars.

Lake Dyer is a local favourite spot for swimming, boating and fishing. If the weather has been dry you may be more restricted with your water activities, but the serenity will have you hooked.

Meet the animals

Take the scenic route from Laidley to Toowoomba via Darling Downs Zoo, home to over 300 animals from Africa, South America, South-east Asia and Australia.

What makes Darling Downs Zoo unique is it’s the only zoo in Queensland where you can see African lions, white lions, servals, and a pygmy hippopotamus. Preservation programs are also at the heart of the zoo. It has the largest zebra breeding program in Australia and offers plenty of hands-on experiences where you can feed or play with some of the animals, including lions, marmosets and meerkats.

Make yourself at home in Toowoomba

When you reach Toowoomba, it's time to unhitch the caravan again and settle into your new home for the next few days. BIG4 Garden City is a family favourite spot for a caravan holiday in Toowoomba. It has powered sites for caravans, but it's the swimming pools, caravan cubby house and go karts that will have the kids excited to stay.

If you want to take a break from cooking in your caravan kitchen, there are barbecues and pizza ovens in the caravan park, and guests are welcome to pick their own fresh herbs and fruits from the on-site garden.

Stretch your legs

Time to lace up your walking shoes and explore one of the area's best walking trails: Table Top Mountain. The 700m summit takes you to a rock plateau, which was a significant Aboriginal corroboree location.

It was here the ‘battle of One Tree Hill’ – the name by which the mountain was also known – took place in 1843 between indigenous locals of the Jagera, Yuggera and Uragapul people and Europeans. Take a moment to reflect on this important part of our Queensland history.

For views overlooking Main Range and the Lockyer Valley, the Pardalote Walk takes you on a 3.8km loop from the scenic heritage-listed Picnic Point Park. While you’re here, there’s an amazing park and playground for the kids to burn off any extra energy, and a children’s train on weekends during the warmer months.

Take a trip back in time

Toowoomba's Cobb+Co Museum takes you back in time to when things were simpler, horse-and-cart ruled the roadways, and people earned a living through heritage trades like silversmithing and leatherwork.

Kids can imagine what it was like to live during this time at The Coach Stop, where they can become shop attendants in the old Museum General Store, dress up in old fashion clothes or play on a life-sized replica horse. Older kids can learn skills from a bygone era, such as furniture making, stained glass leadlighting and blacksmithing during one of the scheduled hands-on workshops.

Picnic in the parks

Toowoomba is known as the Garden City for good reason, and its manicured parks are perfect place to throw down a picnic rug.

For an afternoon of tranquility, head to the Ju Raku En Japanese Garden (which translates to ‘enjoy the peace’) at the University of Southern Queensland Campus in Darling Heights. With ducks to feed and lawns to lounge on, it’s a harmonious and beautiful location, regardless of the season.

If you’d rather surround yourself in colourful flower beds and Australian natives as you dine al fresco, then lay your picnic rug on a grassy patch inside the Queens Park and Botanic Gardens. Just a short walk from Toowoomba's Central Business District, there’s a barbecue area and picnic tables, as well as a playground. 

For an afternoon treat, end the day on a sweet note at The Chocolate Cottage in Highfields. Just be warned, it may take the kids a while to choose just one or two treats from the delicious selection of 60 or so handmade chocolate varieties - and that’s not even counting the quirky novelty lollies and desserts in the cake cabinet.

Discover Toowoomba’s creative side

Toowoomba's thriving street art scene is building the city's reputation far beyond its gardens. Every year, the First Coat street art festival invites a select few street and graffiti artists to create large-scale outdoor masterpieces throughout the city as part of the GraffitiSTOP Queensland initiative to help eliminate illegal graffiti in Toowoomba.

As you explore the city, follow the First Coat Street Art Trail down the streets and laneways that have been given a colourful new lease on life with more than 50 vibrant murals.

For more ideas on how to spend your days in Toowoomba, add these things to your itinerary.

Not ready to go home yet? Keep the adventure alive with the best things to do with kids in Queensland Country, where to go stargazing in Big Sky Country, or make your way to some of the state's top family holiday parks.

Featured image: @thefam4adventure