How to spend 48 hours in Toowoomba
Itinerary
By Sophia McMeekin
Fancy leaving the city behind you for the weekend? The ideal country escape is just two hours west of Brisbane, and miles away from everyday life.
Toowoomba is a historic beauty with all of the charm of a country town and the culture of a big city. And there’s no shortage of things to do in Toowoomba on your next weekend away.
This stunning mountain city (yes, Toowoomba is Australia’s second largest inland city!) is designed for the good life, with boutique wineries, scenic views, antiques and a thriving food culture. It’s a unique slice of Queensland where the great outdoors are as close at hand as a great coffee.
Here’s how to escape to the country with a weekend in Toowoomba.
Friday
5PM: Friday night drinks
Photo by @TheSoundGardenBNE
Head to Toowoomba from Brisbane and make it to town just in time for Friday night drinks.
The Sound Garden is a local favourite with live shows scheduled each week for you to enjoy with a refreshing drink and alfresco dining. The unique indoor/outdoor experience is featured around a seven-metre-tall indoor tree with multiple open and inviting areas for you to relax with a drink and make new friends.
Saturday
8AM: Breakfast and coffee
Photo by @thebakersduck
There’s no time for sleeping in because, if you do, you could very well miss out on the baked delights of The Baker’s Duck, which, if you ask any local, would be a tragedy.
Open 7 days a week from 7.00am to 2pm (or earlier, if they sell out), this bakery/patisserie is a favourite for breakfast. Located in a semi-industrial street, you know you’re in the right place when you spot the line of fans queuing for their sweet and savoury baked treats. The ever-changing menu of seasonal specials and classics had made The Baker’s Duck a firm favourite for morning fuel.
If you’re staying in the CBD you might instead make your way to The Finch, a cafe with an industrial vibe serving beautiful local produce for breakfast and lunch.
With a simple menu packing breakfast favourites like the eggs benedict and potato hash (plus Fonzie Abbott coffee) it’s not surprising that the cafe had to recently expand their premises to keep up with the increasing demand.
The expansion also saw the addition of a beautiful finch mural on the back wall by First Coat Festival street artist, Noke.
10AM: Op shops, art and architecture
Toowoomba is a mecca for vintage finds, with op shops, art and architecture everywhere you turn.
While the local St Vinnies and Salvos are a must for a true bargain buy, the Lifeline Emporium on Ruthven Street is the place to head for clothing, with a full vintage wardrobe section complete with band tees, fur coats and kimonos. Upstairs, enter a book lover’s utopia, with shelf after shelf of literary goodies from biographies and poetry to general fiction and true stories.
On your way, pop into the artist-run gallery No Comply and Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery to check out their latest exhibitions. Entry is free.
Toowoomba is home to plenty of homes that have stood the test of time, none more iconic than our Queenslanders. Get an architecture fix wandering down the Russell Street Historical Walk, all the way back to the 1860s. There’s 2.5km of Queenslanders as well as other architectural styles, so you might just get the home renovation inspiration you need.
We hope you’ve worked up an appetite, because lunch is just around the corner.
12PM: Lunch at Laundry Espresso
Photo by @LaundryEspresso
Head to Laundry Espresso Bar where, before you even sit down, the warm, friendly atmosphere envelopes you. With a menu that changes seasonally, expect quality and a fresh, local menu, with all-day breakfast and on-the-go options if you’d rather take your lunch on your next adventure.
2PM: Explore the outdoors
She may technically be a city, but Toowoomba is a country town at heart, meaning there are always opportunities for nature lovers to get their fill of the outdoors.
They don’t call Toowoomba the garden city for nothing, with plenty of options in and around the city centre for those who fancy a stroll with a dose of greenery.
Queens Park in the CBD has four ovals, woodlands, an off-dog leash area, two playgrounds, and a botanic garden. It’s a great option if you’re after a long and leisurely walk.
Laurel Bank Park is a small and beautiful parkland, perfect if you’ve got little ones in tow, with a children’s playground, picnic areas, and croquet lawns. Renowned for its stunning floral displays and manicured gardens, the park is most well known for its annual display during the Carnival of Flowers, which changes in theme each year.
If you prefer your green scenery with a mountain aspect, sitting high on the crest of the Great Dividing Range is the 160-acre Picnic Point Parklands. This lookout point is one of the most visited spots in Toowoomba, with amazing panoramic views over Main Range and Lockyer Valley.
5PM: Hike Table Top Mountain
Views don’t get much better than those from Table Top Mountain. The famous natural formation set in the Toowoomba Range is a popular walk/scramble/rock climb for locals and visitors alike, but be warned, a moderate level of fitness is needed.
As you climb higher and higher, the smaller rocks start turning into boulders for the remainder of the hump, but rest assured the track has been really well laid out, making it easy to manoeuvre yourself.
The plateau of the mountain is nothing short of amazing, with 360-views of the range and open plains as far as the eye can see. Grassy headland covers the mountaintop, but you’ll find a clear-cut circuit that’ll take you on a round-trip of the flat surface.
Do take your time on the way back down, because the loose gravel can be tricky to navigate.
7PM: Dinner and a show
Before your weekend rendezvous begins, be sure to check out what’s coming up at the Empire Theatre. Art-deco glam meets world-class performances at this heritage-listed beauty, which also holds the title of Australia’s largest regional performing arts complex. If you time it right, you might be able to catch a Parisian cabaret or comedy night during your visit.
For dinner, Muller Bros, the Brazilian barbeque and rooftop bar down Bell Street laneway is always a good time (it’s best to make a reservation beforehand as the restaurant does get busy).
Finish your meal and head upstairs for a drink under the fairy lights of the open-air rooftop bar.
Sunday
9AM: Laneway breakfast
Ground Up Espresso Bar certainly puts the bright in ‘bright and early’, tucked down the colourful laneway of Searles Walk.
The cosy cafe is a firm favourite with locals and justly so, serving up quality coffee and simple, delicious cafe fare. The eggs benedict on a chilly winter morning is the ideal way to start another busy day in Toowoomba.
10am: Explore the museum
The small but mighty Cobb & Co. Museum is the place to be when you’re looking for Toowoomba history, and is one of the best things to do in Toowoomba. Housing the National Carriage Collection of horse-drawn vehicles and a range of permanent and temporary exhibitions, you’ll gain a rare insight into the cultural and natural past of the region.
Take part in one of two daily guided tours (check their website for the most recent tour times). It’s a great way to get the full experience of each exhibition, and you’ll learn some amazing facts along the way, like why a car’s glove compartment is named so.
12PM: Hit the road
When the sun’s shining, pack a picnic and hit the road to Crows Nest National Park, 50 minutes north of Toowoomba.
This natural treasure trove is home to freshwater swimming holes and easy hikes through the park’s eucalypt forest and stringy-bark trees (and if you take the longest track to Koonin Lookout, you’ll get a bird’s-eye view of the gorge, known as the Valley of Diamonds, stretching out to the distant rolling hills around Ravensbourne).
Keep an eye out for rock wallabies playing hide and seek as you explore.
3PM: Wine and cheese
You’ve earnt a drink. Thanks to the elevation and cold winters, Toowoomba is close to boutique wineries and cellar doors who are more than happy to help you out.
Preston Peak winery is just 10 minutes drive from Toowoomba, but the stunning grounds are a world away from city life. Offering wine tastings and cheese platters, and with a variety of award winning wines for sale, this local-approved vineyard on Queensland’s Granite Belt is well worth the short jaunt out of town.
7PM: Fine dining
The weekend is coming to an end, but the fun doesn’t need to stop quite yet. A night fine-dining at Zev’s Bistro is guaranteed to have you leaving on a high note.
With a menu of local and season dishes, choosing what to eat is no mean feat here. The Chef’s Pick degustation-style offering (which can be shared comfortably between two people) releases you of any decision-making stress, giving you a sample of every a la carte option from start to finish.
Finish off with a glass of house champagne and that’s Toowoomba done and dusted.
