Toowoomba

Toowoomba (also referred to by locals as "Woombie" or "T-ba") is a regional centre in Queensland, 127 kilometres WSW from the City of Brisbane and 90 kilometres west of Ipswich. With a population of 142,163 (2021), Toowoomba is Australia's largest inland city that is not a planned city (i.e. not Canberra).

Understand
It's 130 km west of Brisbane on the escarpment of the Great Dividing Range; travel time is approximately 90 minutes by road. After Canberra, Toowoomba is the second largest inland city in Australia.

By plane


There are few passenger flights operating from the airport. Services include:
 * QantasLink operates direct services to Sydney. There are 2 flights on weekdays and 1 flight a day on weekends.
 * Regional Express (REX) operate services from Brisbane to Toowoomba and onwards to the rural towns of St George, Cunnamulla, Thargomindah, Charleville, Quilpie, Windorah, Birdsville, Bedourie, Boulia and Mount Isa.

Airport transportation

 * Rental car companies are represented at the airport. Given this is not a major airport it may be advisable to reserve a vehicle in advance.
 * Taxis are available from the airport into Toowoomba City however considering the considerable distance from the CBD, commuters should expect at least a A$50 fare.
 * No public transport services exist for the airport.

By train
Toowoomba does not have frequent rail services – it is not at all a popular means of getting into the city. Queensland Rail's Westlander service passes through the city twice a week on its journey between Brisbane and Charleville. Travel time by train between Brisbane and Toowoomba is approximately 3.5 hours, making the train journey substantially longer than the 90-minute trip by car or bus.


 * The westbound service departs Brisbane at 7:15PM on Tuesday and Thursdays, travelling through the night to arrive in Toowoomba at 11PM.
 * The eastbound service departs Toowoomba at 7AM on Thursday and Saturday, arriving in Brisbane at 11:30AM.

The east bound service descends down the Toowoomba Range in the early morning, offering excellent views of the rugged landscape.



By car
There are three main ways to get into Toowoomba from the south, though there are some additional highways coming from the north and northwest. They include:
 * From Brisbane, it's about an hour and a halfs drive west via the A2 Warrego Highway and the A21 Toowoomba Connection Road from Brisbane.
 * From Stanthorpe, it's about 1 hour 45 minutes drive north for via the A3 and A15 New England Highway, and is also the route that you'll need to take if you're coming from Armidale or Tamworth.
 * From Goondiwindi, it's about a 2.5-hour drive northeast via the A39 Gore Highway and the A139 Toowoomba Athol Road, and the route you'll need to take if you're coming from Victoria or Central NSW.

By bus
Regular bus services are available between Toowoomba and Brisbane and Toowoomba and towns to the west.


 * Greyhound Australia operate frequent services between Toowoomba and Brisbane with some services connecting to Brisbane Airport. Greyhound also operate less frequent services between Brisbane and Charleville via Toowoomba.
 * Murrays Coaches operate services between Toowoomba and Brisbane and onwards to the towns of St George and Chinchilla. Some services connect through to Brisbane Airport.
 * Crisps Coaches operate services between Toowoomba and Warwick, and onwards to Stanthorpe and Moree.

Get around

 * There are two taxi companies operating in Greater Toowoomba: Garden City Cabs and Yellow Cabs. Both companies have very reasonable metered fares compared to capital cities.
 * Silver Service is a lesser-used taxi service that offers fully qualified drivers and is often regarded as a pricier but better service.
 * A limited bus service operates in Toowoomba, with 6 bus routes covering the city. For the most part frequencies are hourly, increasing slightly for the AM and PM peak period. On Saturdays some routes are less frequent and others do not operate. No routes operate on Sundays. Information on timetabling and fares is available from the Queensland Government website.

By car
Getting around Toowoomba by car is the most convenient option, as with almost every regional city with a population fewer than 200,000, public transport options are severely limited.

There are three major roads that traverse and connect Toowoomba.
 * The A21 is no longer one single road, but a series of roads that make up the old A2 Warrego Highway. A21 starts at Helidon Spa just before when the A2 Warrego Highway becomes a motorway, heads up towards East Toowoomba, winds its way through the CBD, and then heads west back toward the A2 Warrego Highway where it continues west.
 * The A3 New England Highway traverses Toowoomba in a north-south direction, also passing through the CBD.
 * The A139 Toowoomba-Athol Road connects Toowoomba to the locality of Athol about 10 kilometres southwest. It makes up the road of what used to be the A39, before it got rerouted towards the Warrego Highway on the new bypass.

The last one doesn't traverse Toowoomba, but connects the outer suburbs, the A2 Warrego Highway is Toowoomba's only motorway, mostly two lanes in each direction, but not a very convenient route in getting around Toowoomba. The motorway is perhaps one of the most scenic as it passes through mountainous terrain (and no other motorway in Australia outside the ACT goes through this kind of terrain), but it is tolled – as of early 2024, the tolled motorway costs $2.71 for cars and $1.36 for motorcycles, but only if you pass under the New England Highway. Otherwise, it's free to use.

See

 * Picnic Point, a beautiful outlook on the edge of 'The Range'.

National parks
There are no national parks "in" Toowoomba, but there are plenty of national parks in the LGA. Surprisingly, unlike most other parks in the state, the state government has invested in a lot of money in bushwalking trails, facilities, barbecue areas, picnic areas etc.

Historic sites

 * Spring Bluff Railway Station, a former railway station with excellent gardens and picnic areas.
 * Toowoomba Railway Station Building

Do

 * There is a tourist drive around the City, there are distinctive signs that mark this route.
 * Visit the Sunday Markets at the Toowoomba PCYC
 * Visit the Sunday Markets at the Toowoomba PCYC

Festivals
The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers is hosted by the city in late September each year. Commencing in 1949 the Carnival capitalises on the city's reputation of being the 'Garden City'. While there are many events that make up the carnival period, Toowoomba is known for its annual garden competition and the carnivals street parade.

Buy

 * Toowoomba has a very spread out and lively city centre, brimming with small shops and cafes. There are also many shopping centres littered through the suburbs, two notable ones being Grand Central in the City and Clifford Gardens in Newtown.

Budget
Toowoomba doesn't have many budget restaurants, but there are plenty of fast food chains that are there if you're on a budget.

Drink

 * Due to Toowoomba's large student population, there are a number of clubs and nightclubs in the city centre itself, they are mostly in the eastern half of the CBD area.

Sleep
Toowoomba has a large number of hotels and motels due to its strategic location on the crossroads of 3 major highways. You will see these as you drive through the city.