Toowoomba.

Sitting on the edge of the Great Dividing Range at the intersection of the Warrego and New England highways and at an altitude of seven hundred metres above sea level, the city gives visitors and residents alike breathtaking views of Table Top Mountain and the Lockyer Valley region across to the east.

Toowoomba has a population of over 90,000 people, is Australia's largest inland regional city and is the commercial and economic hub of the Darling Downs region.

The city's origins date back to 1827 when an English explorer named Allan Cunningham discovered a vast expanse of rich farming land which he named the 'Darling Downs' after then Governor of New South Wales, Sir Ralph Darling.

Toowoomba was originally known as 'The Swamp' and one of the first to take up residence in Toowoomba was Thomas Alford.

Arriving at The Swamp from Drayton in 1852 he established a house and shop which he named Toowoomba, a word believed to be an Anglicised version of the Aboriginal word for the area and which would eventually become the official name of the town.

Toowoomba is known as “The Garden City” and has more than 150 public parks and gardens and, like anywhere else in the world, in spring the gardens are a kaleidoscope of colour.

The city celebrates with the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, held each year in the last week of September and now in its 61st year, the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers has been growing bigger, brighter and more colourful each year.

It is the longest running floral event of its kind in Australia and is the premiere celebration of flowers, food, wine, culture, entertainment and all things spring!

With a vibrant street parade, fascinating flowers and floral displays, fabulous food, delicious local wines, awe-inspiring art, imaginative interactive workshops and exceptional entertainment, the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers has something for everyone!

In summer, from mid-January to mid-February you can enjoy lazy days in the city’s wide open spaces, resplendent again with floral colour and from March until May mellow tints of red and gold mark the autumn showing.

Toowoomba has preserved a number of handsome 19th Century buildings both public and private.

The Royal Bull's Head Inn in Brisbane Street was opened in the mid 1800’s as an inn and later became the post office of the Drayton district.

The Smithfield Homestead, a Victorian villa in Panda Street, is now an elegant restaurant and side by side in Margaret Street are the post office of 1878 and the courthouse from the same period.

In Ruthven Street, Toowoomba’s main street, is the Town Hall (1900), with a clock tower, which contains the City Art Gallery and a theater.

Clifford House in Russell Street, originally built as a club, is now a restaurant.

Toowoomba also has the Lionel Lindsay Gallery of Australian Art and Literature in Jellico Street, in Parker Street, in the Drayton district, is the Early Settlers Museum.

The Cobb & Co. Museum in Lindsay Street traces the history of horse-drawn vehicles.

The Cobb & Co Museum is part of the Queensland Museum and is home to the National Carriage Collection.

As well as Cobb & Co coaches, the collection includes examples of a vast range of vehicles from the horse-drawn era, from farm wagons and delivery carts to the Rolls Royce of Carriages, the landau.

Three notable old churches well worth a visit are St Patrick's Cathedral, St Luke's Cathedral and St Matthew's in Drayton.

For the adventurous traveller, there are 4WD tours, skydiving and more, plus a vast array of markets and country drives for those who want to unwind and further explore the region.

As one of the few regions in Queensland with four distinct seasons, the Darling Downs ensures that anytime is a great time to experience the natural beauty and charm that awaits you.

To the west of Toowoomba are rolling plains and little rural townships full of character and charm, offering bed and breakfast accommodation where you can retreat to a cosy fireplace with a bottle of local wine.

Cruise north to Crows Nest through the hamlets strung along the eastern escarpment and check out nurseries, cafes, museums and galleries.

Go south into the country that was the setting for Steele Rudd’s stories and enjoy the atmosphere in the popular historic pubs.

In the north-west, the Bunya Mountains rise dramatically against the sky, an offshoot of the Great Dividing Range with dense rainforest, waterfalls, walking tracks and the largest remaining stand of bunya pines.

Whatever your mood or fancy, Toowoomba and the Darling Downs region offers you plenty to see and do, from boutique wineries, stylish cafes, galleries, heritage exhibitions and museums to rugged national parks, antique stores, spectacular lookouts, gracious old hotels and stunning gardens.

Now when you come to visit us the task of finding accommodation in Toowoomba just became a whole lot easier!

That little box on the right is not the usual link to a hotel booking site, it’s a search tool, it searches the 30 biggest booking sites on the web and brings back all the prices for you, so you can make sure you get the best deal available.

•click "Search"...

•...and you get taken to a page that lists what Toowoomba accommodation is currently available for those dates and the best price for each.

(Page opens in new window.)

Click on any or the hotels in Toowoomba and you can see all the results for that hotel.

On top of the best hotel prices you also get information about the individual hotels and resorts, pictures, maps, reviews from travellers, all neatly presented and very user friendly.

Once you click "Select" on the best price, THEN you get taken to a booking site where you can find out more details about the offer.

I played with this myself before I put it here. I compared it to the prices that the hotels offer on their own websites: this tool brought back the same or a better offer. (Up to 20% cheaper!)

I even compared it to what Flight Centre had to offer: Flight Centre was either sold out or more expensive.

Needless to say, I was impressed.

Try it out for yourself!

Yes, Toowoomba and the Darling Downs region is steeped in heritage and natural beauty, just an hour and a half west of Brisbane and two hours from the Gold Coast it’s well worth a visit,………enjoy,

John.

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