Things to do in Toowoomba

Museum

Cobb+Co Museum

Australia's finest horse-drawn carriage collection, plus hands-on heritage trades.

📍 East Toowoomba 🕒 School holidays for live trade demonstrations

Arts & Theatre

Empire Theatre

Australia's grandest regional performing-arts palace, all art-deco glamour.

📍 Toowoomba City 🕒 Evenings when a show is on — check the season program

Park & Garden

Japanese Garden, Ju Raku En

Australia's largest traditional Japanese stroll garden, serene year-round.

📍 Darling Heights 🕒 Autumn for maple colour; spring for azaleas

Lookout

Picnic Point Lookout & Parkland

The escarpment's iconic view over the Lockyer Valley below.

📍 Rangeville 🕒 Sunrise or golden hour

Park & Garden

Queens Park & Botanic Gardens

Toowoomba's leafy green heart and Carnival of Flowers centrepiece.

📍 East Toowoomba 🕒 September during Carnival of Flowers

Art & Culture

Toowoomba Street Art Trail (First Coat Outdoor Gallery)

Queensland's largest open-air gallery hides in the city's laneways.

📍 Toowoomba City 🕒 Daytime, any time of year

Day Trip

Bunya Mountains National Park

Ancient bunya-pine rainforest, walking trails and grazing wallabies.

📍 Bunya Mountains 🕒 Last Sunday of the month for the markets

Day Trip

Crows Nest Falls

A 20-metre cascade into a granite gorge, best after rain.

📍 Crows Nest 🕒 After rain, when the falls flow strongest

Shopping

Danish Flower Art & Coffee Shop

Quirky dried-flower art, homewares and a leafy garden cafe.

📍 Highfields 🕒 Weekday mornings; workshop days

Family Fun

Darling Downs Zoo

Meet lions, meerkats and monkeys on a family day out.

📍 Pilton 🕒 Around scheduled keeper talks and feeding times

Attraction

DownsSteam Tourist Railway & Museum

Ride restored steam locomotives built right here in Toowoomba.

📍 Drayton 🕒 Scheduled running days; Carnival of Flowers season

Shopping

Grand Central Shopping Centre

The Darling Downs' biggest mall, right in the city centre.

📍 Toowoomba City 🕒 Any day; quieter on weekday mornings

Museum

Highfields Pioneer Village, Museum & Park

Step back into pioneer Queensland at this sprawling living-history village.

📍 Highfields 🕒 Special event and steam days

Nature & Walks

Jubilee Park

313 hectares of escarpment bushland for hikers and mountain bikers.

📍 East Toowoomba 🕒 Cooler months for hiking and riding

Park & Garden

Lake Annand Park

A tranquil city lake with fountains, ducks and a big playground.

📍 South Toowoomba 🕒 Morning or late afternoon for a gentle stroll

Park & Garden

Laurel Bank Park

A fragrant, family-friendly park with a garden you can smell.

📍 South Toowoomba 🕒 Spring, especially during Carnival of Flowers

Museum

Milne Bay Military Museum

Toowoomba's proud military heritage, housed in a WWI-era drill hall.

📍 Harristown 🕒 Confirm opening status before visiting

Park & Garden

Peacehaven Botanic Park

Native gardens and a dinosaur-dig playground with Bunya Mountains views.

📍 Highfields 🕒 Spring; weekends for the native plant nursery

Day Trip

Preston Peak Wines

Hilltop cellar door with valley views just south of town.

📍 Preston 🕒 Weekend afternoons

Nature & Walks

Ravensbourne National Park

Lush rainforest circuits with towering blue gums and rare birds.

📍 Ravensbourne 🕒 Year-round; lush after rain

Nature & Walks

Redwood Park

A huge 200-hectare bushland reserve on the range escarpment.

📍 Redwood 🕒 Autumn to spring for comfortable walking

Attraction

Spring Bluff Railway Station

An award-winning heritage station wrapped in glorious gardens.

📍 Spring Bluff 🕒 September when the spring gardens peak

Nature & Walks

Table Top Mountain

A steep volcanic climb rewarded with a summit circuit and big views.

📍 Rangeville 🕒 Cool early morning — avoid wet or hot conditions

Day Trip

The Woolshed at Jondaryan

The world's oldest working woolshed brings the wool era to life.

📍 Jondaryan 🕒 Weekdays for tours; check for festival events

Art & Culture

Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery

Free CBD gallery holding a nationally significant Australian art collection.

📍 Toowoomba City 🕒 Any weekday — check for exhibition openings

Lookout

Webb Park Lookout

A quieter escarpment lookout with panoramic valley views.

📍 East Toowoomba 🕒 Early morning for clear valley views