Toowoomba
Toowoomba (, nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar' ) is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is 125 km west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 Census was 142,163, having grown at an average annual rate of 1.45% over the previous two decades. Toowoomba is the second-most-populous inland city in the country after the national capital of Canberra and hence the largest city on the Darling Downs, and it is among the largest regional centres in Queensland. It is also referred to as the capital of the Darling Downs.
The Toowoomba region is the home of two main Aboriginal language groups, the Giabal whose lands extend south of the city and Jarowair whose lands extend north of the city. The Jarowair lands include the site of one of Australia's most important sacred Bora ceremonial ground, the ‘Gummingurru stone arrangement’ dated to c.4000 BC. The site marked one of the major routes employed by many Aboriginal tribes to the south and southeast to participate in the triennial bunya nut feast. The feast was Australia's largest Indigenous event, and of cultural and spiritual significance. The first European knowledge of the area was recorded when English botanist Allan Cunningham explored the region in 1827 and named it after Ralph Darling, then Governor of New South Wales. British drays began arriving from 1840, enticed by the rich pastoral lands, and established the settlement of Drayton in 1842. During the War of Southern Queensland, violent conflict erupted as Indigenous tribes attempted to force drays from encroaching on the Darling Downs, with the Battle of One Tree Hill being fought near Toowoomba. William Horton founded the Royal Bull's Head Inn in 1847, and in 1852 he invested in a new hotel in the area known as ‘The Swamp’. A rivalry between this newfound settlement (later renamed to Toowoomba) and the previously established town of Drayton eventually ended when Toowoomba outgrew and absorbed Drayton as time went on. The town elected its first mayor in 1861, former convict William Henry Groom, and by 1867 it was connected by rail to Ipswich, which was also the first over the Great Dividing Range. In 1904 Toowoomba was declared a city, and saw the Austral Society founded there by the esteemed national poet George Essex Evans. Over the 20th century, Toowoomba expanded from a primarily agriculture-based economy to provide services with increasing demand such as advanced education and medical facilities.
A university and cathedral city, Toowoomba is largely preserved of its Victorian era architecture and gardens of which there are more than 150 public parks including the historic Queens Park. The city hosts the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers each September and national championship events for the sports of mountain biking and motocross. Toowoomba is served by Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport and the smaller Toowoomba City Aerodrome. In recent years Toowoomba has seen high rise developments built to accommodate high population growth in the region.
Toowoomba is on the crest of the Great Dividing Range, around 700 m above sea level. A few streets are on the eastern side of the edge of the range, but most of the city is west of the divide.
The city occupies the edge of the range and the low ridges behind it. Two valleys run north from the southern boundary, each arising from springs either side of Middle Ridge near Spring Street at an altitude of around 680 m. These waterways, East Creek and West Creek, flow together just north of the CBD to form Gowrie Creek.
Gowrie Creek drains to the west across the Darling Downs and is a tributary of the Condamine River, part of the Murray–Darling basin. The water flowing down Gowrie Creek makes its way some 3000 km to the mouth of the Murray River near Adelaide in South Australia. Rain which falls on the easternmost streets of Toowoomba flows east to Moreton Bay a distance of around 170 km.
The rich volcanic soil in the region helps maintain the 150 public parks that are scattered across the city. Jacaranda, camphor laurel and plane trees line many of the city streets. The city's reputation as 'The Garden City' is highlighted during the Australian Carnival of Flowers festival held in September each year. Deciduous trees from around the world line many of the parks, giving a display of autumn colour.
The Toowoomba region is the home of two main Aboriginal language groups, the Giabal whose lands extend south of the city and Jarowair whose lands extend north of the city. The Jarowair lands include the site of one of Australia's most important sacred Bora ceremonial ground, the ‘Gummingurru stone arrangement’ dated to c.4000 BC. The site marked one of the major routes employed by many Aboriginal tribes to the south and southeast to participate in the triennial bunya nut feast. The feast was Australia's largest Indigenous event, and of cultural and spiritual significance. The first European knowledge of the area was recorded when English botanist Allan Cunningham explored the region in 1827 and named it after Ralph Darling, then Governor of New South Wales. British drays began arriving from 1840, enticed by the rich pastoral lands, and established the settlement of Drayton in 1842. During the War of Southern Queensland, violent conflict erupted as Indigenous tribes attempted to force drays from encroaching on the Darling Downs, with the Battle of One Tree Hill being fought near Toowoomba. William Horton founded the Royal Bull's Head Inn in 1847, and in 1852 he invested in a new hotel in the area known as ‘The Swamp’. A rivalry between this newfound settlement (later renamed to Toowoomba) and the previously established town of Drayton eventually ended when Toowoomba outgrew and absorbed Drayton as time went on. The town elected its first mayor in 1861, former convict William Henry Groom, and by 1867 it was connected by rail to Ipswich, which was also the first over the Great Dividing Range. In 1904 Toowoomba was declared a city, and saw the Austral Society founded there by the esteemed national poet George Essex Evans. Over the 20th century, Toowoomba expanded from a primarily agriculture-based economy to provide services with increasing demand such as advanced education and medical facilities.
A university and cathedral city, Toowoomba is largely preserved of its Victorian era architecture and gardens of which there are more than 150 public parks including the historic Queens Park. The city hosts the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers each September and national championship events for the sports of mountain biking and motocross. Toowoomba is served by Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport and the smaller Toowoomba City Aerodrome. In recent years Toowoomba has seen high rise developments built to accommodate high population growth in the region.
Toowoomba is on the crest of the Great Dividing Range, around 700 m above sea level. A few streets are on the eastern side of the edge of the range, but most of the city is west of the divide.
The city occupies the edge of the range and the low ridges behind it. Two valleys run north from the southern boundary, each arising from springs either side of Middle Ridge near Spring Street at an altitude of around 680 m. These waterways, East Creek and West Creek, flow together just north of the CBD to form Gowrie Creek.
Gowrie Creek drains to the west across the Darling Downs and is a tributary of the Condamine River, part of the Murray–Darling basin. The water flowing down Gowrie Creek makes its way some 3000 km to the mouth of the Murray River near Adelaide in South Australia. Rain which falls on the easternmost streets of Toowoomba flows east to Moreton Bay a distance of around 170 km.
The rich volcanic soil in the region helps maintain the 150 public parks that are scattered across the city. Jacaranda, camphor laurel and plane trees line many of the city streets. The city's reputation as 'The Garden City' is highlighted during the Australian Carnival of Flowers festival held in September each year. Deciduous trees from around the world line many of the parks, giving a display of autumn colour.
Map - Toowoomba
Map
Country - Australia
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The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians began arriving from south east Asia approximately 65,000 years ago, during the last ice age. Arriving by sea, they settled the continent and had formed approximately 250 distinct language groups by the time of European settlement, maintaining some of the longest known continuing artistic and religious traditions in the world. Australia's written history commenced with the European maritime exploration of Australia. The Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon was the first known European to reach Australia, in 1606. In 1770, the British explorer James Cook mapped and claimed the east coast of Australia for Great Britain, and the First Fleet of British ships arrived at Sydney in 1788 to establish the penal colony of New South Wales. The European population grew in subsequent decades, and by the end of the 1850s gold rush, most of the continent had been explored by European settlers and an additional five self-governing British colonies established. Democratic parliaments were gradually established through the 19th century, culminating with a vote for the federation of the six colonies and foundation of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901. Australia has since maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and wealthy market economy.
Currency / Language
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| AUD | Australian dollar | $ | 2 |
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