Toowoomba

When I was very young, our family lived in Toowoomba for a few years before moving to Maryborough when I was five.

Toowoomba is about 80 miles west of Brisbane. It's the second largest inland city in Australia with a population of 135,000. I reckon it is the prettiest city in Oz.

Some of the photos are for my sister Anne. This shows the house we lived in.

We parked on Margaret Street and walked down to the main part of town.

The play ground area of Queens Park.

This street used to be the most posh in town with fancy houses. They mostly have been converted into offices or cafes.

Somewhat gruesome history.

The East Creek which is normally quiet and peaceful. In 2011 about 6 inches of rain fell in a day and with all the building over the years, the creek was unable to cope with the water. You can see the result in this video.

What used to be the Canberra Hotel. We spent our last night in Toowoomba here before going to Maryborough.

The swimming baths used to stand across the street from the hotel but they were demolished.

The facade of this church was saved.

Stained glass window in the church.

Former Post Office with the Court House to the right.

Old picture theater, the Empire.

What would have been the auditorium. It still functions as a picture theater but now contains several smaller rooms.

Stairs leading to the balcony.

The corner of Margaret and Ruthven Streets, the center of town.

Toowoomba is a very prosperous and wealthy city serving the agricultural area known as the Darling Downs. Most of the shops are occupied and the are a lot of coffee shops.

Some of the ornate buildings.

The Town Hall.

Quilt inside the Town Hall showing various landmarks.

The Church of England.

What used to be the Methodist Church. My sister would take me to Sunday School there. 

Inside. It is no longer used as a church and is part of a theater complex.

At the back of the Court House.

Interesting top to a building. It was a cafe extension to the old picture theater shown above.

We walked back to our car and crossed the East Creek again.

Since I left Toowoomba at age 5, my memories are somewhat limited of the downtown area, but a lot of them do survive.