Toowoomba - yet again

 We like to go to Toowoomba since it is probably the most beautiful of Australia's inland cities. 

We stayed at a B&B just across the road from the magnificent gardens. We walked though this arch to enter.

At the end of summer, all the flowers are removed and the beds made ready for the new season later in the year. If you want to see what the gardens are like at their best, click here.

There is a new building close to the cannon and inside are placards that tell the history of the hothouse that used to exist years ago.

We loved this tale about the cannon blast destroying the hothouse.

No that is not a blast coming from the cannon. The camera lense was dirty.

Marianne likes this tree.

The next morning we had brekkie at a cafe and our table was just outside this hairdresser. Oddly enough, I had been inside this room over 60 years ago. We lived in Toowoomba when I was three to five years old and my best friends family lived here.

I started school here.

The school is much changed since I went there with the building I was in torn down decades ago. I can't say I was an outstanding pupil at the school, not really understanding what was going on. I remember we were separated into the various denominations and sent to different rooms for religious instruction. The Methodist room I was sent to was pretty boring but the kids who came back from the Church of England room had enjoyed themselves cutting out paper crosses. The following week I tried to join them but was turfed out and sent back in disgrace to the Methos.

The class photo from grade 1. In my dark jacket and white collar, I am in the back row just to the right of the kid in the middle. His name was Marshall. Doesn't everybody look cold.

This building is about all that remains of the older buildings. My older sister was in here for grade 3 but I never even entered the building.

Drinking fountains.

Mural on one of the new buildings.

We walked back to the car and enjoyed looking at some of the wonderful houses across the street.

Note the windows.

The sign at the end of the street where I used to live. There used to be a yellow-painted wooden sign on the other corner. My friend and I managed to pull it down so I supposed we could be labeled yery young hoons.

I found a very old slide of the yellow street sign. Lousy picture, but you get the idea.

The house where we lived.

Over the years, I have driven past to check on the house and this is probably the best it has looked.

As usual, we went to Picnic Point to look at the view.

There are numerous beautiful trees.

The view to Table Top. Brisbane lies 80 miles to the east.

It's no hardship returning to Toowoomba. It gets cold in winter but it's a lovely city.