The Toowoomba Japanese Gardens are renowned for their stunning representation of traditional Japanese landscape design.  The park called “Ju Raku En”, Japanese for “enjoying peace and longevity in a public place”, is a must-see garden destination with over 100,000 visitors each year coming to take in the award winning gardens.  The feeding of the wildlife is discouraged and dogs are not permitted.  Open daily from 6:00am to Dusk, with the entry gates locked around these times.

Laurel Bank Park is one of Toowoomba’s premier parks and provides a majestic oasis close to the heart of town.  The park features manicured gardens, mature trees, children’s play equipment, barbecue and picnic areas and two croquet lawns and is a must-see destination during the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers in spring, when the gardens come alive with colour.

Your hosts Peter and Gill Gould own and operate this working cattle property at Emu Creek one hour north of Toowoomba.  They are very accomplished in the Quarter Horse Industry and regularly hire horses to motion picture producers and for TV commercials.  They cater for people of all horse riding ability and have a number of good-natured Quarter horses.  Using big comfortable western saddles you can be assured of a relaxing ride through picturesque country where wallabies, wild deer and native bird life thrive.

It’s Australia’s second largest inland city, but for most weekend-goers in search of new adventures, a 48-hour jaunt to Toowoomba isn’t high on the priority list.  Well, maybe it should be, because not only is it easily accessible from Brisbane being under two hours west, but this country charmer boasts the perfect mix of leisure and great outdoors with a foodie scene that’s surprisingly out of this world.  Intrigued? Here’s how to make the most out of a weekend in Toowoomba.