Aussirose Travel and Photography: Toowoomba, Cabarlah & Highfields

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TOOWOOMBA

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My memory of Toowoomba was this high up cold place that we drove through on the New England highway from Brissy to visit my brother who lived in Sydney.

Come forward until now, staying here for a few days changed my opinion somewhat.

They call Toowoomba the garden city. We visited the Japanese Gardens which was nice but we didn't stay long enough to check out the other gardens in town.

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JAPANESE GARDEN

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I love Japanese Gardens with their red bridges and ornate trees. Toowoomba Japanese Garden was peaceful and also had azalias. They don't grow everywhere, so it's nice to see them.

We saw ducks, ibis and even a turtle. The good thing about it is that it is free.

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PICNIC POINT

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So my waterfall photos are not as good as some that I have seen, but they probably have more professional gear and are better at post processing than me. Anyway, I am happy with the results here.

Picnic Point in Toowoomba is a beautiful place to visit. There are scenic walks here, a nice looking restaurant and of course the falls which are easy to get to and easy to photograph.

Around the corner is a nice lookout that certainly showcases how high up Toowoomba is.

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TOOWOOMBA INFORMATION CENTRE

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The ladies here were very friendly and helpful. They advised us on a stack of things we can do an see in the area.

I would recommend that you visit here before deciding what to do.

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TOOWOOMBA - HUBBY USED TO LIVE HERE

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This is hubby's old house in Toowoomba.

He lived here when he was 5 to 6. The racetrack is just behind so his father trained there and hubby stood in the early hours of the morning with a stopwatch as the horses rounded the bend and out of the fog.

Hubby has fond memories of hearing the hooves of the horses before seeing them emerge from the fog and into the straight.

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TOOWOOMBA BITS & PIECES

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Toowoomba has a Big Thing, I think. We passed a shop with a big sausage out the front. And yes, it is listed in the Australian Big Things Map.

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We stayed at the Toowoomba Motor Village. It was a pleasant stay close to the city with friendly staff and clean facilities. So recommended. Sorry, no photos, but I do have a video below of the bats down at the creek. Every evening at dusk we were greeted with the sound of many birds going to roost in the surrounding trees. Then when the sound of the birds quietened down, the bats commenced their flight. It was kind of creepy because they were silent but interesting to watch. Couldn't get any decent photos so that is why I decided to take a video. Photo here is taken off the video, along with a photo of the creek.

Lastly, just a couple of photos of the countryside between Stanthorpe and Toowoomba.

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HIGHFIELDS

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We had been to a few bush walks and found them closed. We figured out that was probably due to closing because of the cyclone and then being too lazy to reopen.

The bush walk here in Highfields was no exception. So, what to do?

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HIGHFIELDS CHOCOLATE CAFE

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Knowing how disappointed Hubby was, I found a chocolate shop close by.

Plan B is always a good option.

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We sat on the verandah and had a coffee and cake. Nice little cafe.

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HIGHFIELDS WILLIAMS PARK

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So not having done a bushwalk, we still had time to kill before lunch. I madly googled what was around the area and came across some nice photos of Williams Park.

We arrived and sure enough.... it was closed. By this time we had figured out that there probably was no other reason for the closure than a Cyclone precaution with no damage and lazy Council workers that couldn't be bothered taking the sign away. We decided to go on the little walk anyway.

We are glad that we did. It was Sunday and we weren't bothering anyone. Plus there was another birder photographer there as well and hubby and him had a nice talk.

We heard a whip bird here, didn't see it. Hubby needs to buy a pair of small bonoculars. In the small video below you can hear it.

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CABARLAH

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We wanted to find somewhere nice for lunch. There didn't seem to be anything much in town, so I extended my Google search. That is when I found this place in Cabarlah.

The Clock & Bull Brew Pub.

What a unique idea. Loved the tudor buildings with beautiful stained glass doors. Loved the wooden interior and decor. Cookoo clocks are lovely. Randomly they would go off starting with the cookoo sound and then followed by a cute tune. We bought a paddle of brew and glass of wine and shared pork belly bites for entree and a juicy pizza for main, whilst contimplating which cookoo clock we were going to buy.

In the end we decided against the cookoo clock... for now. We may purchase it when we settle down as I found them on-line a bit cheaper than what they were selling for here.

FUNNY STORY

I had booked us for lunch at 1pm. You need to book here and especially on a Sunday. As we were running way early, I said to hubby that maybe we can ask do they have a table at opening time and cancel our existing table booking.

The nice lady looked us up and couldn't find my booking. I went to my emails and found it to show her. We were both confused. That is when I noticed that there was a confirm button on the confirmation email. Huh?... Then we both started laughing. I hadn't confirmed the booking.

But luckily enough, there was a table for us. Phew!