What Toowoomba locals love about the "Garden City"

Toowoomba, known as the “Garden City” to some and “the Melbourne of Queensland” to others, wears many hats. Its reputation as one of our country’s great chameleons makes sense it’s home to a growing coffee culture, striking street-art scene and a population of innovators and creatives.

It’s also surrounded by bright sunflower fields and surrounded by gentle plains. Country charm? Oodles of it but with an eye firmly on the future. And that’s exactly how the locals like it.

A supportive country-town feel

Nobody loves (or runs) an event quite like Michael Valdal, a father of two behind two of the region’s hospitality success stories.

“My family moved to Toowoomba from Zimbabwe when I was 12 years old. I moved to Brisbane after school to do a building apprenticeship but my wife and I felt the pull to come back here seven years ago. With family and friends still in Toowoomba, it made sense to come back.

"Gather & Graze, a local experiential charity gala, began in 2021 when my mate Lachy Hogan and I were looking at ways to help my best friend, who was battling breast cancer and needed a mastectomy. We thought we’d do a long lunch for 20 to 30 people to raise money but we ended up selling about 250 tickets – not only to family and friends but to local people who wanted to help. We realised that we were on to something and Graze grew quickly. Each year, we support a different local charity – in 2022, we chose Drought Angels and in 2023, we raised more than $350,000 for Tony’s Community Kitchen. What I’ve learnt is that people love to support one another – tickets for Gather & Graze sell out within minutes of release.

"It retains the feel of a country town even though it's Australia's second-largest inland city."

"I’m also the manager of The Dairy Ravensbourne, a wedding venue located on the site of an old dairy that my brother, Stuart, bought with his wife, Emily, and I helped to build. There’s nothing else quite like it in south-east Queensland; it’s a modern, architecturally designed space surrounded by beautiful countryside. We’ve recently tacked on The Dairy Bakehouse, which serves fresh pastries and artisanal breads on weekends so it feels like a more complete offering for the area.

"The thing I love most about Toowoomba is that it retains the feel of a country town even though it’s Australia’s second-largest inland city. I welcome that a lot of younger people are moving here but I hope it never grows so large that we lose that support for one another.”

A close-knit community

A desire to live closer to family saw branding expert, speaker and author Jessica Ritchie move her young family to Toowoomba three years ago. She’s now enamoured with the local community.

“Some places feel like the right place at the right time and Toowoomba has certainly been that for us. Having lived in Brisbane and then the Lockyer Valley, Toowoomba was always a place where we spent a lot of time, especially visiting my husband’s family. Three years ago, we made the decision to buy a home here and put down permanent roots. For our boys, now 10 and 12, it means growing up close to their grandparents and being part of a community where the schooling is exceptional. From the moment we arrived, we were warmly embraced by the local community.

"I started my personal branding, strategy and leadership development business, now known as Transformational Brand Lab, nine years ago. After 20 years in marketing roles, I wanted to help businesses elevate their employee engagement and build environments where people feel recognised and inspired. It wasn’t easy introducing the concept in a smaller city but once people understood what I was doing, they got behind me.

"I love that my boys are now enjoying the same kind of childhood my husband and I had – they ride bikes until the street lights come on and we have their friends turning up at our place at all hours. They can go down to the shops and I know the locals are keeping an eye on them, just as I keep an eye on other people’s kids. The community gives my family so much so I’m always happy to pitch in and give back. I’ve been a member of Zonta Club of Toowoomba Garden City, which is all about empowering women and children, for six years. I’m also the chair of Emerge, an organisation for youth who fall through the cracks. I’m a big believer in universal energy – the concept of putting out what you receive in abundance.”

A second-to-none lifestyle

Jocelyn Espie moved to Toowoomba in 2019 after accepting the position of CommBank Toowoomba branch manager.

“Growing up in regional Queensland, Toowoomba was always part of my story. Living in St George, it was where we travelled for sports events and medical appointments – four hours each way. I always loved visiting, even back then, though I never imagined that one day I would call Toowoomba home.

"I often say that CommBank has bookended my working life. I joined the bank right out of school then lived overseas for many years before I took the branch manager position in Toowoomba seven years ago. The perfect role? Yes but also the perfect place. It’s the ideal blend of city and country – big enough to have everything you need, yet small enough to maintain a sense of community. People genuinely care and they take the time to connect. While many talk about retiring to the coast, I can’t imagine living anywhere else. The Toowoomba lifestyle is second to none.

"The Toowoomba community is one where we look after each other."

"When people ask me about Toowoomba’s highlights, I could talk all day. We have beautiful parks and tree-lined streets, an incredible food and coffee culture, street art and a great music scene. We’re known for our festivals, like the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers and we will soon host the equestrian events for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games, too.

"The Toowoomba community is one where we look after each other and it’s a sentiment we feel keenly within our branch. I’ve handpicked nearly every member of my team and I care for them all but what really gets me emotional is how invested everyone is in helping our customers achieve their goals. We know our customers personally and there’s nothing quite like the feeling of seeing someone achieve their dream of buying a home or starting a business. It’s moments like these that remind me why Toowoomba will always be home.”

A fascinating history

Telling the stories of residents long departed is all in a day’s work for death awareness and consumer advocate Lisa Herbert. She runs Cemetery Tours Toowoomba.

“I’ve long used cemeteries as a way of showing people that everyone’s stories, no matter how long ago, are worth remembering. It’s interesting how Western society deals with death these days – only 100 years ago communities looked after the dying and the dead but now it’s seen as taboo and something to be outsourced. It’s this interest that led me to publish The Bottom Drawer Book: The After Death Action Plan, which gives readers all the information they could need about making informed decisions.

"Toowoomba has a fascinating history, which extends to its cemetery, Drayton & Toowoomba, where stories of hardships and hangings, triumphs and tragedies abound. Cemetery Tours Toowoomba came about thanks to my brother, Paul, who runs art, architecture and history tours through Toowoomba Trails. He kept getting asked if he offered cemetery tours and, while he didn’t, he knew exactly who to send them to. I launched the business in 2024 and I offer a two-hour Tales from the Tombstones tour, as well as a 75-minute Easy Access version perfect for wheelchairs and walkers. I’m always amazed by the number of residents who have lived in Toowoomba all their lives and never once walked through these gates. But what’s really interesting is how many come back in their own time to explore further.

"A life in Toowoomba is one centred around community. I volunteer on two local community projects: the Headstone Healing Project, which is working to repair graves and headstones that have been vandalised, and the Death Expo Toowoomba, a free community event designed to demystify death and grief. When you spend time working in and around death, you learn the importance of not sweating the small stuff but also the joy of living simply. What I’ll say about Toowoomba is this: it’s surprisingly easy to live well here.”

Related articles

• Three Gippsland businesses making the most of local produce
• Striking gold: How Bendigo still digs its history
• How Mallacoota locals banded together through adversity