Tuesday 20 April 2021

Tootling Around Toowoomba

It was hubby's birthday, so we decided to head to his childhood haunts for a weekend break (yay, no masks needed).  He grew up in Toowoomba, which even though on the top of a mountain range, flooded badly in 2011, with heartbreaking results.  A very sad time.  Fortunately, no-one we knew was hurt or killed.  But to this day, there are still bodies that have never been recovered. 

Toowoomba has always been a  big country town, but it's turning into - well, a bigger country town :=)  And with all the usual suspects, like nightclubs and bars, and trendy cafés, and a fabulous indie bookshop.  And several Thai restaurants and lots of street art.  It's fabulous!  Oh, and lots of beautiful old buildings.


the view from the front of the hotel at sunset

Here you can see the old Court House (now a private home) next to the old Post Office, both made from gorgeous local sandstone.  Slap bang in the middle of town!  Imagine living there.

 
we ate gelati - he had blueberry and vanilla

There was smooth and creamy gelato/gelati (?) to be had at Gelatissimo.  I had choc-mint, and salted caramel.

so true


we ate takeaway Turkish in our hotel room - chicken shish kebabs


there was textile art by Beatrijs Van Rheeden

we saw street art by Elisha Rei on the back of the Art Gallery

and a red-tailed black cockatoo by David Cragg on the local Council  offices

we drove into the countryside in the pouring rain


we drank prosecco in a trendy bar called Fitzy's

and ate buckwheat crepes in a gorgeous little café called Burrow

and scoffed down delicious marzipan Mozart Kugeln

we had omelette with sourdough and smoked salmon for brunch

We met up with my peeps for brunch at Sweet Talk café - i.e. the ladies of the pod as I call us.  I am part of a very small Instagram pod called the PodStars, and we meet up for an insta meeting several times a year.  Always delightful to see them, and to share taking photos.  So lucky to have met up with these ladies; it's not that easy to make new friends after you've finished up working.



Mr P. checking out another old building

we drove past the old railway station - with extra silos on the left

and then there was a cappuccino for me, and hot choc for him


We had a fabulous break; just a shame we were a few weeks too early for the autumn leaves turning.  We had rain, we had sunshine, we had cold winds, we had a lovely hotel room, and tasty food, and visits with friends.  

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that our friends from Hobart were in town, visiting her parents who still live in their own home (and they're in their 90s!)  Hubby, his sisters and Madam P. grew up together during their teenage years, then shared a house when they moved to Brisbane for university.  And I lived next door to them in Brisbane, all-unknowing for some time.  

She was a student at the Conservatorium of Music; so that's why I kept hearing piano music ... And I shared house with another Con student who played classical guitar.  I heard the same piece for an entire year!  Oops, that's enough reminiscing.  Soooo happy we can travel around our State, without masks (even though we still have to check in everywhere we go).  Lucky are we! 


32 comments:

  1. Nice that you now can travel, visit friends, and don't even have to wear a mask. We are still in lockdown mode.
    Toowoomba seems like a really nice city. I love that omelette with sourdough and smoked salmon.

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    1. we have been so lucky here angie! we had a 5-6 week lockdown last year then a couple of 3-day ones in recent times but that's it. of course there are masks and sign-ins and social distancing. a lot less hugging these days:) yes toowoomba is lovely as was the omelette!

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  2. Wow, what a cool trip. Happy Birthday to Mr. P!! I love the gelato and I have not had a Mozart Kuglen in ages. I lived in Vienna for half a yaer way back in my 20's (Yikes, over 40 years ago!) and loved those treats.

    The black cockatoo on the building is very cool.

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    1. thanks tina. he had a lovely time of it. oh wow to live in vienna. how marvellous. we do have wonderful native birds here; the cockatoos are amazing.

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  3. What a fabulous vacation! You seem able to do so many normal things that have been so restricted. Especially seeing friends. Your photos make it look like a lovely town.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. yes Mae we have been super lucky here in Queensland esp. And yep toowoomba is great!

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  4. Sounds like a really fun time. Love the photos. Happy Birthday to Mr P!

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  5. It's so nice to be able to go back to where you grew up. I love that feeling. Also everything feels so small whereas when you were a kid it was all so big! Happy Birthday to Mr P :)

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    1. it is a nice thing to do. thanks re hubby's birthday. will pass on the message.

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  6. Great post! Thanks for sharing. x

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  7. Looks like you ate well... I love all the outdoor art - really brightens things up!

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    1. we did indeed eat well judi. and yep love the art.

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  8. Nice to see some travelling is happening now, and with AU and NZ extending its bubble with each other the options got wider. We are itcing to travel after more than one year without it, definitely AU will be our next destination

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    1. yes it's great to get out of town. hopefully we will get to NZ one of these days.

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  9. Wow, that's crazy that you lived next door to them back in university! I love those 'small world' stories. :-) Toowoomba seems like a really fun place to visit. I for one can appreciate going back to our childhood haunts - we're heading down to Charleston, South Carolina in a couple of months (that's where I grew up). And living in the old Court House? How cool is that!?

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    1. wasn't it weird? we didn't find out for ages that we lived next door and before that in the same street. It must be amazing to live in that court house - so huge and right bang in the main street.

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  10. What a quaint town! Love the art! And love that you got to catch up with friends.

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    1. it is indeed abbe. full of street art! yep lovely indeed to catch up with friends esp. when they usually live so very far away.

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  11. Looks like a fab time was had by all! Love Toowoomba and is getting a Melbourne vibe in parts. Happy Birthday to Mr P xxx

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    1. thanks michaela. yep the T/ba is getting very trendy these days.

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  12. What a lovely reminisce and belated happy birthday to Mr. P. I tried to respond earlier but doesn't look like it sent. Weird. My hubby is from Toowoomba as well, and I love going back there and we do because his sister lives back there now. So I'll take note of all those swish places you went to, and the food looks fabulous. It's always helpful to have good advice on cafes etc before you visit. His sister is gluten free so she is always wondering where to go. Thanks for a great tour. Looks like you had a lovely time. Take care, Pauline

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    1. thanks pauline. yep commenting is always hazardous with blogger, isn't it? There's a fab bar called the vault i think in an old bank, on the corner of margaret and ruthven streets (I think). Worth a try. Sofra is a fab turkish place and very popular. enjoy it if you go there.

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  13. Sounds like an absolutely wonderful weekend away! I have to say, I bet that courthouse as a private home is something else! I envy your maskless travel, and hope that someday soon we can do that here, as well.

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    1. it was lovely to get out of town, david. yep that courthouse is amazing and gorgeous. we are so lucky not to wear masks but we do do social distancing and checking in everywhere we go. but so lucky really!

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  14. Thanks for the arm chair trip, it sounds like a lovely break.

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    1. it was thanks liz. so nice to get out of town:)

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  15. It looks like you had a terrific time. I grew up in Toowoomba and my family are still there, so I visit there when I can (which is a whole lot less often because of current circumstances).

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    1. oh really? everyone seems to come from toowoomba :-) it's a fab town.

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  16. Fun fact! Toowoomba was one of the first places I ever visited in Australia way back in the early 2000s as my bestie from London married a country boy and the outskirts of Toowoomba was like living in a city for him! It's changed a lot since last time I was there! Love all those sliding doors moments with you and your pals - looks like a trip very well spent!

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    1. really? it has changed a lot over the years. quite trendy now. yep it was a lovely trip away.

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