Virtual World Tour - Next Stop: Toowoomba!

Now some of you may be wondering what on EARTH is she going on about?!?! And, OK, it may not be the FIRST time you've thought that about me! :0) But ... there IS a perfectly good explanation for my title today. You see, back on THIS post, my blogging buddy Chookyblue, planned out her blogger's world tour that she would take when she wins the lottery. She listed some of her blogging buddies from all around the world that she could drop in to visit - what a WONDERFUL trip she planned! (although I got left off, cos I forgot to leave a comment on her original post! Oops!) But because she hasn't won lotto ... YET ... Chookyblue invited her blogging buddies to post some photos of their home-base so we could ALL take a little scenic tour around the world ... bloggy style! :0) I have to say, my Beloved Geek Boy and I have joked on occasion that now that I have blogging buddies all over the world, we sure could have a FABULOUS holiday visiting them all ... but we too have to wait to win the lotto! :0) (Note to self: it is more likely that you will win lotto if you actually buy a TICKET!!! Tee! Hee! Hee!)

Now ... in my last few posts, I've been telling you about our overcast, foggy, wet weather, which didn't really lend itself to photo shoots, but yesterday was a lovely warm sunny day, so after work, I grabbed my trusty point-and-shoot and off I toodled to take some scenic shots of Toowoomba for you all.

Toowoomba sits atop the Great Dividing Range, about an hour and a half drive from Brisbane, and was settled by pastoralists in the 1850's. Many of the original historic buildings make up the streetscape in older subburbs. It has a population of 121,000 in the city, with around 151,000 in the Regional City Council area. Canberra (Australia's national capital) is the only bigger inland city than Toowoomba. Here's a map to help you picture where we are ...

Toowoomba is known as "The Garden City" and some of you may remember I showed lots of photos of some of the spectacular gardens I took during last year's spring "Carnival of Flowers". As a result, Toowoomba has LOTS of wonderful parks that are great to enjoy a picnic, some serious play time for the kids, or just a quiet snooze under a tree on a weekend ... as long as those kids aren't indulging in their serious play anywhere near your tree! :0) One of the most spectacular parks to visit in Toowoomba is Picnic Point, so here are some of the views I took photos of for you ...

If you click on the photo, you might be able to pick out the main highway from Brisbane that winds up the range, which we affectionately refer to as our 'hill'. You can also see one of the lucky suburbs that enjoys range views. I found it was actually a bit tough to get any pics looking back over the city, because of all the lovely big trees. Still ... if you've seen one city ...! :0) Here're some more views

This is looking back down into the Lockyer Valley (which you drive through when you come from Brisbane) and that plateau is known as Tabletop Mountain. Lots of people hike up it ... I'm NOT one of them!! (I'm one of the ones who would NOT climb Mt Everest 'because it's there' ... I'd just say, "Yep, there's a REALLY big hill" as I looked out my comfy, heated ski-lodge window! Tee! Hee! Hee!) And occasionally, someone falls off it and has to be rescued by the local SES (State Emergency Service) volunteers. Personally, I'm happy to look at it from here! :0)

There we go ... I did manage to get a little bit of the city in this shot. Hmmm ... is that MY house?!?! Just kidding! :0) Picnic Point has long been a gathering spot for community events and there are still live concerts held in the rotunda ...

OK ... perhaps I could have planned this photo better!! That little shelter on the right is an information point ... the rotunda is in the background to the left ... behind the big trees. Hmmm ... are you starting to get the feeling that if you come and visit me in Toowoomba you're going to see a LOT of big trees!! Tee! Hee! Hee! You'd be right!! Picnic Point is also home to Australia's biggest flagpole and flag ...

Isn't that nice and patriotic! :0) You can see it was pretty windy up there yesterday, too. And to help you all work out how long it will take you to come and visit me, there is a direction sign to help you (you should have seen the funny look I got from a man walking past as I walked around the base of this sign to photograph all sides! Tee! Hee! Hee!...

Can you see your place listed there? If not, what about on THIS one ...

Still can't find your spot in the world? Try THIS one ...

And if you STILL can't find yourself on there ... you might just need to hop across to one of the places on the list before you start your trip to come and visit me! Tee! Hee! Hee! Picnic Point has lots of little pockets, vistas and 'garden rooms' to enjoy, but I think this is one of my favourites ...

Doesn't it just look like a tropical paradise down there?? (I took it from the top level to get the full effect of the lush leafy plants.) Hmmm ... OK, perhaps we'd need to clean up that water first - it's a bit muddy and stirred up from our recent rains. So, now we've seen Picnic Point, we could go to Queens Park for a little look ...

More gorgeous big trees and some playground equipment to keep the kids out of your hair ... er ... amused!! Queens Park was established in the 1860's and lots of the original trees are now HUGE!! The Botanic Gardens are also at Queens Park, but they're at their best in September when the Carnival of Flowers takes place. That's when you see gardens around town that look like this ...

And this ...

And this ...

OK ... enough gardens for now. I DID tell you there were some wonderful historic houses in Toowoomba, right? Like this one ...

Isn't it GORGEOUS!!! The owners have really done the garden nicely - that pot that you can just see to the left of the front gate has a fountain bubbling in it. Aaaaaaahhhhh .... how's that SERENITY!! As well as taking my blog world tour when I win lotto, I'm going to buy this house!! But for now, I'll just have to live in another historic building ...

OUR PLACE!!! :0) Which was built somewhere between 1910 and 1915. (OK, I realise some of you gals from overseas are thinking that a house that's less than 100 years old is NOT historic, but you have to remember, Australia's only been settled since 1770!!) Uh oh ... can you see the Triffods in the front yard that are plotting to take over the world?!?! Actually, they're Geisha Girls and whenever they're flowering, I just don't have the heart to cut them back!! Plus, the recent rain has curtailed outdoor activities for a few weeks ... I think this Saturday will be designated "Gardening Day" in our household ... unless it rains again! :0)

The other spot that is a MUST SEE when visiting Toowoomba, is actually about 20 minutes drive north, to Highfields. Let me show you the views from my workplace ...

The property the Retirement Village where I work is built on, is 120 acres of former dairy farm and although the top corner is now home to some very happy retirees living in lovely units, the rest is still used for grazing and our views look west towards the Bunya Mountains. Everything is so GREEN at the moment, that it just about hurts your eyes to look at it! Such a nice change from just a couple of months ago!!! I often joke that one day, someone is going to find me playing flat on my back, knocked out, in the middle of somewhere at work, cos I'll have been so busy enjoying the scenery that I'll have run into a post and knocked myself out! Tee! Hee! Hee! It really is a great spot to work!

You can just make out a couple of the outlying communities that have grown up around Toowoomba ... rural living that's handy to a major city! :0) And of course no visit to Toowoomba, Highfields or ME would be complete without visiting ...

My home-away-from-home, Quilters Angel!! I've now introduced a few blogging buddies to my H.A.F.H ... Lilly Linda, Chookyblue, Joy-Belle, Bluebird Lyn and Miriam from Bubba Chenille ... although I'm pretty sure Miriam had already discovered it, it was just a REALLY good excuse for us to meet up there for lunch and some retail therapy! Tee! Hee! Hee!

So there you are ... a bit of a look around the place I call home. Hope you enjoyed it! And of course, if you come to visit in person ...

... the spare bed is always made up ... you just have to share it with lots of dolls and bearbies! Tee! Hee! Hee! And even if you're just passing through the Garden City, drop me a line ... I'd love to meet up with you for a cuppa ... perhaps I can show you my H.A.F.H in person! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Thanks for starting the ball rolling with the Virtual World Blog Tour, Chookyblue! I had fun running around playing tourist to get the photos! :0) And now ... I'm off to another room in the house that I am NOT showing photos of cos it looks like the cupboards spat all of the contents onto the floor and other furniture ... the SEWING ROOM! :0) Hope you're having a fabulous week! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS