ljk888

Hi

We're planning on moving to Australia mid-2006, and are looking at job options. My partner's had some interest from a company in Toowoomba, but I've seen quite a few negative comments when I searched this forum... does anyone know about that area?

We're both in our late 20's and don't want to get stuck in a bible belt racist nightmare, so any comments would be much appreciated!!

Thanks
Laura

Nicstids

Hi,

We're not in Toowoomba yet but will be as from 4 February!! We went out there in July 2005 to validate our visas and I was also worried about what it would be like from some of what I had read on this forum but we loved it there. You may want to contact/ send a private message to graceyg as she has been out there for a year now and is about the same age as you. (I'm afraid that we're quite a bit older!!)

I presume that you've found a lot of the local websites but here are a few in case you haven't
www.toowoombanow.com.au/citymap.html
http://www.toowoomba.qld.gov.au/inde...tpage&Itemid=1
www.thechronicle.com.au/

Is there any way that you can go and do a reccie trip there as I really think you should form your own views on the place if you can.....

Nicola

ljk888

Thanks for that Nicola, reading a bit further did set my mind at rest (a little!), there seems to be a lot of us out there anyway, which can't be a bad thing!

We've lived in Melbourne for nearly a year, and travelled up the east coast, and also have family around Armidale, so we're just hoping it's going to be like what we've seen so far on our travels...

Have a great time from Feb, might see you around later this year!

Laura

JohnAndNetta

We've been there a couple of times and also stayed overnight - its a really nice 90 minute drive from Brisbane and is quite famous for its carnival of flowers and jacaranda festival. It has lovely gardens and some incredible views, but its not somewhere I would have chosen to live, specially not at your age! I would feel a bit cut off. However Toowoomba is Queenslands largest inland city so it does have everything you need and its a very well laid out city.

It all depends what you're used to. We are city people (lived close to London), wanting everything on our doorstep, so now we live very close to Brisbane CBD, which I'm sure some people would hate, but we can get to the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Bayside very quickly, and we can escape to the back of beyond very quickly too.

My personal opinion is that Toowoomba is definitely somewhere you need to visit first before you commit yourself entirely. However, if you've not had other job offers then you could do a lot worse. If you accept the job, then you decide you've made a mistake, then Toowoomba ISN'T going to be the ideal base to hunt for more jobs.

But then again, if your careers are in gardening, you might have made the perfect choice!

Hope this helps....Netta

>Trigger<

Hi

We haved lived here for nearly two years and visited Toowoomba once....yes it is a nice place..stuck in a time warp...on the day we went was flower carnival day place was full of country folk wearing their overalls back to front.

Might be okay if your in your "twilight years" but in your late twenties I think you will be dissapointed.

Sorry if I have put a damp suib on anyone going,but its better to find out now than when you arrive!

There are so many nice places in Brizzy,just keep looking.....

Jools

brisnick

toowoomba is the definately in the middle of the bible belt. my gf lives there (for three more weeks anyway) and can't wait to get out. nearly everyone she knows goes to church group on a friday night (and at least another night during the week. two of her friends have declared they think they are in a cult (one was kicked out for daring to date a guy who wasn't a member of the same 'church'). another one (who seems normal enough) also goes to church group on fridays and has stated that muslims are the reincarnations of bad christians!!! my gf is not religious, so you can see why she wants to escape!!

i've been up there a number of times, and have had to fend weirdos off both my girlfriend and her friends a number of times - sometimes just turning up at the house and claiming they were putting a girl-on-girl action show through the window for him, and inviting them to come over and join in.

i've been abused for telling the guy in the whole in the wall that his chips and gravy were great. over the last year i've been to toowoomba many, many times. and there are two good things about toowoomba, in my opinion.

1. the spotted cow - a pretty good pub considering it's in toowoomba.
2. every time i get to leave!

thankfully, i don't think i have to go there again (maybe to help the gf move her stuff to brisbane).

from a different angle, it looks nice, and i can concede that it has a handful of ok restaurants (albeit more expensive than the same in brisbane, and toowomba pays less too). i don't believe there is that much to do in toowoomba. my gf and i regularly had to leave toowoomba to find things to do.

i can certainly concur that if you are in your twenties (and probably thirties) then toowoomba will not be a pleasant experience for you if you liek to do the things most people in that age-group do. it might be better if you have kids and never get out much anyway. shops don't open on sundays (that may be a good or bad thing - i find it bad since the weekend is the only time i can get to the shops anyway). and fyi, it is the only place in australia that i have driven to that has big signs on the way saying things such as 'jesus died to forsake our sins' and 'thank your mother that she didn't abort you'.

each to there own i guess. there are people who live there and obviously like it (though in my experience, most people serve their time there, and move on).

rossifumi

Hi Nicola & Mark

I was just going to suggest that the OP gets in touch with you. She ain't wrong mate, they are quite a bit older than you

Rich

ljk888

Eek, doesn't sound good... Thanks for the advice - looks like disaster averted!

Nicstids

Have seen Brisnick's comments on Toowoomba before and, like I say, I think that you ought to come for a look yourself. My husband was there for 6 weeks over the summer and didn't experience any of what Brisnick mentions but we have been advised that there are areas to avoid, just like anywhere else. I agree that it is quiet though but that suits us old fogeys

Nicstids

How did your course go Rich? Done your assignment yet?

ABCDiamond

Some comparisons on religion and ages between Toowoomba, QLD and Brisbane, from http://www.homepriceguide.com.au/sna...&cb=0106010513

Religion - Top 5
Toowomba
Catholic 30%
Anglican 27%
No Religion 10%
Uniting Church 9%
Lutheran 6%

QLD
Catholic 28%
Anglican 25%
No Religion 17%
Uniting Church 10%
Lutheran 2%

Brisbane
Catholic 29%
Anglican 24%
No Religion 17%
Uniting Church 9%
Presbyterian and Reformed 4%


Age Statistics
Toowomba
20 to 39 28%
5 to 19 24%
40 to 59 24%
60+ 18%
0 to 4 7%

QLD
20 to 39 28%
5 to 19 22%
40 to 59 27%
60+ 17%
0 to 4 7%

Brisbane
20 to 39 33%
5 to 19 16%
40 to 59 28%
60+ 16%
0 to 4 7%

rossifumi

He's off again with those stats!

ABCDiamond

cadman

Was across the street, heard there was some girl-on-girl action going on?

brisnick

probably just creative journalism but take a look at http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17723534-2,00.html.

and by the way, my gf aparently lives in an ok area - or at least is the right side of ruthven st anyway!!