Just been looking at Toowoomba and it looks like a nice place.

Anyone been there or had experience of it?

What's the weather like? does it rain much?

Questions questions questions....

Dave

we live in Toowoomba, don't believe everything you hear, it's spring and the temps have reached 34 in the last couple of weeks! It has rained twice in a month and nothing like english rain that last for days!

It's a beautiful city, people friendly, property reasonable, we love it!

Be warned though - it gets pigging cold in winter so don't throw out your woolies!

Hi Dave

Were thinking of going here too :-) Or possibly the Noosa area. It's really difficult tying down an area isn't it?? Keep me posted of anything interesting you find out about the area. When are you going over? Were planning on being there for the end of Feb 05.

Marie

We had a drive out to Toowoomba on our validation trip earlier this year, it looked like a nice quiet-ish place and we could end up having another look when I finally get out there to rejoin my wife and kids next week. There were a few nice places along the Warrego Highway too.

I've only been to Toowomba once so far and it was shut. However, it seems like a really nice sort of place if you don't mind living away from the bigger city areas (Brissy) and expect a long drive to the coast. It struck me as something of what 1950's Australia was probably like. It also has a great park, Picnic Park, which has a magnificent view over the valley, noting that Toowoomba is high above sea level and up a very steep 'mountainous' road.

The main thing that struck me (including the burnt stubble along the highway) was just how brown and dry it was whilst there was still some greenery left in Brisbane (at the time).

Weather in Toowoomba:
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averag...w_041103.shtml


This link will show Monthly averages of selected climate elements for a number of Queensland areas:
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averag...ld_names.shtml

Interesting to note Toowoomba's lowest minimum temperature of -4.4C, compared to Brisbane at 2.3C. I was suprised, however, that the highest max was only 39.3C compared to Brisbane at 43.2C (which I presume was last summer).

I agree with the surprise. I would have thought that Toowoomba would have been hotter. I'm off to look into this

I just looked at some more detail on that site, and you have to be careful which "Brisbane" area you look at. (I hadn't noticed this before)

There are THREE Brisbane options:
040214 BRISBANE REGIONAL OFFICE Last record: 1994
Highest Jan temp was 43.2

040223 BRISBANE AERO Last record: 2000
Highest Jan temp was 39.1

040842 BRISBANE AERO Last record: 2004
Highest Jan temp was 37.4

Only one of them relates to 2004, so Toowoomba's highest max of 39.3C compared to Brisbane of 37.4C

Still not as big a difference as I would have expected. I normally compare Ipswich against the Bayside, and expected Toowoomba (further Inland) to be hotter than Ipswich. Ipswich, for the record, had a Highest Jan temp of 43.4C shown at that web site.

Maybe it's just colder (rather than colder AND hotter) due to its elevation.

Nearby Gatton (93 metres above sea level) has -4.1C and 44.5C

Toowooba, however is 675 metres above sea level

I'ts colder due to it's elevation. It is generally around 3, maybe 4 c's cooler than Brisbane in the summer months , so I can't work out those figures. It always feels/seems cooler to me when I am there. We do hell of a lot a work in the area. Personally speaking I would not like to live there, there is bog all there. We regularly do business there with some of the industries . It takes about two and half hours from Brisbane ( doing around 100k, don't know exactly .. I never clock myself) , and it's a good drive to the sea. It's generally farming country. It's basically your average inland "country town"

It's cheap for a reason.. if you like the sea,I wouldn't live there.

my other half does the round trip from brisbane to woomby daily, and it takes around 90 minutes. would guess it takes longer going the other way!

strangely enough, toowoomba is 3.5°C hotter than brisbane is today!!!!

It's 125 km by whereis.com.au and takes 1hr 52m according to them, but they always seem to overstate times when i've done a comparison.