10 Things to do in Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley

Celebrate the start of spring with a country town festival, check out a magic show or support our region’s top footy talents at the TJRL finals in a massive weekend across the Garden City.

Picture: Laidley Spring Festival.

1. Spring Festival

Laidley will host its annual Spring Festival at the weekend.

Held over three days, there will be street performers, market stalls, food trucks, countless displays, cooking and craft competitions, garden tours, a show and show, street parade and live music.

Gates are open from 8am-4pm on Saturday at the Laidley Recreational Reserve.

2. Big weekend of footy

The Clive Berghofer Stadium in East Toowoomba is the place to be on Saturday, with the ground playing host to the Toowoomba Junior Rugby League finals all day.

Teams from across all age groups will fight it out for glory and the 2024 premiership trophy.

See the TJRL website for details.

Toowoomba Junior Rugby League will be held at Clive Berghofer Stadium in East Toowoomba.

3. See a magic show

Get ready to be amazed by some of Australia’s best magicians and illusionists in an up close and personal setting at the Empire Theatres’ supper room on Saturday.

Enjoy 90 minutes of cocktails, comedy, and close-up tricks.

Tickets start from $59. See the Empire Theatre for details.

4. Markets

Every Saturday Toowoomba Farmers’ Market is as 27 Lindsay St, East Toowoomba (near the windmills at Cobb & Co Museum) from 7am to 12pm, and every Sunday the Toowoomba PCYC Market is at 219 James St from 7am to 12.30pm

5. Sunset sessions

Enjoy the sunset over Lilyvale Valley, nestled among the vines at Rosalie House.

Saddle up by the campfire, and indulge in a delicious gourmet tapas or share plate.

And of course, a glass of wine in hand.

Bring along the whole family to experience an unforgettable evening from 3-6pm Saturday and Sunday.

6. Take a hike

The Toowoomba region has a number of walking trails with breathtaking views, from Table Top Mountain, Highfields Falls to Crows Nest National Park and Redwood Park, there’s a spot for everyone.

7. Live racing

Warm up with some action-packed live racing at the Clifford Park Racecourse.

Relax by the track, enjoy the action, have a meal or drink and take in the breathtaking views.

Gates open from 10am, and live racing begins from 4:30pm.

DownsSteam Tourist Railway & Museum’s Brookstead Bullet rail motor will depart from the Drayton station at 9.30am on Sunday.

8. See some art

The Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery has three fantastic shows hanging through September.

They include a collection of Henri van Noordenburg’s haunting landscapes, the officer Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers exhibition featuring local artists, and POSTWORLD, a mix of old media and new technology that engages with contemporary discourse in object-oriented ontology, vegetal thinking, and the post-Anthropocene.

The gallery is open Saturday and Sunday, 10.30am – 3.30pm

9. Ride the rail

DownsSteam Tourist Railway and Museum’s Brookstead Bullet rail motor will depart from the Drayton station at 9.30am on Sunday.

The trip is a lovely day out for the family, riding the vintage motor to Brookstead and enjoying a pub meal before heading home in comfort.

Tickets are available at the DownsSteam website.

10. Naturalist talk

Acoustic ecologist and skilled wildlife photographer Andrew Skeock will present a talk at the Highfields Library Community Rooms from 10am on Saturday.

During the free presentation he will teach guests how to hear the language of nature, develop auditory awareness and identify species by sound.

Originally published as 10 Things to do in Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley