Toowoomba dark deeds on display at carnival

THE government botched an execution just a few hundred meters from where families will gather to marvel at the Queens Park Gardens.

The Dark Side Walking Tours are held as part of the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers celebrations.

NOT far from the bright colours and sweet perfumes of the Queens Park Carnival of Flowers displays lay the relics of Toowoomba’s seedy past.

Located off Margaret St, the Old Toowoomba Jail and reformatory housed the city’s criminals in cells alongside the daughters of inmates, some as young as six years old.

It was the site of a botched execution where, in the 1870s, Jackie Whittan took 20 minutes to die after the hangman gave him enough slack to balance on his toes.

Tales like these are the subject of The Dark Side Walking Tour, hosted by amateur historian Paul Herbert over the coming weekend.

Now in its third year, the tour takes visitors to the sites of Toowoomba most infamous stories.

“Toowoomba is a quirky place with lots of interesting stories,” Mr Herbert said.

“I think visitors are always interested in the history of places they visit.”

Mr Herbert will also host tours of the railway precinct and a Second World War talk.

Click here to booking details.

Originally published as Toowoomba dark deeds on display at carnival