Toowoomba council reveals biggest projects in 2025-26 budget

The Toowoomba council will spend more than $230m on capital projects across the region this year, with one asset looming large over the rest. See the full list here:

Tom Gillespie

3 min read

June 19, 2025 - 3:00PM

Toowoomba Chronicle

Council

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Parks, water treatment facilities sports centres, bridges and roads are among the projects funded across the Toowoomba region as part of the council’s latest budget, with the organisation to fall short in a major metric.

The $705m document, which was handed down by mayor Geoff McDonald and the 10 councillors on Wednesday, has been funded thanks to massive rate rises across the region as well as promises of $15m in savings.

The projects, part of a capital works budget worth $236m and an operational budget totalling nearly $470m, includes works in nearly every community across the entire local government area.

Less than 40 per cent of the capital works will be spent on renewing older infrastructure, which is short of a key metric set by the state government called the asset sustainability ratio.

In the budget documents, the council said this was only a problem if the council wasn’t “meeting the capital needs of its current and future community”.

Water and wastewater is the big winner from the budget, with the council committing $263m towards projects (including $96m towards Cressbrook Dam safety upgrades).

Here is a breakdown of the best of what is coming to a community near you in the next financial year.

NOTE: The below list includes highlights only. About $97m worth of capital projects have not been detailed.

Whole of council

Includes project to benefit the whole of the region or are not specific to a certain area.

Cressbrook Dam safety improvements: $96.5m

Dam spillway upgrade to ensure compliance with licensing requirements for the spillway to pass 100 per cent Acceptable Flood Capacity (AFC).

Cressbrook Dam. Picture David Clark Photography

Southern water treatment plant: $7.2m

Commencement of work on the Southern Water treatment plant.

Smart water meter program: $2.7m

Program to procure and deploy Smart Water Meters on customer connections across the water reticulation network.

Cooby Dam inlet pipe replacement: $8.4m

Reservoir infrastructure upgrades to ensure asset resilience and compliance with licensing requirements.

Toowoomba Regional Sports Precinct: $2.1m

Finalisation of detailed design will occur in 2025-26 to enable staged delivery. After this financial year however, the project will be paused until 2028 at the latest.

LOOK AHEAD: The Toowoomba Regional Council has given residents a glimpse of what the $197m Toowoomba Region Sports Precinct at Charlton could look like once fully built.

Toowoomba Escarpment mountain bike trails: $1.3m

Development of design documentation ready for a two-year construction delivery across 2025-26 and 2026-27.

Lower order road upgrades: $2m

Aims to address issues within the lower order road network, focusing on formed and unformed roads as per a November 2022 council decision.

Emerging Zone

Includes Toowoomba as well as surrounding suburbs, Highfields, Kingsthorpe, Cambooya and Westbrook.

Highfields – Clara May Smythe Park: $356,790

Upgrade to a District Recreation Park, with construction works in 2025/26 including activity nodes, paths, hardscapes, and visitor facilities infrastructure.

lara May Smythe Park.

Highfields Rd/OBrien Rd/Kratzke Rd intersection: $6m

This multi-year Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP) project will upgrade the existing intersection to accommodate predicted increases in traffic volumes in Highfields.

Perth Street culvert upgrade: $2m

Part of the East Creek Flood Mitigation Master Plan to increase culvert capacity and reduce flooding on Kitchener Street. This is a complex, multi-year project.

North Zone

Includes communities like Oakey, Jondaryan, Crows Nest, Yarraman, Hampton and Goombungee.

Oakey Showground toilets and pavilion: $550,000

Underground services and sewer work will be undertaken prior to the toilets being replaced in 2025/26. A new master plan has also identified additional work needed to support the showground’s progressive development.

Crows Nest – Haden Road, Bergen (TIDS): $2.5m

Road upgrades to a two-lane standard.

Oakey Biddeston Road Stage 2: $1.5m

Upgrading the section of road between Oakey Creek and Oakey Crosshill Road to an improved standard for road train class vehicles, funded by the Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure program.