Pittsworth near Toowoomba welcomes new residents as homes under construction in Tuana Park subdivision

A country lifestyle just minutes from the city? Families from across Queensland are converging on a small but booming Darling Downs town for a very specific reason.

Rebecca and Tom Davies, with their kids Elsie and Bobby, are moving into Tuana Park Estate, a new 30-home subdivision in Pittsworth, Friday, November 1, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

When Rebecca Davies and her husband Tom walked through the main street of Pittsworth, they knew it was the town they wanted to raise their children Elsie and Bobby in.

“It felt really kind, people were already chatting to us and we felt we could be part of something and part of a community,” Ms Davies said.

“It just had a great feel to it.”

The English expats will be some of the first sets of residents moving into Tuana Park, Pittsworth’s first subdivision in more than a decade that will see the town’s population increase by in excess of 100 people.

It is a big boost to a small town that has already seen significant growth since Covid-19, including in housing prices and level of development.

Tuana Park Estate is a new 30-home subdivision in Pittsworth, Friday, November 1, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

The 35-lot project, which has been in the works for three years, is the product of local couples Mark and Kate Droney and Doug and Diane Cattell.

Mrs Davies, a local schoolteacher, said she and her husband were chasing a small town vibe that was still close to essential services.

“When we lived in the far north of Queensland, we were far away from Cairns,” she said.

“Our son was born in the far north but he was really ill so there were many Royal Flying Doctor Service flights to Cairns.

“Moving to Pittsworth was the best of both worlds — you’re close to Toowoomba and Brisbane but we still get that country lifestyle.”

Rebecca and Tom Davies, with their kids Elsie and Bobby, are moving into Tuana Park Estate, a new 30-home subdivision in Pittsworth, Friday, November 1, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

After initially moving into Education Queensland accommodation as part of her transfer to Pittsworth, Ms Davies said she jumped at the chance to secure a lot at Tuana Park.

“Our dream was to build but there wasn’t anything and then we just saw it come up and went for it straight away because we knew this was where we wanted to be,” she said.

“It started in July, that was when the slab went down — we designed it as forever, as our dream home.

“We’ve done enough travelling, and this is where we want to stay so it made us realise it is where we want to be.”

The Davies will have plenty of company, with the 16 lots in stage one already sold and all but three either with a home finished or under construction.

Just four lots in stage two (worth 19 lots) are not under contract.

Ms Droney said the vast majority of buyers were owner-occupiers, with a huge chunk moving from Toowoomba or further away to join Pittsworth.

A house under construction in Tuana Park Estate, a new 30-home subdivision in Pittsworth, Friday, November 1, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“There are a few young couples who are looking to the future — there is a real mix, but they are all just looking forward to living in Pittsworth,” she said.

“We’ve really tried to make a community of it — we didn’t want to sell to contract developers, we wanted to get that sense of community.”

The median price for home, unit and land sales in Pittsworth over the past 12 months was $439,000, up from the same period in the same categories in 2022-23 of $375,000 (according to RP Data sales).

Development also appears to be increasing across the town, with 27 applications for various works lodged with the Toowoomba Regional Council from November to November 2024.

That’s an increase from just 11 applications for the same period ending November 2023.

A separate 35-lot subdivision by Dallas Hunter off Colbar St was also approved by the council in July last year.

Street light plans for the project were also approved in April.