MAPS: Toowoomba’s best Halloween scare houses of 2023
From Ghostbusters and Sleepy Hollow themes, to creepy scarecrows and haunted doll houses, all your worst nightmares will come to reality in Toowoomba this October. See our list of Halloween scare houses here.
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Whether you are stocking up on bags of candy, scrolling through Pinterest for costume ideas or carving into a pumpkin, the spooky season is officially upon us.
To celebrate Halloween, we have compiled a list of all the best scare houses in Toowoomba this year.
From Ghostbusters and Sleepy Hollow themes, to creepy scarecrows and haunted doll houses, all your worst nightmares will come to reality in Toowoomba this October.
ADDRESSES: 2023 Toowoomba Halloween scare house locations:
MAPS: 2023 Toowoomba Halloween scare house locations:
Meet the people behind Toowoomba’s spookiest scare houses:
8 Melita Crescent, Wilsonton Heights
When Danielle Martin was a young child, she spent many sunny days out on the water and fishing with her dad in his wooden boat.
So when her dad sadly passed away 20 years ago, Ms Martin said she couldn’t bare to part with the vessel, so she turned it into a sandpit and cubby house for her four children, before it ultimately became the perfect Halloween prop.
“Our little witches, ghosts and ghouls will see inflatables, witches, clowns and a graveyard at our display,” Ms Martin said.
“There will also be a small pirate ship which is older than me and was once a family boat – it has sentimental value as it belonged to my dad.”
Alongside her partner Jon, four children and four grandchildren, the Halloween enthusiast spent the entire month setting up their Wilsonton Heights display, but the entire year brainstorming and working on it behind the scenes.
“(Halloween) is the one night of the year where you can dress up as crazy and scary as you want – and we always get complimented (for our costumes),” she said.
“I love seeing the kid’s faces and all the effort families go to with dressing up, but I also just love making memories with my own family.
“Our kids and grandkids all pitch in to help out with the display so it’s a lovely family affair and our favourite time of year.”
With plenty of sweet treats to distribute to eager trick or treaters on the night, Ms Martin said she expected about 400 people to check out her display, based on numbers from last year.
The display at 8 Melita Crescent, Wilsonton Heights, will be open from 4.30pm on Halloween.
Newtown Park Hall at 147 Taylor St, Newtown
Meanwhile those looking to put their fears to test are encouraged to head along to Rae’s House of Horrors to take on the Haunted Maze.
Every Halloween, Rae Laurie is known to create a space which is as fun as it is truly terrifying, but this year may be the most epic display yet, with Newtown Hall being transformed into the theme of the Curse of the Scarecrow.
“It’s taken me a year to organise this display this year,” Ms Laurie said.
“The cost would be within the thousands of dollars so I’m hoping to get more than 5000 people this year.
“I love scaring people and getting away with it.”
The spooky and immersive display will feature live actors dressed up as malevolent spirits, ghastly ghouls and other terrifying characters, and will be lurking in the shadows, ready to give you the fright of your life.
All your nightmares are set to become reality with bloodcurdling screams, eerie silhouettes and creatures not afraid to jump at or chase you through the maze.
Sample bags filled with Halloween treats will also be available at the display.
Entrants under the age of 12 are recommended to attend between 5pm and 6pm, while patrons over the age of 12 are welcome from 6.30pm to 9.30pm.
The scare house will be held on October 31, inside the Newtown Park Hall at 147 Taylor St, Newtown.
Entry is $8 per child and $10 per adult. Book online at raeshouseofhorrors.au.
13 View Street, South Toowoomba
Spooky season enthusiast Noelene Fairweather has been adding pieces to her growing collection of Halloween decorations for the past decade.
This year the South Toowoomba resident hopes to welcome close to 500 people to her display which features inflatable and animated items.
Ms Fairweather, who has been hosting a display every Halloween for almost 25 years, said her favourite aspects of the scary display this year was the werewolf.
“I have loved watching my kids, friends’ kids and neighbourhood kids grow up every year,” Ms Fairweather said.
“And I love hearing everyone’s thoughts when they visit my display.”
The display at 13 View Street, South Toowoomba is open on Halloween between 5pm and 9pm.
68 Wine Drive, Wilsonton Heights
Anyone who has watched Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas will recognise this character as ‘the shadow on the moon at night’ who fills ‘dreams to the brim with fright’.
Now the film’s villain Oogie Boogie will make a guest appearance in the Garden City and just in time for Halloween.
Dressed in a burlap sack filled with insects and creepy-crawlies, the fictional character will be available to pose for photos with visitors who attend Tiffany Crosbie’s Halloween display.
The Wilsonton Heights house will also feature a haunted pumpkin patch and the plants from the 1986 musical Little Shop of Horrors.
After four years of decorating her home for Halloween, Ms Crosbie said she had previously welcomed more than 300 people to her display, with hopes numbers would remain high this year.
“In 2021, I remember this black cat hung around the front of our house and sat in our pumpkin patch,” she said.
“It was great because all the children thought he was part of the set up and gave him pats.”
The display at 68 Wine Drive, Wilsonton Heights will be open to the public on October 31, between 4pm and 9pm.
11 South St, Rangeville
Experience the small, isolated and what is believed by some to be supernatural town of Sleepy Hollow, without needing to leave the Garden City.
Rangeville resident Emma Jarvis and her family have created a spectacularly spooky display based on the scary tale about the village which is 25 miles north of New York City.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was written by Washington Irving and published in 1820, before it was turned into a Hollywood blockbuster in the late 90s and starred Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci and Christopher Walken.
Ms Jarvis said it was the third year her family have celebrated Halloween by decorating their home, which is complete with the ‘Headless Horseman’ and bridge from Sleepy Hollow.
“My kids love dressing up for Halloween,” she said.
“I personally love the pumpkins and spooky decor – it’s so much fun.”
The display is 11 South St, Rangeville and open on October 31, from 4pm and trick or treaters are welcome.
173 Taylor St, Wilsonton
Halloween may just mark an opportunity to dress up and consume candy for some, but for Kylie Rahilly and her family, the tradition holds heartfelt value.
For the past three years Ms Rahilly has been decorating her house for the spooky season but 2023 will mark her very first time in the Garden City.
Keen to embrace the quieter country lifestyle Toowoomba had to offer, the family relocated from Ormeau on the Gold Coast earlier this year.
“It will be our first time in Toowoomba this year so we’re not too sure what to expect but we’re hoping around 400 people will come see our display,” she said.
“Last year we actually ran out of treats because it was so busy.”
Ms Rahilly said her favourite Halloween memory was last year when she was 39 weeks pregnant with her second child and her costume featured a baby skeleton on her stomach.
“My partner thought I was crazy because I was heavily pregnant but still running around setting everything up,” she said.
“I love Halloween because it creates nice memories for my kids to remember growing up and it brings everyone in the community together.”
The display is at 173 Taylor St, Wilsonton and will be open between 4.30pm and 8pm on October 31.
It will feature a giant inflatable spider, spooky wooden walkway, tomb stones, skeletons, dead trees, pumpkins, a miniature haunted dollhouse, led lights and animatronics.
25 Liebke Crescent, Cranley
Most Halloween enthusiasts would recognise Jo Philp for her mammoth display last year, which included a life-size pirate ship she made out of wooden pallets with her dad.
After six years of decorating her place for the spooky season and handing candy out to the masses, Ms Philp said she was excited to unveil her Ghostbusters-themed scare house, complete with a 3m tall “Marshmallow Man” and “Slimer” inspired by the film franchise.
But with multiple sections to explore, Ms Philp’s display will also feature a rotten pumpkin patch, headless horseman, skeletons playing banjoes and possessed zombies.
“Our love for Halloween started out as just some holiday fun with my daughters, but then my mum and dad jumped on board too,” she said.
“Now it’s a fun way for our family to spend time together and get creative.”
Ms Philp said the annual tradition not only brought joy to her family but also the hundreds of trick or treaters who come to see her display each year.
“We’ve had about 350 people visit during the last two years, so we would love to hit the 500 mark this time,” she said.
“The world needs more laughter, and who doesn’t love a reason to get dressed up?”
Open every night until October 31, the Halloween display is at 25 Liebke Crescent, Cranley.
63 Hoepper St, Kearneys Spring
The Botten family have welcomed the masses into their homes to check out their creative Halloween displays for the past three years.
More than 500 guests have previously visited Trisha and Peter Botten’s Kearneys Spring home for Halloween and they expect this year to be no different.
“We have been decorating the house since our daughter Isabella was a baby,” Ms Botten said.
“Seeing my daughter love is more every year is our favourite part.
“We love the enjoyment (our display) brings to people – they are already stopping by to take photos.”
This year the Botten family will have clowns, witches, crows and spiders in their spooky – yet spectacular – display at 63 Hoepper St, Kearneys Spring.
It will be open every night this month between 6pm and 9pm.
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