Revealed: Why retirees are choosing to call Garden City home

Here’s why Toowoomba has been rated as one of the state’s highest destinations for retirees to make a move, according to one woman who dashed to the city in 1998.

HAPPY AS SHIRLEY: Local retiree Shirley Armstrong talks about life in Toowoomba. Picture: Nev Madsen.

TOOWOOMBA is the place to be according to new data released by the Department of Social Services that shows retirees are flocking to the region.

Falling just behind the Bundaberg and Hervey Bay regions, the figures reveal Toowoomba is the third highest place across the state for pensioners to call home with 13,575 retirees residing under the postcode 4350.

While it was a tough decision for Shirley Armstrong to relocate to the region in 1998, it’s one that she hasn’t regretted.

Leaving their rural property out West, Ms Armstrong said the couple moved to Gowrie Mountain for her husband’s health.

“My husband needed respite from all the years of working on a property and when we moved one of our sons took over,” Ms Armstrong said.

“We first lived at Gowrie Mountain and had this beautiful home on an acre and a quarter but it was between two peaks so we had this beautiful view either side with lots of wind.”

While the thought of leaving a rural setting felt daunting, the mother of seven, grandmother of 13 and great-grandmother of eight also wanted to be closer to her family.

“I didn’t want to leave the bush but thankfully Toowoomba has a rural feel to it and it’s a really great place to live … anyone who lives here is really proud of Toowoomba,” Ms Armstrong said.

“One can drive from one side to the other at certain times of the day without any delay and that’s what we liked about it.”

HAPPY AS SHIRLEY: Local retiree Shirley Armstrong talks about life in Toowoomba. Picture: Nev Madsen.

Ms Armstrong said there is plenty to love about Toowoomba – from the friendliness to the facilities and even the climate.

“It’s hot and it’s cold but we experienced extreme heat and cold out West so I’m acclimatised to this,” she said.

“A lot of people who have come and retired in Toowoomba have come here for a more peaceful life but the services are also very good.”

“Health was a very important factor for us to consider and we’re really fortunate to have so many hospitals nearby.”

Since moving to the region more than two decades ago, the local retiree has made quite the social circle, plays bridge twice a week and is part of a book club that meets monthly.

“I love books and I’ve been passionate about them ever since I was a child so we started a book group and there’s about nine of us involved.

“We meet once a month at each other’s house and read just about everything except science and certainly no horrors.”

Ms Armstrong will celebrate her 90th birthday next month.