Cobb and Co Museum Toowoomba: Tickets, Hours and Kids Activities

Cobb and Co Museum, officially Queensland Museum Cobb+Co, is a Toowoomba museum of coaches and horse-drawn vehicles at 27 Lindsay Street, next to the Botanic Gardens and on the far side of Queens Park. It is part of the Queensland Museum Network and is open every day except four public holidays.

It suits a wet-weather family day: there are play spaces for children, a coffee shop and a museum shop.

What you will see at the Cobb and Co Museum

The museum is home to the National Carriage Collection, which has grown to more than 50 horse-drawn vehicles, including Cobb and Co coaches. The museum’s website does not list its galleries by name, so download the museum map (PDF) from its site before you go.

How the museum began

The collection started with Toowoomba’s William (Bill) Bolton, who opened a private museum of horse-drawn vehicles in James Street in September 1965, inspired by the Cobb and Co coaching company. A fire damaged the building in March 1981, and local residents saved the vehicles. In 1982 his family donated 28 vehicles to the Queensland Museum, and Queensland Museum Cobb+Co opened to the public in December 1987 in the old floriculture building at the Toowoomba Showgrounds.

Cobb and Co Museum with kids

• Coach Stop: a play area where children dress up and pretend to ride a Cobb and Co coach through the outback.
• General Store: another play area.
• Harry’s Hideout: a reading nook with a storybook and wildlife on the walls.
• Socks: a life-sized replica horse that children can ride.

Children 15 and under must be accompanied by a carer or guardian at all times. A baby care room and a family room with fold-down change tables are near The Factory. Daily, seasonal and school holiday activities are listed on the museum’s What’s on page.

Tickets and opening hours

The museum is open daily from 9 am to 4 pm, and closed on Good Friday, Anzac Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Tickets can be bought online or on arrival.

• Adult: $12.50
• Concession: $10
• Child (3 to 15): $6.50
• Under 3: free
• Family (1 adult, 3 children): $25
• Family (2 adults, 2 children): $32

Toowoomba Regional Council residents get free entry with proof of residency, and an Annual Pass gives 12 months of unlimited entry. Check the hours and admission page before you go.

Cobb’s Coffee Shop and the shop

Cobb’s Coffee Shop serves seasonal dishes and snacks to eat in or take away, with child-friendly options and highchairs on request. It is open daily from 8 am to 3 pm. The Museum Shop is open 9 am to 4 pm. The conditions of entry prohibit food and drink in the galleries.

Accessibility and quiet times

All entrances and areas are wheelchair accessible, and wheelchairs can be borrowed free from the Front Counter, subject to availability. Single-user accessible toilets are next to Cobb’s Coffee Shop; there are no toilets inside the exhibitions. Earmuffs and sensory kits can be borrowed, and sensory friendly sessions run during school holidays and through the year. The museum is usually quieter from 2 pm to 4 pm on school days, and February is the quietest month.

Service dogs are welcome. All other animals must be left at home.

Planning your visit

• Best time: 2 pm to 4 pm on school days for the quietest visit.
• What to leave behind: the conditions of entry prohibit smoking, food and drink, luggage or backpacks and umbrellas. There is no cloakroom, but luggage storage may be available on request.
• Wi-Fi: free; pick “Museum Free Wi-Fi”.

Getting there and parking

The museum is about 123 km by road from the Brisbane CBD, about 1 hour 45 minutes by car without traffic (the museum itself says about 90 minutes). Turn right at the top of the range, left into Margaret Street, then right into Lindsay Street at the first roundabout. Brown tourist signs lead the way, and the museum is just past Queens Park, near the windmill display.

Parking is available at the front and rear of the museum, and bus parking is directly in front. The museum does not say whether parking is free. By bus, take Translink route 903 from the Toowoomba Bus Interchange on Neil Street to Bridge Street at Southern Queensland TAFE, then walk about 100 metres east and turn right into Lindsay Street. Call 13 12 30 or use the Translink Journey Planner. On foot, walk east down Margaret Street and through Queens Park. See the museum’s directions page.

Nearby

• Queens Park Toowoomba – the gardens and playgrounds next door.
• Toowoomba City Hall – a landmark in the city centre.
• Toowoomba Railway Station – another piece of the city’s transport history.
• Japanese Gardens Toowoomba – a garden walk to pair with the museum.
• Cooby Dam – a lakeside stop outside the city.

Browse more museums and Toowoomba places.

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• Jondaryan Woolshed – more Darling Downs heritage out of town.
• Highfields Pioneer Village (Toowoomba)
• RAAF Museum Amberley (Ipswich)

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