Laurel Bank Park is a free, heritage-listed garden in the middle of Toowoomba, with a scented garden, a playground, free gas BBQs and some of the best flower beds in town. It sits on Hill Street, a few minutes’ drive from Queens Park, and it is one of the two main parks of the Carnival of Flowers.
Think of it as a garden you wander through rather than a park you run around in: manicured beds, big old trees, a rose garden and a wisteria walk, with a playground and picnic spots when the kids need a break.
The gardens at Laurel Bank Park
The park started as a private garden. Samuel George Stephens designed it himself and gave it to the people of Toowoomba in 1932. He asked that the land never be used for sport, apart from the croquet greens along Herries Street, and that is why you will find lawns and flower beds here instead of ovals.
Walking around you will find a rose garden, a wisteria walk, a peach walk and a children’s ornament garden. Spring bulbs and seasonal plantings fill the beds, and the mature trees, including an English Oak, a Brazilian Fire Tree (yellow jacaranda) and a Water Oak, give colour in autumn as well.
The topiary is a highlight for kids: look for the hedge cut into Thomas the Tank Engine.
The scented garden
The scented garden was built in 1980 for visitors who are blind or have low vision. It has raised-edge pathways and wheelchair-friendly picnic tables, and the plants are chosen for their fragrance and texture. A memorial to Stephens stands at the northern entrance to the scented garden.
It is the quiet corner of the park, so it is a good place to slow down, and it is easy to get to on the hard-surface paths.
Laurel Bank Park playground, BBQs and picnics
The playground is buffered from Herries Street by hedging, so it feels enclosed and calm. Right beside it is a large lit gazebo with free gas barbecues, tables and chairs. There are also tables and chairs under the trees for a picnic, and open lawn for a kick-around.
There are accessible toilets in the park, along with seating and shelter. The two croquet lawns belong to the Laurel Bank Croquet Club, so watch the games from the edge rather than walking across the greens.
Laurel Bank Park and the Carnival of Flowers
Laurel Bank Park has been part of Toowoomba’s spring flower festival, the Carnival of Flowers, since the festival began in 1950. Each year about 70,000 to 80,000 annuals and 11,000 bulbs go into the display beds, and you can look down over the themed gardens from an elevated platform.
The festival runs from mid September to early October. During it the park is open any time, the displays are free, and there are food trucks every day, live music from Friday to Sunday and gardener-led twilight tours. The festival’s own site, tcof.com.au, has the program and the quiet hour from 10 am to 11 am Monday to Thursday, when music pauses.
It is busiest on festival weekends, so go on a weekday morning if you want the park to yourself. Outside the festival the park is still worth a visit for the trees and the quieter gardens, and Council also runs free Summer Tunes live music here.
A bit of history
The Commemoration Gates at the West Street entrance, put up to honour the gift, were dedicated in 1934. During the war the US Navy ran a rest camp for submariners in the park, and the former mess hall is now Laurel Bank Park Hall, a community hall that groups can hire. The park was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 2018.
Is Laurel Bank Park dog friendly?
Dogs are welcome on a leash. It is not one of Toowoomba’s off-leash areas, but Queens Park Toowoomba has an off-leash area, about 5 minutes away by car, if your dog needs to run.
Planning your visit
- How long: 30 to 60 minutes for a garden wander; 1 to 2 hours with a picnic and the playground.
- Best time: spring for the flower beds and the Carnival of Flowers; weekday mornings if you want it quiet.
- Cost: free, including the BBQs.
- What to bring: food and drinks for a picnic, a hat and sunscreen.
- Accessibility: hard-surface paths, accessible toilets and wheelchair-friendly picnic tables in the scented garden, with accessible parking inside the park off Hill Street.
- Weddings: the park is popular for wedding photos. Ceremonies need a booking through Toowoomba Regional Council.
Getting there and parking
Laurel Bank Park is at 46-58 Hill Street, Toowoomba City. It is about 125 km by road from the Brisbane CBD, about 110 minutes by car. From the park it is about 2 km to Queens Park (about 5 minutes) and about 6 km to Picnic Point (about 10 minutes).
Park on Hill Street or Herries Street. Accessible parking is inside the park via the Hill Street entrance. During the Carnival of Flowers, expect the street spaces to fill on weekends.
Toowoomba’s city buses run under Translink, with stops at Toowoomba bus station. Plan a trip with the Translink Journey Planner or call 13 12 30. The long drive is easier with kids if you plan the stops, so see 10 tips for surviving long car trips with kids.
More detail is on Toowoomba Regional Council’s Laurel Bank Park page. Details can change, so check before you go.
Nearby
- Queens Park Toowoomba – the city’s botanic gardens and the other main Carnival of Flowers park, with a dog off-leash area.
- Picnic Point Toowoomba – a lookout over the Lockyer Valley with a waterfall and bush walks.
- Bunya Mountains – a bigger day out in the hills from Toowoomba.
- Roma Street Parkland and Brisbane City Botanic Gardens – more gardens back in Brisbane.
Browse more public gardens, playgrounds or everything in Toowoomba.
Quick answers
Is Laurel Bank Park free?
Yes. Entry is free, and so are the gas BBQs. The Carnival of Flowers displays in the park are free too.
Where is Laurel Bank Park?
At 46-58 Hill Street, Toowoomba City, with street frontage on Hill, Herries and West Streets.
Is there a playground at Laurel Bank Park?
Yes, a playground near the gazebo and BBQs, set back from Herries Street behind hedging.
Is there parking at Laurel Bank Park?
Yes. Park on Hill Street or Herries Street. Accessible parking is inside the park off Hill Street.
Are there toilets?
Yes, accessible toilets, plus seating and shelter.
Can I take my dog?
Yes, on a leash. It is not an off-leash park.
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