ReswobR

I was only in Townsville for a short while. I took the train from Mt Isa to Townsville and caught another train there to get to Brisbane. The country West of Townsville is lovely. I wouldn't mind living within a 50 km radius of Townsville City.

Townsville seems to be a thriving marine research centre. The aquarium is amazing! It's one of the few places that keep dugongs in captivity. Their pool has a walkway through it and you can watch these incredible animals swimming around you and being fed. The selection of sharks on display is huge and the fairy penguins try to play with people through the glass.

The bus drivers are madmen though. The bus drivers driving style was like something out of Harry Potter and I kid you not! He was rather unfriendly too. I'm not the only one who had a bad experience with them either. A museum curator I know had her bicycle break down on her and it was raining so she caught the bus. The bus driver charged her extra for taking the bike on the bus.

I lived in Toowoomba for a couple of years and miss living there. I only moved because of my career. Toowoomba is a large country town about 150 km west of Brisbane that services the Darling Downs and many of the town further west. For that reason, services are good. On average it is cooler than Brisbane with winter temperatures at night comparable to Tasmania but can be blazingly hot in summer. The first time I pulled into town in the summer of 2012, it was so hot that the bitumen melted onto my tyres.

There is a vibrant at culture. There is a sandstone art gallery and a couple of more contemporary ones on the main street. The art culture I was involved in had a strong nature and environmentally oriented bent. The artists met there are more the hermit type that come together for gallery openings. They range in age from 20's to 80's.

I'm very amazed to read so many negative reviews about this town. I've lived in Sydney, Tasmania and Ipswich but I'd rather live in Toowoomba. Yes there are bogans. Yes there are juvenile delinquents loitering around Grand Central but what do you expect? That's a major mall and that is what happens everywhere in places like that. The same with conservatives and large numbers of untrained dogs that bark all night. One can find those everywhere. There is a lot of traffic and semi trailers going down that "goat track" called The Range but I assure you that it's better than some New Zealand mountain passes I've driven. Talking to the locals it was much more dangerous in the 80's. There has been talk of making a bypass but that would destroy a lot of bushland so I hope it doesn't happen. Beyond the CBD the traffic noise is minimal.

I think that some people also have some unrealistic expectations of what Toowoomba should be. I've seen people complain on here about the lack of shopping options, the restaurants closing early and poor public transport. Toowoomba is like many larger country towns that describe their business centre as the "CBD" or "city" meaning it isn't comparable to a capital city. One has to adopt a certain way of living in such places. Don't live near the CBD because that is where wayward people hang out. Collect your food at the local Sunday market and cook your own or grow your own vegetables. Engage in local events and learn how to appreciate the natural environment around you. There are many local extinct volcanos to explore in this area. Crows Nest Falls is also only a short drive away. Having a car is essential. One must do something sophisticated. It's called "entertaining yourself."

If you want the excitement of a intense shopping experience, a night out clubbing or shops and restaurants open Brisbane is just down the road. Why would we want every single place in Australia to be like a capital city? For me Toowoomba was a place relax and centre myself. It's a place to refreshen the mind.