Residential suburbs of Toowoomba?
11 Answers
Middleridge, Mt Lofty and Rangeville arent bad. Avoid anything on the North / North West side of town ie Harlaxton, Wilsonton, Rockville, Newtown etc as they are cheap neighbourhoods, lots of public housing, with high crime and have terrible problems with drug and alcohol.
If you dont have to move to Toowoomba , go somewhere else. Been here 4 years biggest mistake ever, and being retired and having lost a heap of money as the value of our home continues to drop we are struggling to find a way to escape. Toowoomba use to be a beautiful place to live, but now old homes on large blocks of land are being split in to tiny units , outer areas like Highfields, where there are many acreage homes again are seeing sell offs and blocks being split. New comers are not made welcome, road manners dont exist. If you have to come here look for a home close to toowoomba boys grammar, and East toowoomba, only nice areas left. Oh and yes crime is becoming a huge issue even in the more rural areas, car theft, break and enter, lock EVERYTHING. Good luck
so true, wish I could afford to move away and take my grown up kids with me. I don't bother trying to join churches or social groups any more as it is not worth the effort. I prefer my own company and am on tenterhooks all the time with the foul attitudes of other drivers and the high crime rate. Not what I expected when I moved here, at ALL!!!!!!!!!
My experience of Toowoomba is the complete opposite. I have found lifelong friends, have lived in several distinctly different areas of Toowoomba, have never had any issue with theft or rude drivers ( over and above what I have experienced in say Victoria where I grew up). I have been here since 2008 and I feel there are so many beautiful people and places here in this area. Toowoomba is central to amazing country, not too far from Brisbane, the coast, hinterland and range national parks, amazing wineries and the list goes on. I say it is what you make it. Cheers.
Hi, My name is Ian. I lived in Toowoomba for several years and have a 20 year association with the town. I am also a former Toowoomba Real Estate Agent so believe I know the area very well. No offence to any areas in Toowoomba however as a general rule I would say anywhere east of Hume Street & south of James Street is what other families such as yourself have decided to live. This is also where my family lived (including our toddler) whilst in Toowoomba. Suburbs such as Centenary Heights, East Toowoomba, Rangeville (older areas) and Middle Ridge (newer area) are in close to numerous parks, shops, very good schools and offer easy access to the city centre and to get to Brisbane. They historically have a very low crime rate and are fanily friendly areas. I would highly recommend Go Gecko, Century 21, Raine & Horne or RE/MAX as an agency to contact about Rental Properties. Go Gecko is a smaller office so you should get very good service from them. All age very good though. Rental costs in those areas range from $300 to $450 for a 3-4 bedroom home depending on age and features. I hope that helps. All the best with your journey over. Ian
Yep have to agree, We have family who opened a business 20 minuets out of town. They constantly get asked to "deliver" for FREE and when they explain they cant they get told too far for them to drive so if they dont deliver free they wont bother. They too are now selling up and getting as far away as possible.
If Toowoomba was a coastal town, the range (East) would be the beach. The closer you are to the beach the better.
I see that most of these comments were made 3 years ago, so thought I would give a bit of an update. Bypass has been approved and construction is in the early stages with completion due around mid 2018. This will remove a great many heavy vehicles from town. The new $500 million shopping center in the center of town is due for completion at the end of 2016, the new library is now complete. There are still "tired" areas of town mainly Ruthven Street but that may change when the new shopping center across the road opens. The old railway yards are being redeveloped into parkland and the old mill next to the railway yards will become upmarket apartments with there own market. Old areas are starting to change, in particular New Town, where many homes are being redevelped. Harlexton is still not the best suburb in the town but maybe it will eventually improve. Wilsonton shopping center is being redeveloped and a Kmart added so expect to see that area start to improve. The new Well Camp airport is up and running with direct flights to Melbourne, Sydney and Cairns and some inand towns and more to be added. Highfields is now the second fastest growing suburb in Qld, With a mix of homes on larger blocks and the new avenues estate being started with will add a mix of housing styles. Highfields has 2 nice small shopping centers and is just 15 minuets from the CBD. If you want a little more room then Meringandan and Merinandan West are worth looking at . Many homes on 1/2 or 1 acre blocks and just 7km from Highfields. A new estate Sovereign Rise estate is about to be started again with 1/2 to 1 acre blocks off Willis Road Meringandan West. On the other side of Toowoomba Drayton is another nice area to give some thought to. Over all Toowoomba is slowly waking up, the new airport and Range Bypass are bringing lots of work oppertunities, in fact Toowoomba has one of the lowest rates of unemployment in Qld.
Well now even the East side spins infested with crime. I've been living here for a while now and I hear kids speeding up the street on motorbikes at 2 in the morning. People from across the street just yell, blast music , smash bottles and drink all night really loudly. Graffiti is a huge growing problem too.
The East side of Toowoomba is probably the highest area in crime spikes. The graffiti here is just crazy and the amount of burglaries and kids just drinking and smashing bottles on the road doesn't help add to it. The drivers are also terrible. I had two really close calls nearly getting t boned once and another car nearly ran me over.
Are you serious? Refugees are people and most of them have been through hell. So, we should care for them. When was the last time you tried to talk to one? We once lived next door to a house filled with 25 Mexicans. They were all illegals - but worked for cash without a social security number (similar to a TFN). They fixed everything themselves, including their own cars. Really nice people, desperate for a better life. They didnt care about sleeping on the floor or an inflatable bed, and when we left - we gave them all our kitchen items and a king size bed. They were so happy, as more Mexicans were coming that night. More illegals who couldnt care less where they slept and they did anything to get to the USA. So, maybe you should get to know a refugee - be a friend to them and create a solution.
Hi,
I would not listen to all these comments. I grew up and lived for years in East Toowoomba. It is a beautiful city. Unfortunately drugs etc are in every city these days. I now live in NZ and believe me drugs are a problem here too not to mention gang violence. Rangeville and Middle Ridge are the areas I would go to if ever I returned.My family owned the land where Kearney's Spring now exists.It is closer to the university . I am sure there are some lovely areas there but lots of places are rented to students.I have friends living in Centenary Heights and they have not had any problems.It is close to Rangeville. Highfields is out of town a way and as it is high up you are more exposed to windy and cold weather in Winter.
There are good and bad neighbours everywhere these days. Some of these comments make this beautiful city sound like a ghetto...such is not the case. All the best with your move.
AltheaW
I've lived in Toowoomba for over 25 years (Harristown, Middle Ridge, Centenary Heights, East Toowoomba). My wife and I are 3/4's of the way of raising a family here. We love it. The friendly, big-country-town/small-city feel has the best of both worlds. It is a beautiful place visually and culturally.
As far as the economy goes, published figures have the Toowoomba region as one of the highest performers in the country on many fronts. We experienced this recently ourselves when we moved house after 15 years in East Toowoomba and doubled our money.
Obviously every city has its exceptions where some individuals don't live by good standards, but generally it is a safe city where children can play in their neighbours and people recreate and work together well. I even know of one family who doesn't bother to lock their doors (ever). Some of the comments I note on this page already regarding crime must be very specific to their own circumstances as this is not representative of the reality of the majority.
As far as where to live in Toowoomba. Basically, the purchase price of a house is a good representation of more sought-after areas. The more you can afford, the flasher the neighbourhood. Except for the odd poor investment, I've never heard of anyone losing money on a house. I don't know anything about the renting market.
I hope this is a help and you find somewhere that suits you. All the best!
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Don't be fooled - crime, drugs and alcohol are in every suburb of Toowoomba.