Spring Bluff
Railway Station
The heritage-listed Spring Bluff Railway Station is surrounded by award-winning gardens, which are especially stunning when the flowers are in full bloom during Toowoomba's Carnival of Flowers, but well worth the visit at any time of the year.
The station was in public use from 1867 until 1992, when it was decommissioned and is now registered with The National Trust of Queensland. The surrounding gardens were established during the 1930s by Station Master, Ralph Kirsop and his wife, Lillian. The Spring Bluff gardens have since won a great number of garden competitions for which they are well known and well loved.
There are plenty of picnic tables and electric barbecues dotted among the trees and parklands of Spring Bluff, making it a popular destination for families on a sunny day.
The former Station Master's residence has been transformed into The Spring Bluff Railway Cafe - a mountain-side cafe, serving light lunches and Devonshire teas on weekends. It is very pleasant to sit on the verandah or in the courtyard while sipping tea and enjoying the flower-filled view.
Nice to know: During Carnival Week (Mid-September), diesel-hauled trains run twice daily from Toowoomba to Spring Bluff Railway Station.
By Lucy Hordern