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Eagle ’ s Nest Camp
In 1931 , Dr Thomas Price and a group of helpers arranged to use part of Redwood Park as a rest camp for unemployed men travelling the roads in search of work during the Great Depression . It became known as Eagle ’ s Nest Camp after Dr Price , whose name was Eagle in the Scouting movement .
An archaeological dig has been done on the site , revealing artefacts relating to the assistance given by the people of the city .
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Toowoomba ’ s Japanese Garden ( Ju Raku En )
Located next to the University of Southern Queensland ’ s Toowoomba Campus , the Toowoomba Japanese Garden ( Ju Raku En ) is the largest , most complex and most authentically designed Japanese garden in Australia . It combines ancient and medieval Japanese garden art forms with three kilometres of stroll paths in five hectares of Japanese landscape .
The garden , opened on 29 April 1989 , was designed by Professor Kinsaku Nakane of Kyoto , a past master of the art of Japanese garden design .
The use of rocks to create three-dimensional pictures in stone is a feature and all the rocks were personally placed by Professor Nakane .
More than 100,000 people visit the garden annually and it is a popular place for weddings .
In 2007 , the garden was voted ‘ the highest quality Japanese garden in Australia ’ by a panel of Japanese garden experts .
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Steamroller in Queens Park
For generations the brightly coloured steamroller in Queen ’ s Park has provided the opportunity for thousands of youngsters to achieve their ambition of ‘ driving a steamroller ’.
American made , this Buffalo Pitt steamroller was built between 1900 and 1910 . It was part of a fleet of such engines used by the Toowoomba City Council for road making . The steamrollers were housed at the corner of Victoria and Herries Streets and this lone survivor has stood proudly protecting the playground at Queen ’ s Park for more than 50 years .
Giant Rocket and Playground Equipment at Lions Park , Picnic Point
In keeping with the enthusiasm of the time , the Lions
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Club commemorated man ’ s first ventures into space with the construction of this rocket for the enjoyment of children visiting Lions Park at Picnic Point .
Alongside an octopus and other attractions , the rocket is an ornamental drawcard .
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Art Gallery Vine
The vine which adorns the southern wall of the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery is greatly appreciated by many who work nearby . The vine traces the passage of the year by its appearance – it sheds its leaves in autumn and through winter its stark tendrils suggest that it will never again bear green foliage . It appears to resist bursting into its bright green coat until the last minute when almost overnight it transforms again into a giant green canvas befitting an art gallery wall . The next transformation is to brilliant autumn tones before the wonderful pattern is repeated .
Before being converted into an art gallery , the building housed a number of commercial enterprises , the first being the
offices of the Toowoomba Electric Light and Power Company .
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Red Cedar Tree , Toowoomba
The Red Cedar ( Toona australis ) trees of the Great Dividing Range , growing 60 metres high with 3 metre girths , were extensively harvested by colonial timber-getters for use in many 19 th century homes , especially as high-quality furniture and fittings . This healthy , century-old tree was planted in 1905 by Mrs John Provan ( wife of a prominent stationer and newsagent ) outside her new home , ‘ Rothesay ’, on the northwest corner of Bruce and Lindsay Streets in Toowoomba ’ s Caledonian Estate .