Stay for a while

Visitors are delighted by the regions stately 19th century farmhouses, their spacious timber verandahs overlooking gardens blooming with lavender, wisteria and flowering crab-apples, set against subtropical vistas of farms and bushland.

Toowoomba on Queenslands Darling Downs is a haven for travellers wanting to unwind and indulge in lifes little pleasures. The streets are lined with spreading camphor laurels and cosy coffee houses, bookstores, antique galleries and restaurants. For fine examples of colonial architecture, stroll Mary and Campbell Streets; or discover in the Botanical Gardens and Queens Park a serenity seldom found in a city.

Perhaps stay in town at gracious Vacy Hall, a guesthouse evoking the leisurely spirit of the 1800s. Or opt for Argyle Homestead, a heritage-listed, bed-and-breakfast guesthouse in the country outside Toowoomba, built in 1884 on 19 hectares. Argyle is run by Ross and Julie Smith, who excel at making guests feel welcome. Just down the road, the quaint and homely Farmers Arms pub offers delicious country cooking, an impressive wine cellar and an welcoming open fire in winter.

Talgai Homestead, another lovely heritage-listed property, stands on 307.5 hectares of prime grazing land outside the town of Allora in the Southern Downs. Inside this sandstone-block residence, the piano imported from England by the original owners in 1870 is still used. Talgai isnt far from Toowoomba and the wineries of Stanthorpe. Its a two-hour drive from Brisbane.