This year's theme is 'Under the Sea'.

This week we visited another of our beautiful parks which, like Queens Park featured in my last post, is situated within walking distance of the CBD...Laurel Bank Park. This year the theme for the garden display is 'Under the Sea' and if you click on this link to the Toowoomba Chronicle you can see what the garden looks like from above the viewing platform from what I imagine would have been a cherry picker.  

There are always a lot of 'fun' gardens at Laurel Bank Park and it is a favourite with children. As well as the themed gardens which are strategically set out as you can see in the photos which featured in the Toowoomba Chronicle , the park is also home to ...

...Thomas the Tank...

...and other really cute sculptured features...

 

...which are scattered through the 4.5 hectare park. 

Wisteria is just coming into bloom...

 

...and in a few weeks will completely cover the Wisteria Arbor providing a shady area for visitors to sit and relax. 

 

 Apparently during World War Two, huts were built by the Council on one side of the park as it was a rest site for troops from the US who were based in Queensland. After the war the huts were removed but the large mess hall was kept so that it could be used by the community.

A feature I hadn't seen before is the vegetable garden and its organically grown produce...

... is picked and given to visitors to take home at certain times of the year. 

Next to this garden are the Scented Gardens which were developed in 1980 following a suggestion from the Downs Association for the Blind. There are herbs and other scented plants in these gardens which were designed with the visually impaired in mind. There is wheelchair access along the specially designed pathways and the water feature is always a great place to stop and take photos.

There are mass plantings of Cliveas under trees and in shady areas and they are quite stunning. 

This is a photo I took last year of some of the features designed for children and most of them are still in the garden including the bunny, a dinosaur and a mother duck and her ducklings. If you are interested you can take a look at them in my post from last year.

The Carnival of Flowers starts today with the Food and Wine Festival and tours of the gardens start as well. It will be a busy time and I hope that any readers who are visiting Toowoomba to see the parks and gardens really enjoy themselves.