Laurel Bank Park is a public park situated approximately southwest of
Toowoomba railway station. It is bounded by Herries, West and Hill streets. The park was donated to the
City of Toowoomba in 1932 by local resident Samuel George Stephens (junior), after almost thirty years of developing the beautiful gardens. Within the park are many cold-climate mature trees considered of horticultural importance. Two
croquet lawns and a croquet clubhouse were added to the park in the 1930s. During
World War II (WWII) the park was used as a
United States Navy (USN) submariners' rest and recreation camp. The intact former mess hall is the only building remaining from the camp in the park. Since the 1930s, the picturesque park has been a major tourist attraction in Toowoomba and this continues today. The area was surveyed and sold for private development in 1853 and named Toowoomba in 1858. In July 1865 the first section of the first railway in Queensland (the
Main line railway) was opened to
Ipswich, and by April 1867 the line reached Toowoomba. In 1887 Toowoomba was proclaimed a town. By the early 1920s the town was increasingly known as the "Garden City", due to the large number of beautiful and well-established private gardens, its extensive street-tree plantings dating to the 1870s, and numerous landscaped parks. One of his major endeavours was the garden at his home "Llanwyn", also in Herries Street, considered one of the most beautiful in Toowoomba at the time, described in an 1879 newspaper article as "one of the neatest and most complete in its arrangements of any in Toowoomba". His son, Samuel George Stephens (junior), who was born in Toowoomba in 1865, inherited his father's love of horticulture. Educated at
Toowoomba Grammar School, he joined his father's business, becoming managing director in 1909. He continued his father's philanthropic commitment to community and charitable causes including the Toowoomba General Hospital, the
Toowoomba Cemetery Trust, the
Toowoomba School of Arts committee, and as a member of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty. By 1918 the majority of the block bounded by Hill, West and Herries streets was in Stephens' ownership. As the land was cleared, Stephens transformed it into an extensive garden which by 1934 was considered to be one of the most beautiful in Toowoomba. Stephens established his garden amid this renewed vigour. He aspired to establish a garden that would give pleasure to people, rather than cultivating plants of commercial or scientific value, as was often the case in Queensland's botanic gardens. In 1932, when asked to comment on Stephens' garden, the curator of the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens, Ernest William Bick, declared it was "the largest and most varied collection in Australia". Boyce Gardens, another Toowoomba garden property, was developed privately and donated to the University of Queensland in 1969; it is devoted to the propagation, preservation and study of native species, and, while not publicly owned, is publicly accessible. Stephen's gift differed, as the fully established park was a donation to the council; at the time, it was declared one of the most generous donations for Toowoomba and Queensland. It was agreed that a portion of Laurel Bank Park would be dedicated for two croquet lawns and a clubhouse. Fundraising for the club began almost immediately with garden parties and fetes held in the park. Two lawns were laid by March 1935 and timber benches installed. Much of the work was undertaken as
Depression-era relief work, provided by the council. The official opening ceremony in March 1935 was attended by Stephens, who was given the honour of striking the first ball, and stated that he hoped "the members would have much happiness and pleasure in using them". When first opened, the club had twenty-six members. Further fundraising through events such as bridge nights, as well as generous donations from patrons, enabled the club to complete the construction of the clubhouse. To re-invigorate the city's tourist potential a promotional campaign was carried out in 1931 by the Toowoomba Tourist Bureau "for the purpose of making an effort to attract visitors". The campaign proved successful and by 1938 Toowoomba experienced record numbers of tourists. The campaign included advertisements placed in many newspapers, both state and interstate, as well as a publication of a promotional tourist guidebook that was first published in 1934, "Toowoomba: Queensland's Ideal Mountain Resort". Toowoomba's charms included the cooler climate, scenic lookouts with panoramic views, and beautiful parks and gardens. Over the next decade, a guidebook of several editions was produced. In 1940 the Darling Downs Centenary Souvenir, 1840–1940 featured Laurel Bank Park as one of Toowoomba's most attractive parks. Facilities for troops on rest and recreation leave (R&R) were also established. In Toowoomba, the US Navy (USN) built two R&R camps for submariners - one in Laurel Bank Park and the other in Newtown Park (15m north-west of Laurel Bank Park). The main R&R camps for the USN were situated in
Coolangatta on the
Gold Coast, but these do not survive. The basic module of the "CA" type was for sleeping or stores huts and could be adapted to other uses. It was rectangular in plan, raised on stumps, made with a timber frame, various wall claddings and a gable roof. They were designed to be made of readily available local materials and constructed by local contractors using common building techniques. Tens of thousands of "CA" type huts were built across Australia during WWII. At war's end, the Commonwealth Disposals Commission sold many of "CA" huts, which were either relocated or demolished. Others were sold to various church and community groups and moved off site. The former mess hall was retained in the park as a community hall. It was initially used by the
YWCA and the West Toowoomba Progress Association and later as a dance venue and for wedding receptions. The hall continues to be an important community centre in Toowoomba. The first "
Carnival of Flowers" was held in October 1950 and was a resounding success, with more than 50,000 people lining the main street to watch the opening parade. This heralded eight days of festivities focused on Toowoomba's beautiful gardens, both public and private. Money raised from the carnival went to local charities. The following year, the date of the carnival was moved to September, to coincide with the school holidays. Since then, the carnival has continued every year and is visited by thousands of people from around the state and the country. It is Queensland's longest running annual festival. In the 1951 souvenir brochure, the park was included on the official programme with a band scheduled to play in the park on Sunday afternoon. In subsequent souvenir brochures, the park was also featured as an attraction not to be missed. Laurel Bank Park is also listed on the Australian Government's Directory of Australian Botanic Gardens, along with Toowoomba's
Queens Park and Botanic Gardens. The Laurel Bank Croquet Club continues to be a valuable community sporting facility close to the centre of Toowoomba. Stephens' collection of important trees are considered to be of high horticultural value. The traditional layout of the gardens continue to reflect Stephens' intention for the park to be a place of rest and beauty. == Description ==