Parks and Gardens

We acknowledge the Giabal and Jarowair people as the traditional custodians of the land where this campus and these Gardens now stand. We pay respect to their elders – past, present and future – and acknowledge that these lands have always been places of teaching and learning.

In the spirit of reconciliation, the Gumbi Gumbi Gardens have been established through a partnership between the community and the University of Southern Queensland as a place for learning and the sharing of ideas. This builds on ancient traditions and cherished stories, it continues the conversation between peoples that has brought us to this point in time and it provides a path to opportunities yet to be realised.

The symbol of these Gardens – the gumbi gumbi (Pittosporum angustifolium) – was introduced to Toowoomba from further west as a multi-purpose medicine by Joyce and Walter McCarthy. It represents knowledge, growth and healing.

These Gardens tell the story of the growth journey we all take; learning from our past to inform our future. It is a story of mutual dependence, of walking and growing together and of confidence in the future.