Toowoomba ~ Banskia Cottage

We recently took an extended weekend trip to Toowoomba, a lovely little but big Queensland country town just an hour and a half west of Brisbane.

Being winter I knew I wanted the whole winter experience, quaint little historical cottage, open fire and a gorgeous surrounding for us to spend a few days.

I have fond childhood memories from Toowoomba and really wanted my kids to love it too!

I totally hit the jackpot when I found Banskia Cottage on Stayz. This 1800's workers cottage has been beautifully restored and is obviously very much loved by it's owners.

Yes it is only small, but was more than adequate for our family of five to spend a few nights in.

They've even included a few board games and books to read at your leisure.

What I love most about properties where the owners let them and manage themselves is the abundance of added extras!

The kitchen had everything, absolutely everything we needed and more. Even down to supplies of cling wrap, the full gamut of kitchen utensils and pots and pans; with more than enough tea and coffee for everyone.

Those little extra touches really make a stay much more enjoyable.

The views of the garden from the kitchen window were just as lovely. Whilst this is only a small yard it is completely fenced, making it perfect for anyone with young children.

Banksia Cottage is also pet friendly and I really do mean pet friendly. They have pet bowls, walking leads all available for use.

Whilst there is no bath tub as such the bathroom space is generous and immaculately clean and tidy. The water was delightfully hot, just what you need after running around outside in the cold, although given the age of the plumbing the water pressure is a little light on.

A fully equipped laundry, with enough washing powder for a few loads supplied, sits adjacent to the family bathroom.

The cottage is only two bedrooms, but the owners were more than happy to supply a made up trundle for our youngest.

All of the beds were made with electric heaters. My worst nightmare are these things and whilst they all appeared to be brand new I do have to admit I didn't sleep well given the thought of one of them catching alight.

However, they were a welcome addition, without them we would've been rather chilly so I can certainly see why they have a place.

The only downside to this particular space was that of storage. Whilst there are several cupboards in the cottage and two in this room they were both locked. With three kids that made it very difficult to unpack and have their room stay in any sorted of organised fashion. At least a few shelves in here would really come in handy.

The main bedroom is situated at the front of the house, a small but lovely space to curl up under the covers. Yes there is a telly on the wall too!

I have to say I did fall in love with this delightful wardrobe. In fact I loved everything about this cottage. It's such a romantic, quaint little home. I could imagine myself living there sans kids of course ;-)

The kids were extremely intrigued by the, "what's this wooden box on the table?"

"Why it is a record player"

"Umm what's a record player?"

ROFL!! Let's just say that the night was spent giving the kids an education in all things music. We thumbed through the large basket of records, finding many we loved and playing some that we felt were simply awful just for the fun of it.

We sang, danced up a storm and just had some good old fashioned fun by the fire in front the record player.

Of course we spent most of our time out and about exploring Toowoomba and the surrounding areas but it was so lovely to come home to our little cottage at the end of each day.

You can see all the details for Banksia Cottage at their website.