TOOWOOMBA

city, southeastern Queensland, Australia, on the Great Dividing Range. The principal inland city in the state, Toowoomba is a rail and road junction, tourist resort, service centre for Darling Downs (a livestock, grain, and dairying region of about 3,500,000 acres [1,400,000 hectares]), and site of the Perseverence Creek Water Supply Scheme. The town's industries include engineering works, railroad shops, and food processing. It was originally called The Swamps; its present name was probably derived from the Aboriginal toowoom, the name for a native melon. The city is well planned, with many parks, and has become an educational centre. Founded as a village in 1849, it became a town in 1858, a municipality in 1860, and a city in 1904. Pop. (1986) 71,362.