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Statement of Significance

The rich, fertile soil, temperate climate and the interest of many of its citizens in things botanical, has resulted in Toowoomba Region’s ability to grow a wide range of indigenous and non-indigenous plants. In 1860, the area was the first to hold an Agricultural Show in Queensland – 15 years before Brisbane. Walter Hill, the then Government Botanist and first curator of the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens, travelled to Toowoomba to advise with the design and planning of Queen's Park and street plantings in Toowoomba. He subsequently imported many tree species from Europe, Asia and other parts of the world to be planted there. Hill Street in Toowoomba is named in his honour. The town attracts many visitors in September for its famous Carnival of Flowers, where people come from near and far to enjoy Toowoomba’s many parks and gardens.
This Bull Kauri outside the Cobb & Co Museum stands on the site of the old Toowoomba Showgrounds, which were established in the mid 1880s. After the relocation of the showgrounds, the site was occupied by the Cobb & Co Museum, which houses the National Carriage Collection of nearly 50 horse-drawn vehicles including 28 from the original Collection of WRF Bolton. The importance of Toowoomba in the national agricultural scene is gauged by the fact that the Darling Downs Royal Agricultural Society was the first to be established in the newly formed state of Queensland, and only the fifth in Australia.
The tree is of outstanding size and it is a good example of its species. It makes a significant contribution to the landscape of this historic town and is a landmark at the site of the community's former showgrounds, providing a considerable spectacle and some shade in the car park of the Cobb & Co Museum. It has contemporary association with the community. It has an association with Darling Downs Royal Agricultural Society and the town's first agricultural shows in the late 1800s. It is a magnificent looking tree.
The tree stands alone about twenty metres north of the Cobb and Co Museum, with a brick-paved car park and lawn surrounding.