Visit Goondiwindi: The Best Things To Do In Goondiwindi, QLD

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Goondiwindi is a large and vibrant country town that sits on the border of Queensland and New South Wales, known for being the home of the famous grey racehorse Gunsynd and its large agricultural industry.

Located on the banks of the Macintyre River some 200 kilometres south-west of Toowoomba, the Goondiwindi region is bustling with boutiques, homewares stores and cafes. Surrounding farmland produces cotton, olives and other crops, as well as offering lakes, history, culture and art for visitors to explore.

Follow the Art Trail

If you’re looking for fun things to do in Goondiwindi for families, head on down to Bowen Lane to check out the array of mammoth – and hidden – street art, along with other artwork and sculptures in Goondiwindi’s Regional Art Trail. We had a lot of fun finding the various hidden cats along the trail!

Gunsynd Museum & Statue

Gunsynd – the ‘Goondiwindi Grey’ – was purchased in 1969, setting records with a string of wins, and in 2005 was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame. Head on down to Apex Park for a photo with his statue, before visiting the Goondiwindi Visitor Information Centre to see trophies, rugs, photos and other memorabilia.

The Big Cod

Located at Redmond Park, this fibreglass Murray Cod is whopping 6.5m tall and was constructed in 2015.

Tree of Knowledge

This large monument wraps around the Tree of Knowledge, the traditional meeting place of local residents during times of flood.

Customs House Museum

Discover Goondiwindi’s local history at the Customs House Museum. This beautifully restored house and surrounding buildings house a colourful collection of memorabilia from yesteryear.

Goondiwindi Natural Heritage & Water Park

This 210ha recreational water park offers plenty of activities for all ages, with a purpose built 3km water channel for water-skiing, wakeboarding, kayaking and boating.

MacIntyre Border Bridge

The MacIntyre Bridge, also know as the historic Border Bridge, was built in 1914 and was one of the main crossing places for stock, wool and other goods between Queensland and New South Wales up until 1992.

Goondiwindi Botanic Gardens

If you’re after somewhere to rest or for the kids to run off some energy, head to the Botanical Gardens. While there, explore the diversity of birdlife and Australia’s native flora and fauna in these 25-hectare gardens, or enjoy water sports like canoeing on the lake. As you can see from the photo, it was very dry at the time of our visit, but we still enjoyed one of the many walking trails!

Take A Cotton Tour

Jump on Goondiwindi Cotton Tours “Farm & Town Tour” to learn more about region’s agricultural industry with an authentic farm based experience.

Visit A Country Pub

There’s plenty of country pubs in the Goondiwindi region to visit and enjoy a drink or meal! Our favourite was the beautiful Victoria Hotel in Goondiwindi’s main street, with it’s early colonial architecture.

Explore nearby towns

Pack up the car and kids, and head out to one of the smaller nearby towns to explore all the history, art and natural landscapes on offer.

Yelarbon

While small in size, Yelarbon’s silo art is hard to miss! Titled ‘When The Rains Come’, this stunning mural offers a perfect photo opportunity for visitors. While in town, enjoy the 500 metre Desert Jewels Biodiversity Walk or a picnic at Yelarbon Lagoon.

Inglewood & Lake Coolmunda

Once known for being a tobacco growing area, Inglewood’s tobacco history can be explored at the Inglewood Heritage Centre and Australian Tobacco Museum. Across the road is Lions-Apex park, with riverside walkways, a large children’s playground and picnic facilities. Nearby, Lake Coolmunda (Coolmunda Dam) is popular for fishing and watersports, and offers low-cost lakeside camping.

Texas

Driving into Texas, you’ll most likely spot remnants of it’s tobacco farming history in the crumbling tobacco sheds that dot the surrounding farmland. Explore more of this historic town with visits to the Texas Rabbitworks and Texas Historical Museum.

Goondiwindi Accommodation

Goondiwindi has a range of accommodation options for travellers, ranging from motel rooms to private holiday rentals on Booking.com and Airbnb.

Goondiwindi Camping

Unfortunately, there are no free camping spots available within Goondiwindi at the time of writing this post. For our stay, we chose to stay at the Goondiwindi Showgrounds, as this was the lowest cost option.

If you don’t mind staying out of town, there are a few free and low-cost camping options available, which you can find on the Wikicamps app or at https://goondiwindiregion.com.au/caravan-parks-camping/