How to Meet New People in Toowoomba
For those new to town – or just sick of their friends.
Updated on 28 September 2021
Written by Phoebe Tully
Photography by Morgan Smith
It’s often said that Toowoomba is a hard city to ‘crack’. It feels like many locals have lived here their whole lives and have well-established networks of friends and colleagues. But I can personally attest to the fact that it’s not true – it’s really just about putting yourself in places where people are open to meeting new people. And giving it time.
It was intimidating when I first moved back here – I only knew a few people I went to school with many years ago – and had to start my friendship group (and professional network) from scratch. But it doesn’t need to be hard. Here’s my tips on meeting new people in Toowoomba.
Just Ask!
Sure, it feels super daggy, but just telling people that you’re interested in meeting new people is a really good place to start. I was invited to dinners, networking drinks and all sorts of events just by letting people know I was new town and hoping to meet people. Making new friends is just a matter of working along the chain of people until you meet some you really connect with. It’s kind of a numbers game, so start saying yes to everything for a while.
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Attending niche Events
The Field Guide’s calendar was created as a way to showcase Toowoomba’s huge variety of events. When I moved here, I couldn’t find a hub of events that interested me, so I created one!
Find one or two events that interest you, and book your tickets right away. Commit! If you choose something with a niche – such as a games night or a watercolour workshop – chances are you’ll meet people who enjoy the same things you do. Find events that have an in-built element of socialising, so you’ll get a chance to talk to others in a non-awkward way (to me, a yoga class doesn’t really work because there’s no time set aside specifically to socialise). And start to go regularly, so you see the same faces. Maybe you’ll feel too shy to introduce yourself the first time, but try again the next month.
Here are some regular local events with some socialising:
Battlestation’s game nights
Tinker’s workshops
Language workshops at Alliance Française or Bonjour Toowoomba
Social dancing at Dance Connection
Cooking classes at Willow Vale Cooking School
Trivia nights at The Spotted Cow, Bodega, Fitzy’s or The Met
There’s lots of courts in town that offer social tennis, such as the Holy Name Tennis Club, which calls themselves the friendliest tennis group in Australia
There’s also plenty of playgroups, fitness classes and other activities to tap into. Keep an eye on our calendar, as we’re always posting new ones!
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business @ Dusk
This is Toowoomba’s main business networking event, run by the Chamber of Commerce. Each month has a new venue and a new guest speaker, who touches on their experience running a business in Toowoomba, and what is happening in their industry. The events are run once a month on a Wednesday evening, and the venue changes each time. Bring your business cards!
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meetup
If you’ve moved around a bit, you’ve possibly already come across MeetUp. It’s an international website that encourages groups of likeminded people to meet up in person. In Toowoomba there’s a photography group, a 40+ group, a social group, an entrepreneurs group, and many more. And if none of those groups interest you, start your own!
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creativemornings/toowoomba
This group claims that “everyone is creative and everyone is welcome”. It’s a monthly talk series that happens on a Friday morning from 7.30am and finishes in time to get to work. Expect artists and designers as well as entrepreneurs and small business owners, who all come together to listen to a local person talk about life and business. There are 200 cities in the world who are part of CreativeMornings, and Toowoomba is Australia’s fifth.
Update: CM is currently on hiatus and looking for a new host!
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Should The Field Guide host regular events?
The popularity of this article suggests that there’s lot of people in town looking to make new friends. Should The Field Guide start a monthly social event? If you’d be interested, let us know here and we’ll keep you in the loop!