Cobb & Co Tourist Drive

The Cobb & Co Tourist Drive is a scenic route between between Ipswich and Toowoomba via the Lockyer Valley. The drive celebrates the first mail route awarded to Cobb & Co in Queensland when, on January 1, 1866 the mail service commenced from Brisbane to Ipswich. Passengers and mail heading further west were taken from Ipswich to Grandchester (Queensland's oldest railway station) by train and then by another Cobb & Co coach for the rest of the journey to Toowoomba. The drive follows the railway line and the original Cobb & Co route between Ipswich and Gatton. Just as Cobb & Co's passengers needed occasional stops during their journey, so do modern-day travellers. So, along the Cobb & Co Tourist Drive, three convenient locations in Rosewood, Forest Hill and Gatton have been designated Staging Posts. All Staging Posts are situated where services, such as public toilets and the availability of food and drinks, are accessible seven days a week.