Southern Queensland Country is known for many things; home of Australia’s largest inland city, bearer of four distinct seasons, deliverer of drop-dead gorgeous sunsets, but a lesser-known fact is it’s also the birthplace of an iconic Australian treat – the lamington.
Soft, fluffy and cloudlike, these Australian treats originated in Toowoomba in 1896 and they’ve been celebrated across the region ever since.
While the origin of the humble lamington is as contentious as the question of what came first – pasta or noodles – let us turn back the pages of history and show you Southern Queensland Country’s culinary-claim.
The year was 1896, when Lord Lamington wanted to avoid a hot summer’s day and had a stroke of brilliance, to take his entourage somewhere cooler – Toowoomba.
During their stay, Lord Lamington requested his favourite treat, snowballs, which the kitchen was unprepared for.
Nevertheless, a clever cook improvised by making square cakes covered in chocolate and dipped in coconut, before gingerly serving them to Lord Lamington and his guests.
To her surprise, everyone loved the treats, requesting their name immediately. When she said they didn’t have a name, they were dubbed ‘Lord Lamington cakes’, and the rest as they say, is history.
Lucky for modern travellers, there’s a laming-ton of places to source these fresh treats across Southern Queensland Country – read on to discover where to satisfy lamington cravings.