The Moveable Type Studio’s last Flying Arts funded workshop for 2025 found its home at the Toowoomba Art Society. Established in 1925, the Society has long been a cornerstone of regional arts, offering studios, galleries, and workshops that nurture creativity across generations. Toowoomba, Queensland’s largest inland city and the heart of the Darling Downs, lies two hours west of Brisbane. Its streets and surrounds carry a remarkable heritage, making it a fitting finale for the tour.
This stop marked the conclusion of the Moveable Type Studio’s 2025 regional Queensland tour. The journey began earlier in the year at Artspace Mackay, coinciding with the Libris Artist Book Awards. Across workshops and public demonstrations we collaborated with poets and printmakers, while connecting deeply with the local gallery and its community.
From there, we travelled south to Rockhampton, joining the Rockhampton River Festival for three days of music, entertainment, and hands-on letterpress with the public along the Fitzroy River. After returning to our home base at Yeronga’s Paint Factory, the former Taubmans Paint Factory, built in 1957 and now a thriving creative precinct, we prepared for the final stage of our Flying Arts supported regional tour: Toowoomba.
Unlike our Central Queensland engagements, which unfolded in our 40‑foot customised letterpress print shop, Toowoomba experienced the smaller version: our converted tradies trailer. Outfitted with two tabletop Poco proof presses, wood type, and all the sundries needed, it became a mobile studio ready to share letterpress with the people.
The Toowoomba Art Society welcomed us to Culliford House, its purpose‑built home on Godsall Street, located right beside Queens Park and the Botanic Gardens. We set up our pop‑up press in the courtyard, with leafy views across the gardens and only a short stroll to the Cobb+Co Museum, making it an inspiring setting for the final workshop of the tour.
Ink & Drink Evening
On a warm November Sunday afternoon, we rolled into the courtyard, set the presses in place, prepared the plates, and readied ourselves for the Ink & Drink gathering. Local artists joined us, and photographer John Elliott, renowned for his outback documentary work, swung past during the setup to share a quick hello before the evening began.
Our typographic composition drew directly from Toowoomba’s identity: the Carnival of Flowers, its celebrated botanical gardens and tree‑lined streets, and the city’s reputation as a destination for heritage, vintage treasures, and antique shops. We created a collage of stereo blocks, echoing the finds one might stumble upon in those shops. The poster carried our narrative: *a little bit of vintage, a lot of fabulous*.
Participants worked across the two Poco presses, printing first passes with stereotypes and laser‑engraved plates, then overprinting with traditional wood type. The result was a simple yet striking two‑colour hand‑printed keepsake. Wine, cheese, and conversation under the stars rounded out the evening, everything you’d expect from the Toowoomba Art Society.
Sunday Workshop
The next morning began with breakfast at Ground Up Coffee, a place of beautiful textures and the kind of café you return to day after day. By 10 a.m, our full‑day letterpress workshop commenced in the courtyard and studio spaces, joined by members of the Saturday Printmakers.
This workshop built on the introductions from Ink & Drink, but went deeper: tools of the trade, points and picas, lock‑ups, make‑readies, and the intricacies of traditional letterpress. The Toowoomba Art Society and Saturday Printmakers had recently acquired their own equipment, so this was a chance to strengthen their skills and understanding.
The narrative for the keepsake was inspired by Toowoomba’s heritage and blooms, paired with the slow, deliberate pace of letterpress: Time unfolds slowly amongst the flowers.
We printed from a laser‑engraved plate depicting a Banksia, based on an illustration by Sydney Parkinson, the botanical artist who accompanied Joseph Banks on James Cook’s first voyage. The image comes from Banks’ Florilegium, the monumental collection of engravings published from those original drawings. Over this botanical motif, we set traditional wood type, combining upper‑ and lowercase forms to create a layered composition.
The edition of 15 prints was a genuinely collaborative effort, designed by committee, with lively banter about colour and layout. Groups worked together on both graphic and typographic elements, negotiating ink choices, layering, and composition. The process was as rewarding as the outcome, embodying the spirit of shared making and collective creativity.
This was a wonderful way to conclude the Movable Type Studio’s 2025 regional tour, made possible through Flying Arts and the Regional Arts Fund. We thank Robert Heather for his support, Tracy Heathwood and her team at Mackay Art Space, Tanya Woooley from Advance Rockhampton and the Rockhampton Shire Council, and all those who helped bring this journey together.
This project was made possible through the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, delivered by Regional Arts Australia and administered in Queensland by Flying Arts Alliance. We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to share the craft of letterpress with communities across the state. Without this support, reaching thousands of people throughout Queensland would have been a significant challenge. Thanks to the Fund, we’ve been able to celebrate the timeless art of letterpress and build connections that will continue to grow into 2026.
