PREDICTIONS that the Surat Basin is about to undergo a resurgence in major construction and investment is good news for Toowoomba.

The resource-rich region has experienced an economic boom over the past decade as coal seam gas fields were developed to feed Queensland's surging LNG export industry.

But in recent years, the downturn hit as hard and fast as the boom arrived.

Toowoomba's economy was not spared.

Many businesses expanded to meet the demands of the key proponents in the CSG and coal mining industries.

Meanwhile, residents were up-skilling and abandoning their jobs to take up high-paid positions on offer across the Surat Basin.

When the demand dwindled away, those businesses suffered. When the jobs went, many Toowoomba residents were left out of work and facing uncertain times.

Despite the pain, the lessons learnt from the boom-and-bust of the Surat Basin will be invaluable for the Garden City moving forward.

It means Toowoomba is prepared to ride the second wave and to deal with another downturn ... if and when it hits.