[4] Highfields is situated on the Great Dividing Range, slightly north of Mount Kynoch.

[6] Along with Meringandan, the climate is oceanic (Köppen: Cfb) due to elevation, usually located further south of Australia.

[3][12] The Highfields School opened on 17 January 1870 in the Rising Sun Hotel under teacher Mr Larkin.

[17][19][20] In 1907, the protests of residents resulted in both the school and the post office returning to the name Highfields.

However, residential subdivision started to occur in the 1960s, to a point where it is now considered a satellite town of Toowoomba.

[16] In 2015, it was renamed Mary Mackillop Catholic College to reflect its expansion to secondary schooling.

[citation needed] The Cabarlah Community School opened in Wirraglen Road in January 2006.

[27][28] On 10 January 2020, the Big Cow was moved to the Highfields Pioneer Village, where it was restored and officially re-opened on 20 September 2020.

[29][30] The Big Cow was built in the 1970s to attract tourists to a working dairy farm at 9-11 Ayrshire Rd, Kulangoor.

After the dairy farm closed, the Big Cow remained on the property which was used for a variety of purposes.

Also located at the Centre is an outdoor public swimming complex with a large indoor arena holding two volleyball and basketball courts and a gym.

[citation needed]The Highfields Sport & Recreation Park opened in 2019, which includes a number of netball courts, multi-use sporting fields, and tennis courts; amenities, picnic areas, and 150 additional car parking spaces.

The centre also contains a pizza store, a post office, a bank and a hairdressing salon.

Also serving the community are a small bundle of shops found on the turn off from the New England Highway to Highfields Road, amongst them include a bakery, a delicatessen, a hairdressers, a real estate agency and an auto parts shop.

[citation needed] The Highfields branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at 2/10498 New England Highway.

Highfields and Districts Little Athletics Centre operates during the summer months from the AFL oval.