For a lot of Australians, a weekend holiday usually revolves around a trip to the beach, but we love a good getaway wherever it is, and we loved our weekend away visiting Queensland’s Heritage City – Ipswich.Visitor Information CentreNotwithstanding peak hour, Ipswich is an easy drive from wherever you are in Brisbane, and contrary to many people’s belief, this small city has a whole lot of charm and is definitely not ‘just’ another suburb of greater Brisbane.After a relaxed breakfast and a short drive, we arrived around lunch time and we headed straight for our first stop – the Ipswich Visitor Information Centre.

In 1982 the drag racing scene in Queensland was in jeopardy, the area surrounding the Surfers Paradise Raceway at Carrara was becoming more built up with houses and shops. Local racers decided in order for the sport to continue to grow, a suitable home with plenty of land would need to be secured.Keith White, who was part of the committee formed to find this new land, became aware that the Commonwealth Government had given some land to Moreton Shire (what is now Ipswich) to be developed for sporting use. The newly formed committee travelled to the open farm land to find a perfectly suited open plain area that could be developed into the 1320ft drag strip that would become known as Willowbank Raceway.A team of fans, racers and their friends and family spent the next three years building the track and the facilities. They used every weekend, public holiday and day off clearing the paddocks, constructing buildings and fences and prepared the facility to open as a venue for drag racing.

Visiting the Great Houses of Ipswich, is an invitation to step inside, experience and appreciate the magnificent heritage homes of Ipswich.This was my second year enjoying the Great Houses of Ipswich, an event held twice a year in partnership with the National Trust of Australia, and I was looking forward to joining the bus tour conducted by the Ipswich Visitor Information Centre.The houses open for viewing were Collingwood, The Duce House and Woodlands of Marburg.

You might have heard Ipswich has a few old houses worth a look. Well, it’s true. And the visual feast of so many heritage beauties in one location will likely exceed any expectations you might arrive here with.This is a city that had surged to great heights by the late 1800s and into the turn of the century on the back of booming industries such as coal and rail and wool. Entire streets of elaborately detailed and incredibly grand mansions rose up as the town reached further into the hilly surrounds and dales.Those houses today – included in the city’s 7000-plus heritage listed sites – showcase another era while also bringing great character to Ipswich as a city.

The leading accommodation in Ipswich is Cumquat House, with an exceptional 5/5 rating by guests on TripAdvisor. In this interview, founders Marie and Peter explain the significance of the property’s architecture and heritage, its recent renovations and the special welcome offered to Ipswich visitors.Q: What inspired you to buy Cumquat House? Did you intend to run it as a B&B?A: We were looking for a business opportunity in relation to the UQ university, which was due to open. Always having a love for heritage buildings we came across Cumquat, although it was severely damaged by storm and some parts were unoccupied for 18 months. To us, it was a blank canvas waiting for us to restore it. In 1998 we initially offered student accommodation and limited B&B. In 2016 we closed the student accommodation and refurbished again into full-time B&B.

My heart begins to race instantly when I gently feel not one, but two pokes on my left arm while standing in Ipswich’s historic Old Flour Mill during the new Haunted Ipswich CBD Ghost Tour, hosted by renowned historian and Australian ghost hunter Jack Sim.Due to Covid regulations, I am standing at the side of the group during this presentation and more than 1.5 metres away from another living soul, so I know nobody from the group would have been able to shuffle over and touch me as a prank without me noticing.But who could it have been? Was it Hubert, the mill’s resident ghost who is believed to roam the building covered in flour from when he worked there as a young boy? Or was it my imagination playing tricks on me?

Sometimes, the perfect destination for a romantic weekend away can be right in your own backyard. If you’re looking for a spot to unwind, relax, and spend quality time with the one you love, you can’t go wrong with Ipswich.With quaint, heritage charm, pastel sunsets over the rolling hills of the surrounding countryside, and plenty of unique experiences, there’s more than enough in Ipswich to plan your perfect weekend away—whether you want to do everything or nothing!Here’s a few of the most romantic things to do in Ipswich.

Trains have been in the top ten of big boy’s toys for a long time but of course, if you’re a kid, they’re just plain cool.Whether you’re four or 64, the City of Ipswich has a railway adventure to whet your whistle.

Take a step back in time and have a peek at our prehistoric past with these sites around Ipswich... Denmark HillFossils were first discovered at the Denmark Hill Conservation Area as early as the 1890s.   In the 1920s eight tonnes of material was sent by train to the University of Queensland and thousands of fossils were uncovered dating right back to the Triassic Age more than 200 million years ago.Follow the Triassic Circuit, a 200-metre walking track, kids will enjoy this circuit, there are barbeques, a playground, toilets, picnic settings and sealed walking paths through the park.

By footpath, tour coach or car, there’s plenty for history lovers to explore in the city of Ipswich.Call in at the Ipswich Information Centre as a starting point and grab some trail maps or ask about specific heritage landmarks you can visit.Besides entire streets lined with stately colonial Queenslanders across the city, there are plenty of public landmarks to take in and many are in use, including at Kholo Gardens, creating a character-filled backdrop for the events, organisations and businesses contained therein.