If you’ve got kids then you know that close encounters with animals never get old.  Luckily Ipswich has a handful of great places where you can interact with furry friends.  Here’s 7 places to visit that offer animal experiences.1. Ewe Nique Hobby FarmThis charming hobby farm is home to sheep, lambs, alpacas, chickens, goats and geese.  Children and adults can meet, pat and feed the animals and walk through the bird aviary which features replica dinosaurs and fish ponds!.  Ewe Nique Hobby Farm also has a coffee shop selling hot and cold drinks as well as homemade cakes, slices, muffins and other snacks.  2. The Llama FarmA farm experience that offers visitors the chance to take a Llama for a walk, feed, pat them and take a Llama selfie or two.  The Llama Farm has the largest herd of Llamas in Queensland as well as donkeys, goats, miniature ponies, peacocks, turkeys, guinea fowl and more.  Tours are available on weekends and school holidays by appointment.  They are also running a Little Llama Farmers school holiday program.

Keeping the family entertained on a budget isn’t always the easiest thing to do, but there are lots of public areas that might just be as much fun as the paid options!The Ipswich region has a wonderful and varied array of options that are completely free!Just remember to pack a picnic, plan your day and you’ll be in for a treat without breaking the bank! And for added fun, combine a few of of these attractions into one day and you and your family will be sure to come away fully content!

We can't deny that Ipswich can get hot.  So what do you do when it's sweltering and you need to cool off?  Head to one of these free water parks!Orion LagoonOrion Lagoon offers pools for all age groups with a toddler friendly 0.3m depth area up to 1.5m for proficient swimmers.  Checkout the fun squirting spouts and stepping-stones, barbeque areas and picnic tables.Robelle DomainKids will love the large tipping bucket in the zero depth water park at Robelle Domain.  There’s also jet sprays and spouts.  The water park is surrounded with shady picnic areas, boardwalks and playgrounds as well as land art pyramids and an early evening sound and light show.

Looking for a family friendly café or restaurant that serves up a little more than nuggets and chips? Here are a few of our recommendations in Ipswich that we’ve personally ‘kid-tested’ for both food, friendliness, comfort and entertainment!Prince Alfred HotelAn institution in Ipswich for over 170 years, the PA Hotel should certainly be considered when looking for a family friendly meal in Ipswich.With recent awards such as Best Casual Dining Restaurant (Qld) in 2018 and Australian Hotel of The Year (2017), you know that you will be in for a great experience.

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.

There’s lots to love about camping.  The freedom, fresh air, the faint smell of last night’s campfire, warm marshmallows, the outdoors, wildlife, stars and the chance to sit down and actually talk with your friends and family … the list is endless.Do you know what’s not to love about camping?  Setting up the tent. I can almost see you nodding in agreement. Arriving at your campsite to a tent that’s already set up sounds like bliss, right?Well, it is!