Before you head to Ipswich for an event, check out these 20 reasons why you should stay a little bit longer and explore Ipswich while you’re here.If you're looking for accommodation check our stay page.Soar high on a hot air balloon flightFloating Images Hot Air Balloon Flights offer a scenic one-hour journey over farmland and country landscapes. Your blissful morning ends with breakfast at a popular local café. Flights run most days but are weather dependent.
Ready to take the team beyond the boardroom? Ipswich has plenty of ways to turn a corporate day out, team-building session or staff celebration into something people will actually talk about afterwards.From high-speed laps and axe throwing to golf, mountain biking and unexpected group experiences, these ideas bring a little competition, adventure and connection to your next team day.Brookwater Golf and Country ClubTake the conversation onto the course at Brookwater Golf & Country Club. Surrounded by natural bushland, the course offers teams the chance to step away from the workplace, enjoy some friendly competition and spend quality time together in a relaxed setting.
History isn't just something you see during Galvanized, it's something you can taste too. As you explore heritage homes, stroll historic streets and uncover stories from Ipswich's past, don't forget to pull up a chair and enjoy the special food and drink offerings created especially for Galvanized. From heritage-inspired curries and classic pub fare to nostalgic sweet treats, locally crafted brews and cocktails with a story to tell, Ipswich's cafes, restaurants, pubs, hotels and breweries are serving up a delicious journey through time.Brews with a BackstoryStony Creek Brewing: Limestone LagerFor Galvanized, Stony Creek Brewing has launched a brand-new brew with a story to tell.Limestone Lager pays tribute to the region's earliest days when Ipswich was known simply as Limestone, a rugged colonial outpost established in 1827. Inspired by the explorers, workers, settlers and pioneers who helped shape the region, this crisp local lager celebrates the determination and resilience that laid the foundations of one of Queensland's oldest regional cities.
Still need to get dad something special on Sunday 6 September? Then check out this great list of gift ideas for Father’s Day.Float high in the skyGet dad up in the sky with a gift certificate or a booking for a Floating Images Hot Air Balloon Flight. This would be a great family adventure to tick off your bucket list! Race around in a MustangSpend an action-packed afternoon and evening at Queensland Raceway with the chance to get behind the wheel of a powerful V8 race experience car or feel the adrenaline as a passenger in a 6-car, 6-lap Pro Driver Race.
Spring has sprung and it’s bringing plenty of reasons to get out and explore Ipswich, with Father’s Day celebrations, live music, theatre shows, bustling markets, delicious food and drink experiences, family-friendly adventures and major events like Galvanized and Powercruise all part of this month’s lineup.Step back in time at Ipswich’s Galvanized Heritage FestivalIf you love history, consider yourself a curious explorer, or simply enjoy the traditions of a bygone era, you won’t want to miss one of Ipswich’s biggest events: Galvanized - A Festival of Heritage.Held over 10 big days from September 4-13, Galvanized invites visitors to step back in time and experience Ipswich’s rich heritage in fun and unexpected ways. Visit rarely opened historic sites as part of Great Places of Ipswich, uncover spooky legends on a haunted ghost tour, and come face-to-face with Roman legions, Viking warriors, medieval knights and 20th-century soldiers at History Alive: A Journey Through Time.
You can dial up the romance, or experience an adrenaline rush with these date ideas... Great for Valentines Day, anniversaries or just to spice things up a bit... Boho styled picnicsIf you're after something special and romantic then a hanging pod picnic at Soul Nook will tick all the boxes.Indulge in a packed and styled picnic with your love.
Gift vouchers make great presents for Valentine's Day, Christmas, birthdays, Mother's and Father's Days and even just to show the ones you love that you care.Check out this list of great gift vouchers to help you celebrate special occasions this year.Arttime Gallery and Fine Art SuppliesArttime Gallery and Fine Art Supplies and Rare and Pretty Dolls also offer gift vouchers, for the art and doll lovers in your life! Gift vouchers can also be used to buy new or vintage toys and for any of their Dollightful Makeover classes.
Ipswich has an abundant number of walking trails, many of which are great tracks for both casual walkers and those with more experience who want more of a challenge. This isn’t supposed to be a comprehensive list by any means but provides a selection of some of my favourite walks. I have focused on two areas of Ipswich hiking that provide exciting views, rocky features, and flora and fauna.Ipswich hiking in Flinders-Goolman Conservation EstateThere are two main starting points depending on which walk you plan on doing. Both parking areas come off signed left hand turns from Ipswich-Boonah Road when travelling towards Boonah. Both have BBQ and picnic areas and are family-friendly: Hardings Paddock Picnic Area (15km from Ipswich CBD)– Part of this may follow a dirt road, but the parking is ample and access is not difficult with a conventional car.Flinders Plum Picnic area (25 km from Ipswich CBD) - To get there, you will need to drive several kms of unsealed road to the Flinders Plum Picnic area and there may be a small water crossing if it has recently had heavy rain, although most conventional vehicles will make it without much trouble.
I first heard the legend of Blackstone Castle when I was fifteen and my Nanna had joined the local historical society. So, with our imaginations full of visions of turrets and drawbridges my grand parents and I headed to Blackstone where we took a walk up the hill in search of the lost castle.We wandered up a dusty track and reached the summit of the hill to find...well, not very much actually, just a single half-collapsed brick wall and some rusty old car bodies. Not exactly the Welsh castle I had been imagining, but intriguing none the less. Skip forward (cough) twenty odd years. I've been to Wales and back, I've seen a few castles but I am still just as fascinated about our "castle". How did Ipswich have and lose a castle, who built it, what's really left of it?HistoryFortunately for me, in 2015 the Ipswich Art Gallery held an exhibiton "Brynhyfryd – lost castle of Blackstone Hill" which bought together a collection objects from Brynhyfryd, including decorative objects, furniture, family heirlooms and other parts of the building retrieved from demolition. The exhibition also featured photographs of the building in its glory days and was accompanied by a history of its rise and fall.
It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to learn more and more films, including big budget masterpieces, are being shot at Ipswich. The city’s mix of old and new, urban and rural, is proving to be a major drawcard for all sorts of film productions.An ever-growing list of Hollywood heavyweights have called Ipswich their temporary home, including Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman!The Railway ManJonathan Teplitzky’s war film, The Railway Man, brought A-listers Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth, Jeremy Irvine and Stellan Skarsgard to Ipswich in 2013. The film shot a number of scenes in Ipswich, including torture sequences at Queensland Museum Rail Workshops (established in the historic railway yards site at North Ipswich). Colin Firth plays a former British army officer and POW. His character discovers the Japanese interpreter who tortured him during the war is still alive and he and his wife, played by Nicole Kidman, set out to find and confront him.The film won a number of awards including Best Adapted Screenplay at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Awards.
