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As the thundering roar of another fighter jet passing high overhead fills the air, my affable guide turns to me and quips: ‘Just another day at the office’.
He’s dressed in full fatigues and showing me around the fascinating RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre outside Ipswich in South East Queensland. It’s dedicated to preserving the history of Australian military flight, but this no ordinary museum. For one thing, it’s located on a live Royal Australian Air Force Base, so gaining entry requires a bit of pre-organisation. Secondly, it fills four or five full size military hangars. And it’s not every day you get the opportunity to get up close to a Black Hawk helicopter or F-111.
This is just one of the unique experiences on offer in and around Ipswich — a bustling city of around 220,000 people and the gateway to the picturesque Lockyer Valley. Ipswich has long lived in the shadow of the Queensland capital Brisbane, but with a rich pioneering history to explore, a growing paddock to plate dining scene, fabulous country pubs to check out, and several unique attractions like Amberley, it’s a compelling proposition in its own right for those looking for a short break destination that combines the best of town and country. History buffs might like to combine a visit to both Ipswich and Toowoomba, and follow the Cobb & Co Tourist Drive in between.
Here’s a checklist of our top ten things to do in Ipswich.
1. Do a self-guided heritage walking tour
Established in 1827 as a convict limestone mine and opened up to free settlers from the early 1840s, today Ipswich is sitting on a stash of incredibly fine period buildings. They’re best navigated on foot, so drop into the Ipswich Visitor Information Centre on Queen Victoria Parade and pick up a self-guided walking tour map. You’ll take in the Old Flour Mill on Brisbane Street, the Old Town Hall (now the Ipswich Art Gallery), and the Soldiers’ Memorial Hall — built to commemorate those killed in World War I. Keep an eye out for the stunning, grandly-named Queen Victoria Silver Jubilee Memorial Technical College, which has been spectacularly-but-sympathetically converted into a mixed-use commercial precinct.
Two tips for your walking expedition: The CBD is quite hilly and it won’t take you long to heat up. Have water and a hat with you. Also be aware of the city’s two lane, one-way street system, as that second lane can sneak up on unsuspecting jay walkers. Use the designated crossings!
2. Admire the works at the Ipswich Art Gallery
The Ipswich Art Gallery is another reimagining of a building from yesteryear that should get a standing ovation. It seamlessly melds the period detail of the Old Town Hall with new-build construction, creating a polished but cool and inviting space with soaring ceilings and a variety of exhibition spaces. Look for details like the proscenium arch of the original auditorium and the stairs leading down to the old backstage dressing rooms.
The gallery exhibits a beautifully curated selection of local stories, along with touring exhibitions and a revolving showcase focussing on the work of one particular local artist. There’s a dedicated Children’s Gallery on the mezzanine level.
3. Learn the history of Aussie military flight
The Amberley RAAF Base is located around 15 minutes’ drive west of Ipswich and as mentioned, your visit to the Heritage Centre must be prearranged. However, it’s free of charge and well worth doing. As you drive along the treelined Avenue of Honour and past the F-111C parked by the base Pass Office, the excitement of actually stepping foot on a military base begins to build. You’ll be met by a representative from the centre, and following ID checks (all visitors aged 16 years and over must have a passport or licence with them) you’ll follow them in your vehicle to the heritage hangars to begin the two-hour tour with a volunteer guide. Many of the guides are ex-service personnel and have personal knowledge of the aircraft on display. There are also general displays pertaining to the history of defence in Australia.
Amberley recently celebrated its 80th birthday and even if you’re not a fan of inspecting ex pieces of multi-million-dollar military hardware, seeing the base first hand is a unique experience.
4. Explore The Workshops Rail Museum
‘If it could be made, it could be made in the workshops’ was the motto and catch-cry of the North Ipswich Railway Workshops — at its height, a fraternity of 3,000 tradesmen of every description, who literally manufactured everything Queensland’s growing rail network needed. Today, key buildings on the sprawling site house The Workshops Rail Museum — an engaging homage to the history of rail, but equally a fascinating insight into the mateship and sense of community fostered on this large scale turn-of-the-20thcentury industrial worksite.
You’ll hear stories of the onsite gardens kept by workers, of the community meetings and lunchtime lectures that took places around the public rostrum, of the war memorial built by the men of the yards to commemorate their fallen workmates in WWI, and of lively conversations around the dinner table between generations debating the future of steam technology. Expect to spend a good four hours here to even begin to do it justice. The cafe housed in the old workers’ dining hall is an atmospheric spot for lunch.
5. Lose yourself in paradisiacal Queens Park
A stroll through the walled Japanese-style Nerima Gardens on the edge of Ipswich’s historic Queens Park is akin to losing oneself in some mythical Shangri-La. Shaded pathways and wooden bridges lead you through a tranquil landscape of lush foliage, babbling waterfalls, lily-coated ponds, and contented freshwater turtles casually sunning themselves on rocks. Strange and exotic bird cries fill the air, courtesy of what turn out to be two extraordinarily vocal peacocks that live in the neighbouring Ipswich Nature Centre. Visiting families will love not only the beautifully kept animal enclosures, but also the entry price (a gold coin donation).
6. Have a hoot under one roof
Those travelling with youngsters or teens in tow should also swing by General Public — a combined entertainment and dining concept, which until recently could only be found in Victoria. Ipswich’s fabulous new Nicholas Street Precinct has snaffled the only interstate franchise so far, which features a mix of arcade games, tenpin bowling lanes, a golf simulator, and a casual eatery and bar. The whole shebang has a vibrant, retro-inspired vibe and won’t fail to impress visitors of all ages.
7. Try some top local drops
Further refreshment can be found over at that restored former tech college we mentioned earlier. It’s home to the Stony Creek Brewing Company, which produces a range of craft beers here and in the nearby Lockyer Valley. Pull up a pew in the bustling taproom and order a tasting paddle of four flavourful brews. The Mulgowlie Mud Stout comes highly recommended!
8. Float high above the landscape at dawn
As you travel west from Ipswich, suburban streets quickly morph into a patchwork idyll of small country towns, rolling farmland, and national parks and reserves that make up the Lockyer Valley and lower Somerset region. One of the best ways to appreciate the region’s scenic beauty involves a very early start, but it’s worth setting the alarm for. Floating Images offers a one-hour hot air balloon flight at dawn that will see you soaring high above the landscape as the sun rises behind Mount Coot-tha and the distant Brisbane CBD.
The meeting point to transfer out to the launch site is the Ipswich Visitor Information Centre on the edge of Queens Park, and a hot breakfast afterwards is included in the cost of your flight. You’ll be back at your hotel by around 9am for a catch-up snooze.
9. Visit the region’s best country pubs
One of the great joys of exploring the countryside around Ipswich is its plethora of good old fashioned country pubs. Every town has at least one and they’re generally packed with character, not to mention characters. Some of the gems we can personally vouch for are the colonial-style Marburg Hotel (circa 1881), the Royal Hotel Harrisville (circa 1875 — although the original pub burnt down, and was rebuilt in 1920), the rustic Mulgowie Hotel, and ‘The Dugie’ (Dugandan Hotel) down in Boonah, which dates back to the 1880s and has some really interesting local history displayed on the walls of the bistro.
10. Get spooked on a haunted mansion tour
Surrounded by huge jacaranda trees, Woodlands of Marburg sits in stately splendour on a hilltop just outside the town of Marburg — 20-or-so-minutes’ drive from the Ipswich CBD. The two-storey heritage-listed mansion — complete with wrap-around balconies, ornate wrought iron work, and a widow’s walk — harks back to a time of genteel rural prosperity. Built in the late 1880s by timber miller and rum distiller Tommy Smith, the home later served as a Catholic seminary and comes complete with a chapel, grotto, and graveyard. It now operates as a wedding venue and country guest house (more on that in a moment).
Watch our video of this experience:
WOODLANDS OF MARBURG Ghost Tour, Ipswich, QLD, Australia | Video Review
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Like all good mansions, as the light falls Woodlands takes on an ethereal feel — and there have been various reports through the years of things that go bump in the night. So much so, that it’s possible from time to time to explore the house after dark with a paranormal investigator. I’m not a bona fide believer by any means, but the night we did the tour there was cause to check under the bed and behind the curtains afterwards — just in case.
Need a place to stay?
Woodlands of Marburg
The guest accommodation at Woodlands is located in two wings separate to the main house (there is no accommodation inside the mansion itself). The Executive and Deluxe rooms are elegantly appointed with soft bedheads, chocolate and gold accents, and sumptuous travertine bathrooms. Waking up to the sun pouring in through the white shutters and views of the Lockyer Valley is sublime.
The property also offers dorm-style accommodation, which is used primarily for retreats and events. Amenities include complimentary Wi-Fi and a 25-metre swimming pool — hand dug by seminary priests in the 1960s!
This post was published thanks to General Public.
The writer travelled as a guest of Discover Ipswich and Woodlands of Marburg.
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Do you have any suggestions to add to our list of the best things to do in Ipswich? We would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below.
Cover image: Australian Air Force/Alamy. Additional images: Bigstock
About the writer
Adam Ford is editor of Top Oz Tours & Travel Ideas, and a travel TV presenter, writer, blogger, and photographer. He has travelled extensively through Europe, Asia, North America, Africa, and the Middle East. Adam worked as a travel consultant for a number of years with Flight Centre before taking up the opportunity to travel the world himself as host of the TV series Tour the World on Network Ten. He loves to experience everything a new destination has to offer and is equally at home in a five-star Palazzo in Pisa or a home-stay in Hanoi.
