Ipswich

Located only half an hour out of Brisbane, Ipswich is a heritage region known for its outdoor adventure activities, arts and culture, and well-loved local food and beverage offering.

Guests travel to the region to experience the best of both the city and the country, and enjoy great local culture in the form of farmer’s markets, local eateries, and an abundance of wineries and micro-breweries. Visitors with an appreciation of food can choose between a variety of cuisines, with Chinese, Indian, Italian, Thai, and Mexican on offer, as well as a number of Australian-style restaurants and cafes that use fresh ingredients from local farms.

The area is a popular family destination, and offers a number of child-friendly attractions, including a rail museum, a water park, a drive-in cinema, and an adventure park complete with forts and flying foxes. More adventurous visitors have the opportunity to use a helicopter as transport for local winery tours or pub crawls, or simply to see Ipswich from the air. They can also see the region from a hot air balloon, or mountain bike in the Hidden Valley Adventure Park or Castle hill, and drive a V8 supercar at the Queensland Raceway.

Ipswich is also protective of its cultural heritage, and boasts stunning heritage architecture. Local conservation efforts are ensuring that Ipswich’s heritage is preserved for future generations and visitors.

With weather in the region remaining relatively warm throughout the year, tourism in Ipswich is consistent throughout the year, and usually peaks during various state school holiday weeks.

The region welcomed over 547,000 domestic overnight visitors in 2016, and also welcomes thousands of international visitors each year. Many domestic visitors reach the area by car, while interstate and international visitors can choose to fly into Brisbane Airport. Shuttles can transfer visitors to Ipswich from Brisbane Airport, where car rental is also available.

Ipswich is home to a range of accommodation, with both budget and luxury options for visitors, including hotels, motels, serviced apartments and bed and breakfasts. The region has a total of 571 accommodation options and food services, which employ 5.3 percent of the 323,559 people who call the area home.