The 15 best free attractions in Ipswich

What a great space. Nice easy boardwalks so easily accessible. Entry is just a voluntary gold coin donation in a box at the gate. Lots of animals I didn't expect to see like dingo's and a wombat, even a wedge tail eagle. There is also a free flight aviary you can walk around and there were so many birds in there. Then, just a short walk across the road to the cafe for coffee and lunch.

Just wanted to get out, and get some fresh air. And this place has been on my to visit list. And I am very pleased, that I decided to come here. It is a very pleasant place. And haveing, animals and birds to see was just a bonus. A little busy, as the school holidays are on. But I will definitely be suggesting this place to others for a visit

For somewhere, that is free and educational. It's actually quite a lovely place. Very family, friendly, great for children.And people in wheelchairs. If you have a very slow pace group.This place is perfect for you.Even a little spot to have your lunch

Amazing adventure, free (😍) and perfect experience. Really nice place to enjoy with family, picnic area, safety, nice animals. Trust me, you'll enjoy. 😊

Incredible nature park funded by the council. Would love to live locally and would visit all the time. Hope this place continues to be funded and people can appreciate it as it should be.

I really liked the place, it's very simple, but I think it's worth going once and getting to know it and if you live nearby it's even a cool place to go more often, it has many different animals, it has a cute aviary, a cute mini farm and there's a place to see two nocturnal animals which is very interesting too.

A wonderful place for a stroll. Check out the animals, go for coffee and lunch. Icecreams are amazing too.

It used to be a go to place to take overseas visitors. Half is closed for maintenance and the other half has been taken over by Flying Foxes (estimated 2000+ bats). It's a colony of adults and juveniles. Only the top entrance is open.

Month of visit: December 2023 Lovely Japanese garden near the Ipswich Nature Conservancy. Went here straight after going to the INC, the place was surprisingly beautiful, lovely and peaceful. The only thing that made me a bit worried and less like was the bats! There were soooo many bats (flying fox) hanging in the trees, i personally don't really like bats so I was a bit afraid and couldn't enjoy. But the place itself actually is very pretty and nice to take a walk here.

Half of the gardens are closed due to the bats. There are a lot of fruit bats in the trees. And a bad smell from them. The garden itself is small and not much there. Wasn't as good as I thought it would be. Maybe if the bats weren't there, it would be better. It's not worth going.

Beautiful Japanese garden in the middle of ipswich. I've been here twice and love how active wildlife are. Bats, flying foxes, Lizards and birds all on display. Even had a cheeky tortoise 🐢 come and say G'day to the kids and I. Be mindful of others and keep your voices down and we will all enjoy it. Great for a photo with a special someone or just to sit and relax especially in the springtime.

I booked into the traditional Japanese tea ceremony held on these grounds. Not knowing much about Japanese culture, I was excited to learn more. NOTE: The tea ceremony will start at the bottom entrance near the toilets, not at the tea house. The gardens are a work in process. Proceeding the tea ceremony, we were given a small tour of the gardens and given a lot of interesting information about the creation, history, and plans for these gardens. I found the tour guide to be informative and interesting. The tour ends at a replica of a traditional Japanese tea hour. This tea house is a direct result of their sister city, Nerima, in Japan. To begin, we were greeted by traditionally dressed ladies. One would explain different parts and cultural references to the ceremony and tea house. The other would be our host showing us the intricacies of the ceremony itself. Only one person in the group will actually experience the host serving them tea, so remember that when they ask for a volunteer. You won't miss out, though. Afterwards, participants split into pairs, do a smaller version of the ceremony, and try the tea. Again, the whole ceremony is fascinating and full of information. Definitely one to try. Have a wander around the gardens afterwards if you have the time.

Perfect little place to take kids and family for a picnic.

Japanese gardening open to the public. Flying Foxes have taken over.

You can enjoy a quiet walk alongside the Bremer River. Most of the pedestrian ramps were closed, possibly for renovation. It would be a nice place to visit once the pedestrian ramps are open once again. There is a free car park which can be accessed from Bremer Street. Toilets are available at the car park.

A nice place to have picnic or take your children to enjoy the playground around the park and stroll through the walkways.

A nice walkway with plenty of potential, although there were lots of maintenance barriers and unfortunately lots of rubbish during our time of visiting. Dogs are allowed on the walk on leash, and there’s plenty of options for roadside parking along the platform walk. There’s a large children’s playground at one side of the walkway, and toilet blocks at either side.

Fantastic Park along the river. There's a great walk alongside, with lots of benches to rest and watch the river go by. The kids play areas look amazing! There are BBQs and shelters with benches and tables and water fountains and toilets at both ends of the park. Really great, with lots of shade, too.

Great place to relax and take time out from the hustle & bustle of daily life. Pretty & peaceful. Fab playground & BBQ picnic area for the kids & familes and a little water park. Good walking track. Night lighting too. Something for everyone. Awesome views

A lovely easy walk along the river side on a boardwalk. Water findings along the way and a covered bbq area and playground.

It's a good place to come. Locals can be rude, so afternoon after 4 o'clock is best. Quiet, even with a main road overhead and a major shopping center nearby. Pet friendly, too, provided they remain on a leash. Overall, not bad.

Overview says dog friendly,but the sign at the water tower says dogs must be on leash...I saw numerous people with dogs off leash. There was clear evidence of a large open fire at the children's playground,but fires are banned. There are gas barbecues and picnic tables, and a toilet block including a wheelchair friendly one. A number of different walking tracks you can take,but there's nothing too long or difficult. The water tower itself has been closed for quite awhile now.

A bit of a break in Ipswich. Being able to disappear into it shuts the outside world out. Like other places I have found in Ipswich, finding a parking spot is diabolical. I walked up the hill from town to see the view from the water tower but access is closed.

Beautiful place in the middle of the town with barbeque, kids play area and lot of trails to walk around.

Quiet park located very close to Ipswich Hospital. Pretty deserted, and I certainly would not recommend coming here alone. There are a few walking paths. The atmosphere is calm and peaceful. There is a play area with swings etc. There are picnic tables and benches. Free car parking is available and is located next to the water tank. There is another car park which can be accessed from Quarry road.

Great conservation space with lots of wildlife showing off the unique flora and fauna of the area. Spotted kookaburras and koalas. All very friendly birds in the area (likely due to getting comfortable with the people at the picnic and bbq spots). Lots of short little walks. A good playground area with seating and bbq spaces

Marvellous place to go for a brisk walk about 1 kilometre from Ipswich CBD ! In the past it’s had a variety of uses including a dump and cold mine. It’s been an environmental park since 1979 and group of local residents are rehabilitating it to its pristine condition There’s reminders of the mining past with bits of railway tracks and a coal mining heap. There’s fantastic views across to mt Crosby from Chelmsford avenue side! Unfortunately at the moment there’s no access up the water tower but ground viewing still provides good access across the city

A really beaut spot and a credit to the Ipswich City Council. (Did I really say that). Well worth a 15 walk around, play equipment and BBQ! Go for a visit!

Great playground for 5-10 year olds. Perfect on a warm day, kids will enjoy the water fountains.

Very relaxing River side walk and water park for all ages in Ipswich, QLD!

Pretty good park. Has a small splash area. An area with water pumps(automatic) and a maze of funnels that the water runs through. Play area with a spiders Web and slide down from the top. A couple of swings and a zip line. Quite a number of benches and BBQs, but they fill up quickly.

The kids really enjoyed spending time here. Lots of shade and park activities. Water play, flying fox, swings, exercise equipment, tree houses, picnic tables and a board walk along the river. I would definitely recommend to anyone with kids of any age.

Great little walk on the board walk. Water park was perfect for my toddler to play. Has picnic bbq and toilet facilities as well as a vending machine for convenience. Will keep coming back with my growing family.

Was fantastic to see a worker there doing constant checks on water quality. Plenty of bbq's and covered seating. Great fun for the kids.

Great spot to bring young kids. Can get a bit crowded on hot days. Some of the ground around the water park can get really hot, waterproof shoes recommended.

A wonderful place for a family bbq, get together or a walk along the boardwalk next to the river. The water play area and many pieces of playground equipment will be a hit with kids of any age. The park is lovingly and meticulously maintained - clean and today. The toilets were the same - not manky like many other public amenities. Information on local First Nations peoples was appropriate, sensitive and fascinating.

31 degree afternoon during school holidays. Drove 30 mins so the kids could play in the water but there's just a stagnant puddle full of leaves. Looks like it'd be great if it was maintained properly.

Water play section was fantastic. Park was clean. We loved it. Was a lovely morning spent on a hot spring day.

This is a neat little park with everything to keep the little ones entertained. Nicely set out with bbqs, tables and shelter all close at hand to play areas. Good to keep an eye on kids while firing up the barbie.

Really lovely park. Plenty of equipment for the kids, the BBQ's are well maintained and clean. The toilets are also clean and safe. The water park is fabulous, loads of activities for the whole family.

The park is quite expansive with lots of varied areas, including a water fountain play area, forest area with towers, climbing ropes with slides, zip lines, swings and and outdoor gym. There’s plenty of shaded benches and picnic areas, BBQ facilities and a toilet block, alongside a large grass area away from the road. Some repair needed, but overall quite an encompassing park with lots for all ages.

What a great public park. Has alot of amazing things for the kids to do and see. The hopping stones are very interesting and fun. Particularly with the water that runs through the bottom of the making a maze. The kids loved the tall and fast slide with climbing frame upto it. A great forest, shade area to play in too. Great facilities available, water fountains in several locations and also an outdoor gym available too if you like. Take a picnic and enjoy the day, plenty of shade available.

We celebrated our nieces 5th birthday here. We didn't book a birthday party we just rocked up with 4 kids. Great fun for the kids of all ages. Staff seem friendly and helpful. The canteen is very limited.

It’s a good place for your child to go if they have super enormous amounts of energy. They offer two areas that are age appropriate spaces. It’s unfortunate that the business only opens on the weekend. Highly recommend for parents who have children that are usually a little picky and difficult when it comes to exercising.

So much fun for the kids. Attack of the flies on the food though, can't control that I guess, just bring little food tents if you have a party. Hard to track little ones, so be careful with small kiddos. Odd request but maybe have parent seats inside the open spaces (much open space inside the play area), if it's not a hazard?

I like it. I think the price is about $16 for two hours. I recommend bringing your own socks, and if they have silicone soles, even better.

Special thanks to lovely Hayley, who we got to observe being an absolute star at her job. She was attentive and warm with all the children, and also very on the ball with making sure that they were having fun and being safe. In my child’s words- “It was fun meeting Hayley. Hayley looked after everybody”!

My grandchildren love the experience, fun this establishment offers. I am however mindful to keep an eye on the while there given it is usually busy.

The kids loved it. Great spot to take the kids to burn of energy. The facilities were clean and staff friendly

We booked for a night price is cheap. If you have a disability and want to use amenities book a top block unfortunately we were unaware of that and I can not do stairs with my wheelie walker. Aside from that I do recommend and would go back if ever down this way again

Stayed at their park and it's actually about as good as you can hope for. This park fills up but it's not packed and you do not feel cramped. The guests are a mix of grey nomad types young families and other travelling groups. The management leave you to enjoy the grounds and your site , they obviously believe that people in the main do the right thing and so they only cross paths with those that don't play fair. And I do really appreciate this great approach. Wish it possible to give the management and staff 6 stars because it's deserved.

We loved our stay went to the Greyhounds on Saturday night had a lovely meal at a very reasonable price our 3rd visit

Nice day out food was ordinary and so over priced but cant expect anything else for a show. Events in the arenas were pretty good just need to remember it it is a country show.

If could give 0 stars i would .. I have recently been banned and no return for life i will out live these people anyway.. now to the serious point.. I was residing at caravan sights for a few months now my son my dog an i. It Was 8 or 9 am in morning forin kids kicking a football next to caravan kicked against my caravan for me to go ask them to move on to suitable spot which there parents were not respecting rules of sight at that point.. all for the forin dad to start yelling at me making me yell in retaliation. I have a serious health condition hypoglycaemia and was having a low at this point. I have left to get an iced coffee to help stabalise my bloodsugar when returned i passed out which was annother symptom at this point with my low bloodsugar.. then to wake up with a letter handed to me by 2 police officers saying I have 20 min to pack all my belongings.. wat a JOKE.. on letter banned for life and money paid for sight will not be refunded.. I have a low bloodsugar that needs urgent attention at this moment and asked for help while getting in my 4x4 with a low bloodsugar the police neglected the need of myself and my son which made things more loud and my son and I was bitten from my dog because of the different loud noise he was very unsure of wat was happening. i have then asked again for police to call ambulance all for myself to make the call for ambulance.. I was then arrested and my son taken to hospital with neither of our medical conditions getting checked and help while in there care.. my dog was taken to the pound for my dog to be given back to myself as he is classed not a dangerous dog.. this is discusting I will be going further with this

Powered grassed sites. Well run showground. Friendly obliging staff. We were visiting family who live locally. No worries about leaving our van and going out for the day. Visit Ipswich Queens Park, its a must....Zoo, picnicking areas. Swings and water park for the kids And its all FREE. We donated to the upkeep of the zoo. Dont miss 'The Art Gallery'. Free as well. Visit Ipswich Information Centre at the start of your visit to Ipswich. There is so much to see and do you might have to stay a few days longer...

Ipswich show definitely geared for young families. Would have been good to see more entries in produce section maybe get local schools competing

Spent a day here doing some research. Great friendly helpful staff. Library is close to cafes and a variety of eating places for those munchie breaks. Not just a dusty room of books, it is a modern library with all the services you would hope for in a library.

BEST LIBRARY I'VE EVER BEEN IN. Great kids activities from drawings, digital puzzles, science visual, great reading areas, lots of little table n chairs for kids, comfy seats for mum's n dad's, Nan n pops. A parents room and just a really nice open plan library that's very interactive n fun. 2 minutes from buses n trains in the heart❤️ of Ipswich.

Wow! So many books so little time! Great place Very helpful staff. And it's all free.

Way too noisy! Very attractive layout, plenty of great books & computers. But staff ( including security) do nothing to address the inconsiderate & loud conversations. Makes it hard to study or even just relax with a book. Even the staff are guilty of standing right behind you and chat away. I agree with other review that it is too noisy. One day we had a couple of youths who looked as if they were under the effects of drugs sleeping at one of the tables. Security needs to up its game here so all can enjoy more please.

A brilliant new facility, large and spacious state of the art building. Areas are clearly defined, work and reading nooks, meeting rooms, training room, free computers for those that don't have access to computers or software. Free WiFi, endless resources for all levels. Complete disability access, free parking below for the first 3 hours. The library offers talks and free community interest workshops all free with you're library membership. This is the gold standard of a community library.

I loved it 😍 Big place to visit ❤️

Am studying WWI and find the library is well stocked to follow my interest. Great help from staff today to help me find the first pick of my 100 greatest Australian books. Here I go with #1. Using a list of 100 books of Australian best books have found the staff very helpful in locating or reserving them for me.

Awesome park, cameras for safety, family and pet friendly, water park for kids, great walking tracks, shopping centre across the road.

I live nearby and often come here — it’s a perfect spot for kids to cool off during the summer. The environment is clean and comfortable, and the facilities are well-maintained and not too old. It’s truly a great place to let the kids play and have fun!

Had PAMA springfest here and good entertainment and space.

I mainly visit here to walk my dog. The gardens are so inviting and it's wonderful to be able to walk along side the stream, and let my dog have a play in the running water (on leash). As part of the gardens, there are picnic and BBQ areas, and a wonderful water play space. There is a great little cafe, which is dog friendly. I also have gone for walks through the University which adjoins the gardens. It is a wonderful place to restore your body and soul in nature.

A beautiful park with outdoor pools, play areas, walking tracks and events during certain weekends. Dogs are allowed in the park on leash, but not near the outdoor water play area or lagoon. The pool water seems to be cleaned frequently and the area was generally quite tidy and clean. Running track located within the park alongside toilets and water fountains.

Nice splash pad and pool /lagoon. Fun public markets in the park once a month.

If your looking for a playground that has water features for the kids to play and have fun as well as all the latest park equipment for kids then you need to go to ‘Robelle Domain’. It’s a beautiful park which is situated near the Orian Shopping Centre. Make a day of it as there is ample of greenery to have a picnic with beautiful scenery as well as barbecue facilities. Really great place for the kids to have fun, kids to get a little wet if they chose to and just a relaxing place for us parents to watch over the kids.

Amazing experience to ride the rail trail can't wait to go back and do it again

From Toogoolawah south to somerset dam turn off, I road about 30 k round trip on ebike. Lots of ballast on trail from rail road. Always seems to go up hill. Going south, on old bridge where you go underneath across creek took me by surprise. Steep with almost a 180 degrees turn. Road this May. Very comfortable temperature then. saw about 10 people on bikes. One lady with kids and pram.

Great rail trail, with lots of options for doing short or long rides. Plenty of places for coffee or lunch in the towns along the way.

Great riding experience, don't need to be super fit, don't need a fancy bike

Fantastic little trail. Definitely rideable in CX or MTB.

Well managed..safe fast and customer friendly public transportation !!

Very organised event.

While the park itself is lovely, it's seems that there are some people out there who prefer to have relations in public places, on the walking bridge over the pond, leaving his mess on the walk way. STAY AWAY from this park!!! An overwhelming scent of urine, from men marking their territory, I'm guessing, and a large area closed off to the public, due to maintenance, or lack thereof. Police need to patrol the area more often. Cameras, lights, wandering security guards, to disparaging that sort of behaviour. Mother's Day was ruined. Do NOT recommend!!!

This is a cool place to go for a walk or ride some bikes and feed some ducks at the lake. There is a section that has been closed for some years now that seems to have been reclaimed by a local fruit bat population. There is also a bit of a sewerage smell in the air at times. If you can get past that it is a nice garden.

Looking to get in touch with nature, and enjoy a walk. I came here just to see what the gardens had to offer. I found short pathed walking trails, barbecues, and covered seating. All set around a small lake, and the sounds of nature. Very enjoyable

Kids loved the open space to run around. Fresh air with beautiful surroundings. Clean and tidy picnic area.

Really lovely large park, out of the way, praceful, well maintained park. Many BBQ locations, Gazebos and benches throughout. Public toilets at the entrance only. Isn't too hilly can walk it in thongs but enclosed shoes would be better though the bush sections. Is great for bike, skating or rollerblading. There are pokestops and a pokegym. No dogs, no swimming no fishing.

A "peace" garden with 6 lane hugest at the front and train lines behind lol. But the ducks are cool. Something a bit suss about the number of blokes turning up there alone though... I wouldn't go there after 5 or 6pm I don't think.

These gardens have lots of wide spaces for kids to run and play. There are ducks, peacocks and birds galore. Hidden gem. Can't wait until the rains make the grass nice and green.

If you love to bush walk this walk is amazing! Took the kids today and did the white rock route. Ran out of time so didn't quite make it to white rock this time!

Lovely little Bush walk. Easy walk to start with to warm up and then gets alittle more intense at the top. A lovely day out, just wish dogs were allowed.

Great hiking trails, make sure you have plenty of water and a decent GPS to avoid dehydration and getting lost.

Easy trail to follow, signs are in place to keep you on track.

Love this place. Amazing place for hiking for beginners.

Full of excitements. Good hike with family.

Easy 6.5km round trip hike.

The park is clean and well maintained. Ipswich city council have done a great work to keep it tidy and clean. Lot's of birds and its great for bird watching.

Great for relaxing, having BBQs or a family picnic. Many trails of varying difficulty. Short circuits like the Chalk Circuit (560m) and longer routes like the Gamlen Circuit, Goolman Lookout, etc. There are horse riding trails, a holding yard for horses, and a water trough. Horse floats can be parked nearby (outside campground). SES and QPS were conducting a training exercise at the time

A recreational and conservation campground with facilities to experience camping, hiking, bird watching, cycling and horse riding. There's a toilet and camp kitchen with camp sites and a large dam all surrounded by natural bushland. Recently revisited this site after weather damage and closures of walking trails. Experienced "Culture on Country" as part of Galvanised Festival produced by the Ipswich City Council. A day of learning and reconnection. Let's all get educated and acknowledge traditional indigenous ownership of this country Ipswich region, Yuggera, Jagera & Ugarapul people.❤💛🖤 Beautiful surrounds so close to Ipswich. Check the council website for campground bookings, rules and conditions including providing your own water and fire wood. No dogs allowed to protect the integrity of the native flora and fauna. I was disappointed to see that the council had let a member of the public blatantly bring a dog into this native reserve during the event.

Great little camp spot with 8 sites of decent size and a table at each of them. Amazing walking and mountain biking trails starting right at the campground, a couple of good lookouts around. Easily accessed by a car+caravan type of setup, plenty of space to maneuver. Enjoy!

A wonderful bit of seclusion, Hardings Paddock is a nice getaway from the city rat race. Great if you're into bird watching, or simply wanting to a quiet place to finish that book you have beside your bed. It has numerous tables and BBQ's for use, plus toilets. This is also the launching point for a number of walking tracks, horse and mountain bike tracks. Bring the family for that out of the way picnic, as there is plenty of green pasture alongside a small lake, to park yourself or toss around a frisbee, softball or your favourite pig skin footy.

Good, new, clean toilets facilities, barbecues and covered picnic areas. Great for kids, lots of green, grassy rolling hills. The ponds had lots of ducks and there were lots of friendly birds. Very quiet and relaxing area. We enjoyed our time there.

Nice place for a walk with nature. There's a couple of short walks. Bush Tucker walks. Also bush trails for the horse riders and don't forget the camp gear if you wish to spend the night or weekend in the bush. A few covered bbq areas with clean bbqs... Nice and peaceful... BUT the Public Toilets are really disgusting... dirty and smelly... there was hardly any water to wash your hands after you had finished... Ipswich City Council need to get someone in regularly to keep these toilets clean or to get rid of the cleaners you have now cause they are not doing their job.