Ipswich revealed: antiques, picnics, and endless fun.
Jessica Palmer went on an RV trip to Ipswich for the CMC Rocks Festival and discovered that Queensland’s oldest provincial city rocks in more ways than one.
I don’t think I’m ready for mullets to be back in again, I thought. We had just arrived at the CMC Rocks Festival in Ipswich, and after passing a pop-up store selling cowboy hats and belts (not unexpected for this crowd) I was a little surprised to see how long the line-up was for the ‘Aussie Footy Shorts and Mullet Bar’ store. Local Ipswich barber, The Bearded Hippo Barber Shop, had teamed up with Aussie Footy Shorts to create a pop-up shop fit for a bogan. Or at least those embracing the Aussie spirit and dressing like one for the day.
The festival of course was a lot of fun, which was to be expected. Held at the Willowbank Raceway in Ipswich, around an hour’s drive from Brisbane, this annual country music festival attracts international and home-grown musicians alike. You don’t have to be a die-hard country music lover to enjoy this festival though, with a variety of country music styles performed throughout the day.
But rather than a rushed road trip where we’d arrive the day before the festival and leave the day after, I booked a few extra nights at Ivory’s Rock Campground where I rolled out the awning and set up camp for a longer adventure. What I wasn’t expecting, was to have just as great a time exploring Ipswich as the festival itself. Yes, after the festival is done and dusted, Ipswich rocks in more ways than one.
Image credit: Jessica Palmer
Antique Hunting and Picnics in Ipswich
A short drive from Ipswich, 20 minutes to be exact, took us to the small and utterly charming small town of Marburg where we pulled up outside of The Black Museum and Scotland Yard Antiques – two unique antique stores found side by side and each owned by father and son. You could spend an hour wandering between the two stores, chatting with the owners and marvelling at the antiques. It’s worth the drive out just to visit this place.
With tummy rumbling, I longed to cross the road to the Marburg Hotel (which looked recently renovated) for some pub grub. But we had pre-booked a picnic at Soul Nook Collective just around the corner. As we walked into the Old Marburg Church grounds where Soul Nook operates, there was a beautiful boho-styled canvas bell tent with cane chairs, floral cushions, a dried floral centrepiece, a gold woven rug and various other embellishments. On the footstool was a scrumptious tray of goodies.
Image credit: Jessica Palmer
Surely this couldn’t be my picnic, could it? I thought. “Mum … it has your NAME on it!” squealed my daughter. Sure enough, this beautiful spread did indeed have the words “Reserved for Jessica” written on it; and luckily, I was the only Jessica here. Our stunning bell tent picnic was just divine and I soon forgot all about the pub grub I had a hankering for.
The Old Marburg Church itself is used as a retail space for beautiful boho fashion, accessories, giftware and more. There is even a little cafe at the back of the shop. Although I went the whole hog with a bell tent, there are picnic packages to suit all occasions – from a simple picnic rug under the trees to the full glam experience with the tents.
Image credit: Jessica Palmer
Cultural Experiences in Ipswich: From Llamas to Limes
A further 20-minute drive from Marburg to Pine Mountain after lunch took us to Watercress Creek Olives and Limes. Owner Bernie and his wife Lorraine told me that it used to be a dairy farm, but it wasn’t very profitable in the ’60s and ’70s so the farm was divided up among the family. Bernie tried his hand at planting olive trees in 1998 and hasn’t looked back. They now grow three different varieties of olives and he and Lorraine later added a Tahitian lime orchard.
As the kids raced through the orchard I noticed that the limes were yellow and must have looked confused. Chuckling, Bernie explained that limes actually go yellow when they’re ripe but most people are used to seeing them green, usually in the Corona they are knocking back. According to Bernie, they are often picked green for a longer supermarket shelf life.
Image credit: Jessica Palmer
With picnics fresh on my mind, I commented that the rows between the lime trees would be lovely for picknicking … and I was pleased to learn that you can indeed do that here as well. But only if you’re organised enough to pre-order a platter (which sadly, I wasn’t). There’s an annual festival held every April here as well – the Watercress Creek Olive Festival. What started out as a small country market has grown into an amazing day out with tasting, tours, picnics, market stalls, produce from surrounding farms, live demonstrations and more on the 7.5ha farm.
There seems to be an abundance of opportunities to experience camelids in Ipswich. While I was a bit dubious at first, after hanging out with a bunch of alpacas, llamas and camels, I’m now a bit of a fan. Last month in my ‘Outdoors’ column I talked about trying new things when I tried camel milk products at Summer Land Camels in the Scenic Rim nearby. However, what I didn’t mention at the time was that you can also head to the Llama Farm where Llama Farmer Shane knows every single one of his llamas’ names – all 75 or so of them – on his 80-acre farm nestled between the foothills of Pine Mountain and the Brisbane River. How does he tell them apart? I honestly don’t know. I have a few chickens at my house and I gave up on individual names long ago. Instead, I now greet them with ‘Hey Ladies’, when I tend to them.
Image credit: Jessica Palmer
The Llama Farm is Queensland’s largest herd of llamas but the buck doesn’t stop there; a visit will also see you mingle with donkeys, miniature ponies, miniature goats, sheep, turkeys, peacocks and fluffy Maremma dogs. The farm itself is rural bliss, with llamas dotting the paddocks, gently rolling hills, and no such thing as crowds. Life is definitely calmer on The Llama Farm and I felt it the minute we stepped out of the car.
Being a working farm and also Shane’s family home, there are no general admissions or daily opening times. Instead, visitors book a tour experience on the weekends. Choose from a ‘Faces of the Farm’ Tour or ‘The Guided Llama Walk’ Tour.
If Alpacas are your camelid of choice and you’ve got grandkids or kids in tow, you’ll want to head to Dave and Penny’s EweNIQUE Hobby Farm where you’ll get to meet Eve, Gabriel, Beauty, Angel and Princess. All of whom have funny hair and love a pat and feed. There are a lot of other cute farm animals here including lambs, sheep, goats, geese and chickens. Bookings are essential here too, as numbers are limited to ensure everyone has a good time.
Image credit: Jessica Palmer
Ipswich Dining and Entertainment Highlights
You can also go up in a hot air balloon (which I talked about in the May edition of The Wanderer), learn how to throw an axe, visit the botanic gardens, explore the Queensland Museum Rail Workshops, and eat at some fantastic Ipswich restaurants – including my personal favourite, the Bakehouse Steakhouse.
So next time you roll into a town for a festival or event, book a few extra nights and spend some time in the town itself. It may just surprise you. Ipswich certainly surprised me!
Image credit: Jessica Palmer
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GeoWiki X Locations:
ARATULA VILLAGE GAP VIEW MOTEL AND CARAVAN PARK
CARAVAN PARK
ARATULA, QUEENSLAND, 4309
COLEYVILLE LODGE
PRIVATE CAMPGROUND - QUEENSLAND
Find more option on GeoWiki X. Learn more.
Websites:
CMC Rocks Festival: www.cmcrocks.com
The Soul Nook Collective: www.thesoulnookcollective.com
Watercress Creek Olives and Limes: www.watercresscreekolivesandlimes.com.au
Summer Land Camels: www.summerlandcamels.com.au
The Llama Farm: www.thellamafarm.com.au
EweNIQUE Hobby Farm: www.eweniquehobbyfarm.com.au
Hot Air Balloon Ipswich: www.floatingimages.com.au
Axe Throwing: www.rampageaxethrowing.com.au
Queensland Rail Museum: www.museum.qld.gov.au/rail-workshops
Bakehouse Steakhouse Restaurant: www.bakehousesteakhouse.com
