THE city of Ipswich was once destined to be Queensland’s capital. It may have lost that honour to Brisbane but SUE PRESTON finds it has plenty of capital attractions of its own.
IF ANYONE has a bird’s-eye view of everything Ipswich and the surrounding area has to offer it’s captain Mike Jarvis.
He spirits passengers in his Pterodactyl company helicopter on wine and pub tours, on flying food safaris offering paddock to plate experiences, and on tailor-made tours.
A veteran of more than 35 years’ flying experience, Captain Mike, as he prefers to be called, has put together flights that focus on the myriad experiences the region has to offer. “It just so happens that a helicopter is the tool we use.”
Captain Mike has made sure that those who sit in the pilot’s seat of the company’s four-seat and six-seater helicopters are just as proficient a tour guide as they are a pilot.
The man who has wanted to be a pilot since the age of seven candidly admits he loves flying. “It’s great, but I have to admit flying people who are happy and who want to be with us is the best part.”
With Captain Mike at the helm, I took a flight over the area, which included exciting low-level flying along the twists and bends of the Brisbane River.
We made several stops during the morning, landing as gently as a butterfly on a leaf.
The first stop was Woodlands of Marburg. Built in 1890, the plantation-style estate is surrounded by beautiful jacaranda trees and bunya pines. It has 53 rooms, a hand-dug swimming pool, a grotto (open-air chapel) and even a small cemetery from its days as a seminary in World War II.
In 1944, Woodlands was sold to the Order of the Divine Word, a missionary order founded in Holland, to be used as a rest home for missionaries evacuated from New Guinea during WWII.
Now owned by a local family, Woodlands of Marburg is a beautiful location for romantic getaways, day visits, dining and weddings.
Then it was up and away to the Watercress Creek Olive Farm, a popular stop on regional food tours. It is here that Bernie and Lorraine Mahon host an olive festival every April offering visitors a taste of their olive oil infused with ginger and blood orange, lemon myrtle and balsamic glaze.
Farming is in Bernie’s blood. His great-grandparents came out from Ireland, landed in Brisbane and walked to Ipswich in 1862, establishing a farm not far from where he farms today. The property grows three varieties of olives with more than 1200 olive trees and 400 Tahitian lime trees a more recent addition.
Ipswich, often fondly referred to as The Switch, has plenty to see by more conventional methods than a helicopter. Here are just some:
Queens Park: Take time to stroll the boardwalks around the relaxing Japanese Nerima Gardens designed in consultation with Japanese sister city Nerima. You’ll even find a model of a traditional Japanese tea house set by a stream.
Nearby is the heritage-listed Municipal Incinerator, designed by Walter Burley-Griffin and now home to the Ipswich Little Theatre. Yes, the man who designed Canberra also designed an incinerator to dispose of the city’s waste. During the Depression, many architects turned to municipal projects like this.
The Workshops Rail Museum: Where once 3000 railway workers toiled, the old boiler shop now houses beautifully restored locomotives and carriages, as well as Queensland’s largest model railway. Take the controls of the diesel locomotive simulator, walk through an historic refreshment carriage, or peer into the opulent Vice-Regal carriage to see how the governor travelled. Half-hour tours at 10am and noon are included with museum entry.
The Pumpyard Bar and Brewery: Housed in a heritage-listed building in Limestone St, it is the first microbrewery in Ipswich since 1903. Four Hearts brewing is all about brewing beer with full flavour, no chemicals, nothing artificial and no preservatives. Try the brewers board for two, the beer battered fries and the beer ice-cream.
Ipswich Antique Centre: Occupying the heritage-listed Uniting Church Central Memorial Hall, built in 1895, this is a treasure trove for antique lovers.
The RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre: Housed in hangars at the airbase, the centre’s displays showcase the history of the RAAF and its crucial role in the country’s defence. There’s a WWII Boston Bomber, Vietnam-era Canberra bomber, Caribou airlifter, Sioux and Iroquois helicopters and WWII Jeeps. There are Sabre and Mirage fighter jets and you can sit in the cockpit of an F-111. Reservists and volunteers act as guides and the centre is open every third Sunday of the month.
If you go...
IPSWICH is a 30-minute drive from Brisbane CBD, under an hour from Brisbane airport, while Brisbane Citytrain network provides regular connections from Brisbane to Ipswich. There are also daily bus connections.
STAY: The centrally-located Metro Hotel Ipswich International offers spacious rooms and apartments with an on-site restaurant, Harvest, free Wi-Fi, cable TV and 24-hour room service - (07) 3812-8077, 1800-004-321, www.metrohotels.com.au
EAT: Ipswich has its first fine dining restaurant with The Cottage run by Angela and her chef husband Mark Naoum. The Limestone St restaurant in a historic cottage has three dining rooms spilling out onto a verandah. Mark serves modern Australian-French-Mediterranean based cuisine with tantalising dishes such as kangaroo with lemon myrtle polenta, rosella compote and cauliflower puree.
Heisenberg Haus in Brisbane St is perfect for lovers of the TV series Breaking Bad, with cocktails like Blue Crystal, Goodnight Hank and Walt’s All-nighter. However, it’s the legendary pork knuckle dish that draws the crowds. If you manage to eat it all, your photo goes up on the Knuckle Wall.
For a more informal lunch, dog-friendly Colleges Crossing is an unexpected oasis in a popular picnic spot on the Brisbane River at Chuwar. Here Lynne Clarke makes drinks to her own recipe, with house-made cakes, house-blended iced teas and old-fashioned flavoured milkshakes.
Useful contacts:
Ipswich Visitor Information Centre
(07) 3281-0555, www.discoveripswich.com.au
* Sue Preston was a guest of the City of Ipswich and Metro Hotel Ipswich International.
