Queensland's oldest provincial city was once known for its
mines, gracious ornate Queenslanders and grand colonial buildings and
boasted a cathedral, leading fashion designers such as Helena Kaye and
even a 49 room castle (Blackstone castle). After the closure of its
mines in the latter 20th century it suffered a major economic downturn
and high unemployment yet today it is on the verge of another
renaissance.
With its well-preserved heritage buildings and gracious
parks, a new wave of groovy cafes and boutiques, tapas and wine bars,
an award-winning museum, art gallery, Walter Burley Griffin-designed
theatre and a free mini wildlife zoo it has more than enough
attractions to make it high on the must-visit list.
The funky little go-to precinct of cafes, boutiques, hotels and wine
bar known as Top of Town occupies two blocks of Ipswich's oldest and
best maintained heritage buildings just on the west side of the city
centre along Brisbane St. The name Top of Town was coined after World
War II and some of the area's landmark buildings reflect its
prominence: one of Queensland's earliest newspapers The Queensland
Times occupied the building on the corner of Ellenborough St and
Brisbane St and the gorgeous old Flour Mill was the birthplace of the
retro radio station 4IP that every hip teenager of the 1960s and 70s
had their transistor radio permanently tuned to.
Eating & Drinking
Within Top of Town are a bevy of character filled cafes,
coffee nooks and a wine and tapas bar. Stop here for coffee or brunch
before heading off to the attractions and come back for lunch.
For coffee the best bets are
Urban Pantry,
a Byron bay style coffee bar and gourmet pantry that peddles delicious
sweet treats and their own blend of beans Mudlark from a Byron bay
roastery.
Otherwise head around the corner to Ellenborough St where a
charming Euro style laneway contains the seating for
Bon Laneway, a top notch espresso nook that also serves up delicious sandwiches and refreshments.
For an old-fashioned taste of 1950's Ipswich
Deann's Coffee House
is a vision of retro Nanna's kitchen, from the formica tables and vinyl
chairs to the vintage window displays and the home-made food;
otherwise the in-crowd all gather at
Fourthchild,
a chef-operated café come bistro in a rustic artsy space, where
everything is locally sourced and fresh and prepared on premise and that
would hold its own against anything Brisbane has to offer.
A few strides west and a bit away from the action (still on
Brisbane St) the 150 year old Settler's Inn (now the Stump Hotel) is
home to
Tapas Tree, a boutique beer, wine and tapas bar that has district views out back to St Mary's cathedral.
Shopping
For the best eclectic shopping stick to the Top of the Town precinct – standouts here are
The Vintage Advantage, a quirky trove of fashion, homewares and collectables,
E.S. Traders,
a gorgeous eclectic emporium of unique fashion, furniture, gifts, home
wares and accessories in an old plumbers workshop down the laneway
beside Bon Laneway coffee.
Otherwise back at the old Flour Mill, downstairs in a near
deserted arcade of quaint shops, Cassandra's Closet is tucked away in a
corner – a fab source of steam punk, Victoriana and alternative
clothing, Inkuku peddles fair trade gifts and trinkets while upstairs
on the street front Pimp My Closet delivers edgy street wear. Back on
Ellenborough St Shady Lady is the place for handmade antique laces,
accessories, finery and collectables and dotted throughout the precinct
are a smattering of op shops.
Denmark Conservation Park
This bushland reserve just to the south and up the hill from
the town centre sits atop a network of
abandoned mine tunnels. One of
its walking paths encircles an old disused quarry and another leads to a
crude Triassic discovery hut with replica dinosaur prints.
The main
attraction however, are the water towers which can be climbed for the
city's most stunning views – a 360 degree vista that takes in
countryside, mountain ranges and the entire city.
Queens Park
The namesake of Queen Victoria and historical green heart of
Ipswich was established in 1864 and as such still has some of the
unique features of parks of this era such as the grandeur and terraced
layout, the latter featuring the distinctive limestone walls peculiar
to Ipswich.
Take a wander through and find dotted throughout are
Victorian and Federation era rotundas, a caretakers cottage and glass
houses. As well as a sensational children's playground it incorporates
an enchanting Japanese garden –
Nerima Gardens and in the heart of the park the
Queens Park Café makes a great child-friendly casual dining option.
Ipswich Nature Centre
This delightful rambling mini wildlife zoo is free to visit
and consists of a well maintained labyrinth of wheelchair and pram
accessible pathways and boardwalks that pass close by enclosures of an
extensive range of native Australian animals, reptiles and birds as
well as a little barn of baby farm animals.
Ipswich Art Gallery
Housed in Ipswich's 150 year old town hall, the Ipswich Art
Gallery is one of Queensland's best regional galleries, showing a
constant flow of touring expos as well as its own private collection. It
also has an excellent children's room with well curated themes and
hands-on activities.
The Workshops Rail Museum
Whether a rail fan or not, child or adult, this fabulous
state of the art museum set in the historical still operational railway
workshops is well worth a visit. Well-preserved engines and carriages
capture the romance of the vintage era of rail travel for general
public and royalty and the interactive displays, films, simulated train
driving and themed children's playground are but some of the
attractions so set aside at least a couple of hours to really
appreciate this one.
Lastly, if visiting on a Friday stick around Top of Town for
the Sunset Market from 3-7pm along Ellenborough and Brisbane St, with
stalls selling fresh produce, handmade items and more.
