The weather is well and truly heating up, the sun is out, and it’s officially time to reclaim your weekend from time spent indoors binging the entire Netflix catalogue over winter. Especially with hikes as stunning as these bad boys right on your doorstep!
Look, you’re probably reading this thinking, “don’t even try, Urban List, I’ve done every hike in my vicinity!”, but we’re going to have to stop you right there, because you 100% haven’t tried these hikes in Ipswich—but you should have!
PS—we teamed up with Discover Ipswich to share these, because they’re super secret.
Flinders-Goolman Conservation Estate
Flinders-Goolman Conservation Estate is less than an hour Brisbane, and only 20 minutes form Ipswich City. It covers a whopping 2,200 hectares of extensive forest, volcanic peaks and slopes such as Flinders Peak, Mt Blaine, Mt Catherine, and Mt Goolman. There are picnic areas, scenic hikes, and (because you were all wondering) toilets.
White Rock Spring Mountain Conservation Estate
Let’s preface this by saying that you should absolutely not climb White Rock—traditional owners of the land strongly request you do not do this—so be respectful when you visit. Now that’s cleared up, the estate has everything from 200m walks to 19km “journeys,” so pretty much everyone is covered. To see (and remember, NOT climb!) White Rock, take the 6.5k round-trip loop.
Haig Street Quarry Bushland Reserve
This oasis is hidden only six kilometres from Ipswich’s CBD. The reserve centres around the quarry and is therefore home to a plentiful amount of water birds. Hence the Willy Wagtail Circuit…geddit?! Plus, the Tom Craik Lookout makes for the perfect spot to watch planes take off and land at the Amberley RAAF Base.
Denmark Hill Conservation Estate
You guys, this hike is in the legit middle of Ipswich, but you’d never guess because it’s a real-life natural oasis. Head straight for the walking tracks that trail through huge native trees and you’ll forget you're only a few minutes away from the main streets of Ipswich!
Purga Nature Reserve
Purga Nature Reserve has the largest remnant of Swamp Tea Tree in Australia! We recommend heading out on one of the (short!) trails through the ghostly trees for something truly different. Expect boardwalks (bonus points for being wheel-chair accessible), and even a frog pond! This one is a must-visit.
So get those sneakers out and hike in Ipswich!
Editor's note: this article was produced in partnership with Discover Ipswich. Thank you for supporting the partners who make The Urban List possible. For more information on our editorial policy, click here.
Image credit: provided
