Finding things to do on the holidays when you don’t have a lot of money is a challenge we understand, so we wanted to create an easy resource for free school holiday activities in Ipswich. We hope this is useful for you and your family.
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Free School Holiday Activities In Ipswich
Ipswich playgrounds
Ipswich is home to several epic playgrounds that you should add to your bucket list of free school holiday activities in Ipswich. We haven’t listed them all here, and you can find more Ipswich Parks on our South East Queensland Parks Map.
Queens Park
Situated within the Queens Park property, the Queens Park playground features two racing tunnel slides built into the hill with water play features, a flying fox, swings and a sunken train. Accessibility: Queens Park Playground is an all-abilities playground with a liberty swing and accessible bathrooms.
Robelle Domain
A mix of waterplay and playground features make this Ipswich park an easy choice to include in our free school holiday activities in Ipswich list. Bring the bikes to enjoy the more than 11 km of boardwalks. Accessibility: Robelle Domain has wheelchair-accessible public toilet facilities, flat boardwalks and the waterplay area is flat and accessible.
Orion Mega playground
Multi-level, huge tunnel slides, multiple swings and shade sails, Orion Mega playground, is located within Orion Springfield Centre. This means coffee is nearby! Accessibility: Accessible toilets are located within the shopping centre but we wouldn’t call this an accessible play space.
Other lesser known Ipswich playgrounds
Ipswich on a rainy day
Ipswich Libraries
Ipswich is home to 6 libraries, including our favourite in South East Queensland, The Ipswich Children’s library. If you haven’t been to this purpose-built children’s library, add it to your bucket list of free school holiday activities in Ipswich! With reading nooks, interactive play spaces and an incredible array of children’s reading material, you can easily spend a couple of hours here!
Free animal encounters in Ipswich
Ipswich Nature Centre
For us, entry by Gold Coin Donation is pretty much free, and we hope you agree too. The small donation goes towards the upkeep of this beautiful community facility which is one of a kind in South East Queensland. Over 40 species of animals call the Ipswich Nature Centre home, including native animals and a range of well-known farm animals.
Outdoor school holiday adventures in Ipswich
Tales and Trails
Tales and Trails is a lovely initiative that combines a love of reading with the great outdoors. Scattered throughout several parks and locations in and around Ipswich City, kids will delight as they discover books printed to large signs along trails and walking paths. Spread out along the route; the signs are also done in braille for increased accessibility. The books are being rotated throughout different locations during the year but include Hotel for Bees, Koalas Like To…, Once, I Munched a Mango and more.
White Rock Spring Mountain Conservation Estate
Just 20 minutes from the centre of Ipswich, there are many trails to explore at White Rock and Spring Mountain. Many walking trails are nice and flat, but others are steep and challenging. Make sure you read about each specific track before heading out to ensure it suits you. Walks range from 5 minutes to an hour in length. Personal experience: When we last visited, it was an incredibly hot day and we were unprepared for the heat. Check the weather first, take lots of water and tell someone where you are going.
The pump track at Grande Park
Pump track, learn to ride park, whatever you prefer to call it; this is where we would take our kids to practice their riding skills. With pedestrian crossings, stop signs and give-way signs, it’s also a fun place for kids to play out being a traffic policeman while their friends enjoy riding around the track.
Grande Park in Springfield Lakes is part of a bigger playground space and also features BBQs and accessible toilet facilities, which means you can spend a whole day here if you want.
Take the kids mountain bike riding at Mihi Junction Reserve
The Mihi Junction Trail has 2 km of riding trails, perfect for novice BMX and mountain bike riders. The trail also features a pump track for fancier moves like rollers and jumps.
Free school holiday programs in Ipswich
An example exhibition at Ipswich Art Gallery
Free council programs
Ipswich City Council runs the Active Kids Programs. These free school holiday activities in Ipswich include bushwalking, soccer, fishing, yoga and more.
Ipswich Art Gallery
One of our favourite places for kids in South East Queensland, the Ipswich Art Gallery offers a never-ending run of fun and engaging kids’ exhibitions. In my time writing for Brisbane Kids, I have always been impressed by how interactive their exhibitions for kids have been, not to mention the vast majority have been free.
Occasionally, they also have ticketed family entertainment separate from their exhibitions. To stay up to date, our recommendation is to sign up for our weekly what’s on newsletter or check our what’s on in South East Queensland event calendar and Facebook page regularly.
Hidden gems
RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre
A public open day is held on the third Sunday of each month (January to November). This is a free event open to the general public, though pre-registration is essential. Whether you have a keen flyer in your family or not, the Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre is well worth a visit over the school holidays with your kids.
If you are interested in free things to do around South East Queensland, then make sure you check out our
- Free school holiday activities in Brisbane (which includes free school activities in Ipswich but also in Brisbane)
- Best Free Water Parks In Brisbane For Kids (which includes waterparks in Ipswich)
FAQs about Free School Holiday Activities In Ipswich
- Why do you call it free school holiday activities in Ipswich when some activities require a gold coin donation?
You are right, a gold nation isn’t free, but it’s so close to free, and when the community organisation isn’t seeking to make a profit (ie the coin is a token gesture), we think they deserve to be included! - Where is Ipswich located? If you are a visitor to Brisbane, Ipswich is west of Brisbane City and you reach it by travelling along the Ipswich Motorway. There are also public transport options like trains and buses.
- Are school holidays in Ipswich the same as school holidays in Brisbane? Yes, they are! The show holiday is the only holiday which may fall on a different day. Check here for Queensland school holiday dates.
- Why aren’t there more free school holiday activities in Ipswich? Ipswich is a growing city, check back often as we will update this resource. Remember also Brisbane is just a short drive away, so we linked to a more extensive resource above.
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