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Celebrate World Bicycle day in Ipswich!

  • This world bicycle day (June 3) come and find out if Ipswich is the MTB capital of Queensland!

  • In Ipswich we have the longest continuous mountain bike descent at 500 Above in Hidden Vale Adventure Park.
  • We have the trail head to the longest rail trail in the country, the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail.
  • We host the state’s biggest MTB event, EPIC at Hidden Vale Adventure Park each year.
  • We have the best wet riding at Castle Hill which has International Mountain Biking rated tracks.

Still not convinced.  We invite you to take a look for yourself!

Contact: Hayden Brooks from Hidden Vale Adventure Park 0414 343 579

Quest Ipswich named one of nation’s best

TripAdvisor has named Quest Ipswich one of the Top 10 Hotels in Australia for 2021.

The winners are determined using analysis of TripAdvisor reviews for properties with star ratings of four or above with 30 or more rooms and a minimum standard rate of $75.  Quest Ipswich came in 9th in the rankings with number 1 being Element on Coolum Beach.

Contact: Adam French on 0414 751 148

4Hearts Brewing Co showcases product to the international stage

The team at 4Hearts Brewing recently showcased their product at the Trade and Investment QLD Export Awards at Parliament House.

Contact: Torsten Werner on 3282 9076

Woodlands of Marburg open The Sugarmill Restaurant

The Sugarmill Restaurant, which opens on June 4, is a premium offering with a new head chef at the helm.  Expect to be transported back to a time of elegance and splendour as you dine in the private residence of Queensland sugar baron Tommy Smith.

The name of the restaurant is taken from the history of the Woodlands of Marburg property, the first sugarcane was planted on site in 1881 and a sugar mill erected in 1882 with the first manufacturing in 1883.  Tommy Smith invested in the mill heavily and erected a sugar refinery in 1884 and electric light system in 1885 and large rum distillery near the mills in 1886.

Contact: Michael Rowan and David Ritchie on 5464 4777

Phat Boyz open restaurant in Ipswich

The City of Ipswich, and in particular the township of Walloon, is set to become a well-trodden foodie mecca with the arrival of a spectacular new restaurant by some of Australia’s most revered smokehouse ‘pit masters’.   The opening of Phat Boyz Smokehouse & Kitchen this month may seem an unlikely pairing, but for Luke Saggus, opening a restaurant on the doorstep of south-east Queensland’s food bowl makes perfect sense.  Phat Boyz Smokehouse & Kitchen has had a phenomenal rise to success, from a competitive BBQ team and online shop operating out of a backyard shed in 2017, to the Bundamba warehouse precinct where it has operated for the past three years. Each weekend, hundreds of people queue to experience their BBQ creations, some from as far afield as Sydney, the Atherton Tablelands, and the Gold Coast. The new restaurant in Waterlea will feature three enormous smokers including the five-metre, two-tonne ‘Moonshine Express’, a 2.5-metre South American Bird Cage, and ‘The Sweet Smoke Express’ dessert smoker.

Phat Boyz Smokehouse & Kitchen is opening on June 5 at The Hangar, 7001 Parkland Drive at Waterlea in Walloon, and will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week. Bookings are essential. For more information visit www.waterlea.com.au

Press release and images available.

Contact: Sarah Dixon (Urbaine) on 0418 748 892 or email sarah@urbainepr.com.au

 Inaugural Sheep races

The first ever sheep race day will be held at Haigslea Ewe Nique Hobby Farm on Saturday.  The family friendly event will feature local music artists Ally and Sarah, games, a of course the sheep which will race.  You will be able to place bets with funny money and auction for prizes with your winnings.  There will be cheese platters available and a bar operating on the day.

Contact: Penny Allen on 0410487263 

 Spicers unveil Environmental Sustainability Master Plan

Spicers Retreats and the Turner Family Foundation have released their joint Environmental Sustainability Master Plan, with ambitious goals in place to radically reduce waste, energy emissions and water use over the next decade. The plan focuses on these three core pillars of sustainability, while defining ten specific goals the company will be taking over the coming years to reduce their environmental footprint.  Released on the eve of 2021 World Environment Day, the Environmental Sustainability Master Plan summarizes the achievements of Spicers Retreats to date and the direct actions being taken to achieve their specific environment goals. The hotel group’s largest single-site solar array will go live at Spicers Hidden Vale on 2 June, with 100 kilowatts of solar energy powering over one third of the retreat’s energy consumption.  To date, Spicers Retreats and the Turner Family Foundation have made a significant investment towards achieving their joint goals to reduce waste, promote sustainability and preserve and protect the environment.  In 2017, $18m was committed to the establishment of the Hidden Vale Wildlife Centre; a wildlife research station on the Hidden Vale property, breeding, releasing and protecting endangered Australian species.

THE KITCHEN ECOSYSTEM

Spicers Retreats’ commitment to sustainability is from the ground up. They source seafood from sustainable fisheries, ethically farmed meats, and the produce is always seasonal and sourced locally or grown themselves.  Their “Plant the Seed” initiatives, including recycling and reuse programs and composting, are in full swing at each of their retreats. Kitchen scraps are used to generate commercial grade compost that’s used onsite or exchanged for produce in a delicious, virtuous cycle.

Homage Restaurant at Spicers Hidden Vale in South East Queensland has a kitchen garden, orchard and beehives, and almost all of what’s not used in the kitchen is recycled onsite by chickens or compost.  “At Homage we manage our entire supply chain far more than we could at an urban restaurant,” explains Executive Chef Ash Martin. “We have achieved an amazing level of control over where our ingredients come from and how we take responsibility for kitchen waste, which is pretty much zero.”  Even Spicers Balfour Hotel, in Brisbane’s bustling inner-city New Farm, sports a rooftop garden, green waste recycling and a bee hive. “Any scraps go into a green compost,” says Head Chef Lachlan Horstman, “we use it in the rooftop garden or provide it to local farmers, like the guy we source our pineapples from.”

LUXURY TREADS GENTLY

A number of key sustainability projects are planned for Spicers Retreats in the next 12 months. By the end of June 2021, $150k will be invested in solar panels at Spicers Peak Lodge and Spicers Hidden Vale in South East Queensland. In the first year of use, this is expected to reduce the retreats’ reliance on coal by 25% and 15% respectively.  All Spicers Retreats have their own in-house Green Team inclusive of Sangoma in the Blue Mountains who ensure nothing is wasted and one-use products are avoided, and the main structure sports solar panels and rainwater tanks.  In the next 12 months, Spicers Hidden Vale will reduce its bore water usage by 25% through the treatment of its grey water to Class A standard to use for irrigation.  Across Spicers Retreats, automated systems to minimize landfill will be installed to ensure the separation of waste for recycling, and Cloey Machines will be introduced to mulch and treat organic waste.

Click here for the

2021 Environmental Sustainability Master Plan – SPICERS RETREATS and THE TURNER FAMILY FOUNDATION

Press release and images available.

Contact: Elaine Millar 0414 258 633

Festival of Horsepower

The festival of Horsepower gets underway in Ipswich this month with the Winternationals taking place on June 10-13, the TAB Ipswich Cup on June 19 and 2 Days of Thunder on June 26 and 27.

Press release available.

Images here: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1DDqEmRD3CX7USIy9vNgm8Nhbxg2specB

Contact: Jodie Richter Media Branch – 0429 014 885

Spark Ipswich

SPARK Ipswich, the reimagined Ipswich Festival, is an 11-day city-wide event celebrating the people, places, arts and culture of Ipswich.  The 2021 program will deliver up fresh new festival content including contemporary music, arts and sustainability festival just for kids.  SPARK will kick off with a major art and light installation on the Bremer River and projections on the historic St Mary’s Church that will activate the City over the 11 days.  Waghorn to West will profile Queensland born and bred musicians alongside Ipswich emerging artists and the festival’s world music series will showcase Ipswich’s culturally diverse performance community.  SPARK on Tour will take performances direct to the community, with family-themed acts live in the suburbs of Ipswich.  Music, comedy, arts, exhibitions, circus, projection, culture, cabaret, technology, collaboration and discussion will take over the City for 11 days in July.

More information here: https://www.ipswichfestivals.com.au/sparkipswich/

Images are available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tVXLs_4oGwIv_jSJITDg0BsVzUPHAACP?usp=sharing

Contact: Jodie Richter Media Branch – 0429 014 885

Day out With Thomas

Everyone’s favourite blue engine is once again steaming into The Workshops Rail Museum this June/ July school holidays (June 26-July 11).  There is also a sensory friendly day being held on June 30.

  • Meet Thomas the Tank Engine at the entrance to the museum.
  • Say hello to The Fat Controller as he roams around the museum.
  • Thomas activities including colouring-in, games, and puzzles.
  • Dive into the Thomas play pit, including wooden track building.
  • Find the hidden Thomas trains on the huge model railway.
  • Take a break and watch a Thomas movie.
  • Let off steam in the indoor adventure playgroundand expansive grounds.

Joining Thomas the Tank Engine and The Fat Controller on their winter holidays are:

  • Douglas
  • Annie & Clarabel
  • Diesel 199
  • Trevor the Traction Engine
  • George the Steamroller