Bellthorpe National Park is at the southern end of the Conondale Range in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

Benarkin State Forest on the Blackbutt Range is a great spot to picnic, fish, spot platypus or hike or ride on forest trails.

The Brisbane Valley Rail Trail when completed will be a 161km outdoor recreation trail from Ipswich to Yarraman.

A wonderful way to cool down and enjoy the great outdoors in Ipswich is at Colleges Crossing Recreation Reserve. The crossing is a low-lying bridge that crosses the Brisbane River in the suburb of Chuwar, and this long-time favourite with locals and visitors has all you need for a relaxing day out for all ages.

An opulent bronze, marble and sandstone cenotaph has stood in Esk since 1921, even though it took another 58 years for the surrounding park to be proclaimed as a memorial reserve. The foundation stone was laid in December 1920 by Colonel Graham Butler, the original medical officer who landed with the Queensland 9th Battalion at Gallipoli. The Esk Patriotic Committee had started fundraising in 1916. They needed £885, a high price for a community paying a high human cost. Of the 545 men from the Esk district who enlisted, 83 died. All the names are captured on this monument. Fixed bronze plates on the base bear the names of the dead. The others' names appear on huge bronze plates fixed to recessed marble panels. Designed by Georg Brockwell Gill of Ipswich, the stonework was executed by masons Frank Williams & Co. Art metalwork was supplied by Wunderlich Ltd of Sydney. The memorial park, proclaimed in 1979, was extended four years later. It now includes a stone memorial to Captain Patrick Logan, commandant of the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement who was murdered while exploring the Brisbane Valley in 1830, and plaques honouring those who died in WWII and post-1945 conflicts.

The Fernvale Country Markets take place weekly every Sunday at the Fernvale State Primary School located along the Brisbane Valley Highway, Fernvale. Drop in for a spot of Sunday morning shopping and pick up some fabulous locally made gifts and wares as well as some country fresh, locally grown, Somerset produce.

The Fernvale Murals were conceived as a community project to help re-establish pride and confidence in the town after the trauma of the 2011 floods. There are three murals located around the Fernvale Memorial Park along the Brisbane Valley Highway.

Located 20 minutes' drive from Ipswich City, the Flinders-Goolman Conservation Estate covers over 2200 hectares. The conservation estate supports extensive forests and rugged volcanic peaks and slopes including Flinders Peak, Mt Blaine, Mt Catherine and Mt Goolman.

As the name suggests, this hobby farm offers a unique outing for families. You’ll be able to get up close to and even feed alpacas

Henry Lawson Bicentennial Park, located opposite the state school in the township of Walloon, is just 15 minutes’ drive from Ipswich. The park, home to the Babies of Walloon memorial, is one of the key points of interest on the Cobb & Co Tourist Drive. The striking memorial to the lost Babies of Walloon commemorates the tragic drowning at a local waterhole of two school children, sisters Bridget and Mary Broderick. The tragedy became the subject of a poem by Henry Lawson, “The Babies of Walloon”, and the text of this haunting poem is carved in railway sleepers placed around the memorial. As well as the memorial, the link to Henry Lawson is strengthened by the annual Poet’s Feast which is staged at the park using the bronze Henry Lawson lectern and poet’s platform. The park isn’t just about poetry however, with other facilities including playground equipment, BMX track, skate park, sheltered barbecue areas and public toilets all being part of the fabulous amenities.