Before your book your leave for CMC Rocks 2025, check out these 20 reasons why you should stay a little bit longer and explore Ipswich while you’re here.
If you’re looking for accommodation check this list: Where to stay in Ipswich.
Soar high on a hot air balloon flight
Floating Images Hot Air Balloon Flights offer a scenic one-hour journey over farmland and country landscapes. Your blissful morning ends with breakfast at a popular local café. Flights run most days but are weather dependent.
Hike the tallest peak in the Brisbane region
Flinders Peak stands a massive 679m tall and is higher than the glasshouse mountains. The trail up the mountain is for advanced hikers, head up at sunrise for a magical hike. It can take from three to six hours depending on your fitness level. There are views to Brisbane, the Fassifern Valley and the Lamington Plateau.
*Flinders Peak is the highest peak that is publicly accessible in the Brisbane Region. While there may be some peaks higher, these are either closed to the public or located on private property.
Play zombie paintball
Valhalla Paintball is owned by a former Australian pro paintball player and located on 60 acres of bushland at Grandchester. Public sessions are run Monday to Sundays and private sessions are available. There’s 12 game modes including one where 20% of your group starts as zombies and eight game zones available!
Try the V8 Race Experience
Hop in the driver’s seat of a V8 race car and take a few laps around the iconic paperclip track at Queensland Raceway. The V8 Race Experience is designed to teach you how to drive like a professional, with coaching while you’re behind the wheel. You’ll learn when to accelerate and when to break and have a go at reaching top speed!
Hit a few rounds at an award-winning public access golf course
The golf course at Brookwater Golf and Country Club was designed by Greg Norman and has won awards for its excellent design and facilities. It is an 18-hole par 72 course set in naturally undulating Australian bushland with signature bunkering and the inclusion of natural waterways.
Indulge with a luxury styled picnic
For an indulgent way to spend the day, book in for a styled picnic in a bell tent at The Soul Nook Collective. The beautiful surrounds, set under leafy trees at the old church are the perfect place to relax and unwind. Enjoy a delicious picnic platter and good vibes, after your picnic head inside the church for some boutique shopping. If you’re booking in as a large group, ask about live music options or art classes.
Taste award-winning dining at hatted restaurant
Take a drive out to Grandchester and stop in at Spicers Hidden Vale. The hatted on-site restaurant, Homage has bookings to dine inside the homestead, in the converted Barn out the back, and alfresco dining under the stars.
Take a llama for a walk at Queensland’s largest llama farm
You’ll have to fit it in on the weekend around enjoying CMC Rocks, or stay another week as this one is only open on the weekends, but it is worth it! The Llama Farm has Queensland’s largest herd of llamas, and you can visit for a farm tour or llama walk. On the farm there’s also donkeys, goats, peacocks, ponies and camels!
Visit the free zoo at Queens Park
Head to the Ipswich Nature Centre inside Queens Park to see native Australian animals including bilbies, quolls, dingoes and more! There’s also a walk-through bird aviary and farm animals. The Nature Centre is open Tuesday to Sunday 9.30am to 4pm.
Pet and feed farm animals
You can pet and feed the sheep, goats, alpacas and chickens at the Ewe Nique Hobby Farm. Grab a coffee or a cool drink and sit in the shade while you relax in the country air. The farm is open Friday to Sunday.
Smash out your feelings
You can smash with a group of friends or yourself at Rage Cage Smash Room. Take your frustrations out on monitors, glassware, or something personal. There’s even a car smash option!
Go axe throwing
Next door to Rage Cage you’ll find Rampage Axe Throwing. Fun with a group of friends, learn how to throw an axe and hit a target then compete with your mates for bragging rights.
Feed the camels
Not far from the CMC Rocks venue is Summer Land Camels – Australia’s largest camel dairy. For only a few dollars you can feed the camels at any time of the day. The farm also offers tours and camel rides.
Visit the birthplace of rail in QLD
Queensland Museum Rail Workshops is located at the site where the very first train to ever run in Queensland set off from. It steamed to Bigges Camp now known as Grandchester in 1865. The workshops were in operation until 2002 when it became a larger-than-life exhibition showcasing the social, technical and cultural impacts that rail transport and travel have had on our lives.
Engage in gel blaster wars
Hardcore Blasters have opened as the first dedicated indoor gel ball field in Queensland. Here you can enjoy fast-paced gameplay for beginners and experienced players. You can hire all the equipment or bring your own.
Choose from search and destroy, speed ball and tech missions!
Go shopping at unique boutiques, Saddleworld and antiques hunting
In the Top of Town precinct, you can enjoy a range of boutique shops selling everything from handmade body scrubs to new shoes. There’s also a Saddleworld outlet that stocks all the country and western gear you need for a visit to CMC Rocks. Avoid the line up and get a new hat or pair of boots right here in the centre of town. There are also two antique shops you can visit – The Vintage Advantage and the Ipswich Antique Centre. And while you’re in town, make sure to look out for street art.
Have dinner inside a haunted mansion
While the historic Woodlands of Marburg Mansion does run ghost tours, the dining is more luxury than scary. Dinner at The Sugarmill Restaurant is only available on weekends, so you’ll need to stay a week before or after CMC Rocks to visit.
Take a haunted history tour
Learn the real histories behind Ipswich ghost tales on a tour with a genuinely eerie guide. Ghost Tours are undertaken either through the cemetery or in the CBD and are available on weekends only.
Enjoy beer and gin tasting
Grab a few mates and book in for gin and spirt tasting at the award-winning Imbibis Craft Distillery. They have created the first rum in Ipswich for over 100 years, and you can have a taste along with their brandy, coffee liquor and gin varieties. Then taste the locally made beers at Stony Creek Brewing.
Learn how to make a knife
Take a workshop and learn how to make your own knife at Savage Custom Knives. The one-day knife making class lets you design and shape your perfect knife from blade to handle! They also have a beginner blacksmith blade and warhammer classes!
