7 Spooky Reasons to visit Ipswich this Halloween

Circle October 31 in your calendar and pencil "go to Ipswich" as we put on some spooky fun for Halloween.
07 Oct 2020
Jessie Middis, Freelance writer and photographer

Whether you’re a thrill-seeker, a spook-hunter, or just looking to casually experience 2020’s spooky season, the city of Ipswich has you covered. With a range of activities on offer, ranging from kid-friendly to downright terrifying, you’ll surely scream with delight as you pencil “go to Ipswich” in your diary for October 31st.

Ipswich Cemetery Tour

Brisbane Ghost tours2

Be lead through the eerily quiet Ipswich Cemetery grounds by Brisbane Ghost Tours this Halloween!

Jack Sim and Brisbane Ghost Tours have been running haunted walks for over 20 years and have a wealth of real ghost stories to tell. The Ipswich Cemetery tour begins with a briefing on Cemetery Road, followed by a two hour guided walk around the grounds, where your guide will share centuries worth of history, mystery and ghost stories with you. Brisbane Ghost Tours invites you to “rediscover your town” as you trek through what many know as Queensland’s most haunted burial ground. No need for fancy equipment, actors or jump scares – the tour alone is eerie enough to set you on edge. You may even be lucky enough to have an interaction with “the boy” – a ghost who famously interacts with visitors at his grave.

Brisbane Ghost tours are running an Ipswich Cemetery tour at 7.30 on Friday October 30 and two tours on October 31, 5pm-7pm and 7.30pm-9.30pm.  Bookings are essential.

Treats, No Tricks

Riverlink Halloween

Bring the kids down for a day of spooky, covid-safe fun, as Riverlink hosts a tonne of fun and interactive events for you to sink your teeth into this Halloween.

  • 10am – 4pm: Guided treats, no tricks tour around the centre to four Halloween themed stations (bookings essential).
  • 10am – 4pm: Skull sand art and make your own spider lollipop (bookings essential).
  • 10am – 4pm: Zombie door knockers outside Wallace Bishop and at the Food Court.
  • 10am – 4pm: Spooky craft village outside iPlay.
  • 10am – 1pm: Trolls meet and greet outside Kmart.
  • 11am – 5pm: Roving Halloween entertainment including Halloween stilt walkers, dancing witches and a Halloween themed band.
  • 1pm – 4pm: Casper meet and greet outside Kmart.

Check out more and book here.

Seraphim Escape Rooms

Seraphim Escape

Dress up and test your problem-solving skills in a terrifying escape room experience at Seraphim Escape Rooms.

The Executioner’s Tool-shed has been named the scariest escape room in Brisbane, and for good reason! This frightening and exhilarating experience pulls you into a real-life horror movie, and requires you to utilise your problem solving skills to escape the dreaded Executioner. You’ve woken up blindfolded and handcuffed in a dark room, with only one hour to escape.  Those who are lucky enough to escape the Executioner’s grasp can move on to the sequel room – Atonement, and will have the opportunity to face the Executioner once again.

Seraphim also offers some creepy family friendly escape rooms available to get you into the Halloween spirit with minimal spooks.

On Halloween night, escape rooms will be running until Midnight. Seraphim Escape Rooms are located at 38 Brisbane Street, Ipswich and bookings are essential. Spots for Halloween are available but filling up fast! 

Halloween Haunt

Halloween Haunt Ipswich. Photo: Today's Reflections Photography

Come on down to 525 Junction Road, Barellan Point this Halloween night and experience a covid-safe and kid-friendly Haunted Halloween display.

You’re invited to, drive up, park, and take photos in front of this spooky yard display which will feature graveyards, dragons, skeletons, fog, and projectors. Host Julie Cochrane has proudly hosted Halloween Haunt for over 11 years with the assistance of family friend Steven Moran and prides her display on bringing the community together. Halloween Haunt originally began as Halloween parties, until Julie discovered her passion for entertaining the community.

Ordinarily Halloween Haunt collects donations for Palliative Care at Ipswich Hospital in honour of Julie’s late husband, but due to Covid-19, no cash is able to be taken this year. Should you wish to donate to Ipswich Hospital’s Palliative Care Unit on behalf of Halloween Haunt, you can donate here.

For more information about Halloween Haunt, check them out on Facebook.

The Haunted Mansion

Woodlands of Marburg

Fancy spending some time in an old, haunted mansion this spooky season?

This stunning 19th Century mansion has a fascinating history – something you can experience first-hand on a Haunted Mansion tour.  This two-hour guided evening tour commences in the Woodlands of Marburg cemetery.

Paranormal Investigator Katie Harvey will lead you through the house and cellar and attempt to communicate with the spirits that many believe still wander the house. Katie uses sophisticated equipment to sense the disruption in the electro magnetic field that spirits are said to cause, giving her group an opportunity to experience the other side.

Woodlands of Marburg is open to the public outside of these evening tours, and you can check out the cemetery during the day, or just attend the on site cafe.

The haunted mansion tours are being held every second Friday with one on October 30 just ahead of Halloween – bookings are essential.

Horror Movies at Limelight

Hocus Pocus

Halloween isn’t really Halloween without a scary movie!

Limelight Cinemas at Ipswich Riverlink will be entertaining you this Halloween by bringing some horror classics back to the big screen.

Keeping with a classics theme, you can see Hocus Pocus on the big screen from Friday 30th October – Sunday 1st November. There will also be a double feature ultimate horror fest on Friday 30th October where you can watch Scream and Nightmare on Elm Street to get yourself in the spirit of the spooky season.

To find out more about Limelight’s Halloween events, see their website.

Dress-up Markets

Dress up this Halloween for the Ipswich Showplace Twilight Markets

The Ipswich Showplace Markets are holding a free online competition for Halloween, that the kids will love. The competition is open for school aged children and under 3’s, and will be judged based on three separate categories:

1.       Most original/creative Halloween-themed costume

2.       Best Halloween-themed costume made from Recycled items

3.       Funniest Halloween-themed costume

To enter, upload a photo of your kids’ costume with their name age, and category they’re entering. Winners will be announced at the Halloween Markets on Sunday 1st November.

From 7am – 12pm on November 1st, Ipswich Showplace Markets will be holding a Halloween themed market. There will be a Halloween Hunt featuring 10 signs with 10 simple and fun questions for kids to answer as they wander through the markets with you, as well as a Halloween pop-up stall where children can pick up a Halloween Hunt sheet and claim a sweet Halloween treat!

See their Facebook event for more information and to enter the dress up competition.

No matter how you like to spend the spooky season, there are some amazing things happening in Ipswich this Halloween. The above attractions have Covid-safe measures in place to ensure you have a safe experience. Be sure to make Ipswich your go-to Halloween destination in 2020!

 

  • We also hear that The Commercial Hotel in Redbank will be holding a Halloween party on Saturday October 31, with band Double VIsion live, prizes for best costumes and free entry!

 

Jessie Middis Freelance writer and photographer
Jessie Middis is a professional freelance writer, photographer and social media specialist based in Ipswich, Queensland.

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