With over 5,000ha of conservation area to call our own, it goes without saying that Ipswich is the place to be for outdoor activities, but I bet you’ve never been out into one of our green spaces at night… Enter night hiking in Ipswich and the wonderful opportunities that now present themselves when you book onto one of our guided after-hours experiences with Ipswich City Council.
City Lights Night Hike
Amongst our more full-on expeditions, the City Lights Night Hike is one of the truest nature at night experiences we have to offer. Guided by nothing but our headlamps and headed deep into White Rock – Spring Mountain Conservation Estate, the City Lights Night Hike walk is a unique way to witness the bush come to life in all its nocturnal glory. As you might have guessed, this particular experience culminates in the summit of a ridge, overlooking thousands of distant lights, in an ocean of human habitation. All with the backdrop of a stillness that only nature can provide. The City Lights Night Hike tour is a crowd favourite and bookings are essential, so book via our website to secure your spot.
Moonrise Night Hikes
Just like our last mention, the Moonrise Night Hikes available through Ipswich City Council are of the more demanding experiences on this list. But nothing good ever comes easy and the Moonrise Night Hikes are no exception.
Heading off from either White Rock – Spring Mountain or Flinders-Goolman conservation estates, the aim of the game is to summit either the Goolman Lookout or Main Ridge in White Rock at the very same time the moon rises above the ocean in the east. And boy is it worth it. The walk back to base is an experience characterised by the soft luna glow of our nearest celestial neighbour and the entire evening is a rare twist on the already spectacular guided night hikes available in Ipswich.
Nature at Night and Nocturnal Nature Detectives
For families with young children, Ipswich City Council offers a kid friendly variant of the night-time bush experience in Nature at Night and Nocturnal Nature Detectives. These much smaller escapades into the wilderness are distinguished by their interactive and educational elements, bush stories, animal depictions and simplified explanations of the natural world all targeted towards a younger audience. The programs depart from either Paperbark Flats Picnic Area or Wanderer Crescent depending on the evening and involves a walk and talk, stop start, hands on approach to learning – broken up by physical activity and spotlighting.
These tours usually book out pretty fast, so grab a spot while you can.
The guided hiking experiences provided by Ipswich City Council take place in and around conservation areas and require a moderate to high level of physical fitness and mobility to attend.