Ipswich Nature Centre

Things to do in and around Ipswich seem to be the talk of the town at the moment. Everywhere I turn someone mentions something great to do in Ipswich. So I figured it was about time we ventured over to that neck of woods, again.

We took my mum with us, its' been a while since we have spent an entire day together, something we must do more often :-)

Our last visit was quite some time ago and we spent our entire time in the Art Gallery. Oh hang on, we have been to the Train Museum a few times also.

The Ipswich Nature Centre far exceeded all of our expectations.

Actually I should probably reword that as I planned this day with no expectations, something I've been working on for awhile now. Removing expectations funnily enough also removes the feeling of disappointment, we often have when our expectations are not met.

If only we could enter a situation with no expectations at all. Reducing expectations gives us the opportunity for our hearts and minds to be truly open and so we often find ourselves pleasantly surprised by the experience at hand.

This particular day is true testament of this.

The Nature Centre is located in central Ipswich, within the Queens Garden precinct. Parking is plentiful, though I would expect it to be an extremely popular destination on weekends and school holidays. Entry to the Nature Centre is free. At the gate they have a donation box, every penny placed in that box is well worth it.

Australian wildlife abounds here, in these gorgeous, well kept gardens.

Extensive board walks elevate the visitor from the ground, giving a superb view of the encompassing wildlife enclosures.

Lego Lover and Princess Girl delighted in pushing little Surfer Dude around in his pram. Surfer Dude of course obliged, why walk when you can be pushed! As you can see, they've gone off ahead to see what surprises were in store for us.

I know most three year old's don't want anything to do with their pram/stroller, however Surfer Dude has never been made to stay in his, riding in it has always been his choice. Up until he began to walk he was always in a sling (or carried) and even after walking took hold he enjoyed being carried. Our stroller was there as an option on outings where we felt that it may be of use. It has never been a place where he was made to stay seated and strapped in.

The freedom of this and utilising the stroller as a true tool and not a neccessity is surely why he loves to 'ride' in his stroller on occassions like today.

The wildlife enclosures themselves were extremely well maintained and built to a very high standard. With every turn we continued to be impressed with the quality of the Nature Centre. This little Quoll caught Surfer Dude's attention.

Oh such is the life of a wombat, sleeping the day away.

The turtles are in the process of shedding, a new experience for us to witness.

An abundance of wildlife also calls the Nature Centre home. A sure sign that even the caged animals here are happy.

Baby water dragons soaked up the warmth of the sun.

Looking back over one portion of the gardens, beautifully maintained. A pleasure to wander through. Ipswicher's should certainly be very proud of this place.

Further towards the back of the centre they have a good sized Ampitheatre where we were all intrigued by the mosaic work that was intwined within this structure.

A terrible photo, but it's not often that I get the opportunity of being in them with the children, the sun was glaring in our eyes.

The centre also houses a small farm area with your regular baby farm animals, pigs, calves, chickens, guinea pigs etc According to a small sign hanging in the area they also have regular feeding sessions where the children can get up close and personal with the animals.

The Nature Centre can be found at Queens Park, Milford Street, Ipswich.

Opening Hours
Tuesday to Sunday: 9.30am to 4.00pm
Public Holidays: 9.30am to 4.00pm
School Holidays: 9.30am to 4.00pm, 7 days a week.