discoveripswich.com.au
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Ellen’sPlace,whichdraws indevotedcustomers
whoenjoy itscomfysurroundsanddelicious
goodies. Youcanalso indulgeal fresco in the
adjacentcosy laneway thatdisplays that it’s
cyclist-friendlywithbikerackssupplied.
TwoofTopofTown’snoteworthyspecialtyshops
areDailyPlanetComicsandC.J.Vogler&Son
modelandhobbystore. DailyPlanetComics isa
comic lovers’mecca,witha litanyofcomics,
tradingcardsandothermerchandisesuchas
bobbleheads. TheAmazingSpiderman,
Transformers,CaptainAmerica–youname itand
youcanget ithere. The family-ownedandoperated
Vogler’shasbeenservingcustomerssince 1877and
looksprettymuchunchanged from thenwith its
wallscovered inmodelsandspareparts. Australia’s
longest runninghobbystoresellsremotecontrol
items,diecastmodels, scalextricsetsandmodel
trains, andalsospecialises inrarecollectables…
whowouldhave thought that ‘Matchboxcar’
wouldnowbesosoughtafter?
Not faraway isTheVintageAdvantage,whichstill
boasts theoriginalmosaic tiledsign fromwhen it
waswomen’swearstore,Lutvey’s. Appropriately,
youcanrummage througholddressmaking
patterns in thisshop that stockspreloved fashion
andanarrayofmemorabiliaandbric-a-brac– just
likeyourememberatGrandma’splace–with
anything fromvintagegolfclubs to 1960skitsch
objects.
Rememberwhenclompingaround inyour
mother’sheelsmadeyou feel sogrownup? Well
ladies, if likemillionsofyoursistersyou’vestillgot
apassion forawell-shapedheel, youmusthavea
look inObsessionShoes–althougha lookwill
surelynotbeenoughonceyouspy thegems in this
specialtyboutique. Getyour toes intobrandssuch
asBrazil’sBrazilioandcultU.S.brand,MizMooz.
Customerservice isamajor focus,with theadded
bonusofafittingroomsoyoucanbring inoutfits
toseehowyourpurchases look from top to toe.
Andwhocan forget thedelightof ‘licking the
spoonandbowl’ atbaking time. Well, avisit to
Gemütlich (specialising inkitchenandhomeware
products)will take thosememories toawholenew
level. Even thenameGemütlich–aGermanword
roughly translatedas ‘cosy,pleasantand familiar’ –
carriesall thepromiseofSundayroasts,homemade
ice-creamand icingcoveredcakes. With
Gemütlichmore likeadesigngallery thanashop
–checkoutgemssuchasFutagami castbrass
trivets, glasswareandgrinders fromDanishbrand,
Menu, andstylish iittala tableware fromFinland–
owners JimandDianaofferarangeofelegantand
functionalproducts tocreateyourownunique
styleofgemütlich.
Perhapsyou’d like toput theshoppingonholdand
bepampered? IpswichMassage&HerbalSpa
providesablissful combinationofmodernscience
andancienthealingmethods. Withsoothing
scentsgreetingyouonarrival, you’llbeguaranteed
tohaveanystressesmeltedaway.
ThenewestTopofTowndrawcard,PumpyardBar
andBrewery, is in the formerQueenVictoriaSilver
JubileeMemorialTechnicalCollegewhichopened
in 1901. Thebrainchildof JamesLongandWade
Curtis,whowanted tocreatea localbrewery for the
established4HeartsBrewingbrand,Pumpyard
takes itsname frombeing in thearea thatwas the
firstwatersource for Ipswich. Here in the funky
industrialdécoryoucanhaveyourchoiceof ten
tapsofcraftbeer, themajorityproducedonsite.
There’salsoanoutdoorareawithashadedgarden
toenjoyacoldone, somedelicious, locallysourced
foodandoccasionally liveacousticmusic.
StrollingbackupBrisbaneStreet, youcan’thelp
noticing thecharmof theoriginal shop façadesand
heritagebuildings, including theOldFlourMill
building. A fewdoorsaway isStumpsRestaurant
andBaron thesite thatwasonce theShamrock
Hotelwhichburned to theground in 1885. In its
place isa 1916-builtgracefulbuilding thathouses
thestylishrestaurant insideandacasualdining
deckoutbackwithviews to thegrandStMary’s
CatholicChurch. The tapasmenuatStumps isa
populardrawcard.
Withall theseandmoreonoffer, it’sdefinitely
worthputtingTopofTownonyour listof top
places tovisit in Ipswich.
RUMMAGE THROUGHOLD
DRESSMAKING PATTERNS,
MEMORABILIA, PRELOVED
FASHION ANDBRIC-A-BRAC–
JUST LIKE YOUREMEMBER
AT GRANDMA’S PLACE.
IpswichMassage&Herbal Spa
Funkygiftwareandantiques
Ellen’sPlace
