New tourism push to make Ipswich nation’s ADRENALINE CAPITAL

Queensland Times

Ipswich will sell itself as the adrenaline capital of Australia through an ambitious new tourism campaign unlike anything the region has experienced before.

The Ipswich and visitors Tourism Association (IVTA) has spent the past 18 months working on a campaign titled High Adrenaline, which involves the collaboration of more than 30 businesses, hotels and restaurants.

Mike Jarvis, from Pterodactyl Helicopters, has steered the campaign and said although few people knew it, Ipswich was Australia’s epicenter for adventure themed activities.

Mr Jarvis said Ipswich would become the equivalent of New Zealand’s Queenstown, just without the snow.

“Ipswich will be the adrenaline capital of Australia,” Mr Jarvis said.

The campaign is backed by the Ipswich City Council tourism department.

It will sell the idea of adventure weekends that take tourists on up to six unique adrenaline activities over two days, with the daredevils flown to each via helicopter.

The campaign will launch in two months will be advertised Australia-wide focusing on the corporate market.

The adrenalin activities include drag racing and driving a V8 Supercar at Willowbank, dog fighting in a WWII aircraft, quad biking, skydiving, paintball combat and hovercraft power boating.

“There is nowhere else in the country where you drive at incredible speed around a V8 track in the morning, skydive at lunchtime and race through a river on a hovercraft in the afternoon,” Mr Jarvis said.

Greg Bennie, manager of Brisbane Skydivers, said he was certain the new tourism campaign would work.

“Ipswich does have more to offer than anywhere else in terms of adventure activities in the one area,” he said.

“Having the Willowbank Raceway here gives Ipswich a great advantage over other places in Australia.”

Mr Jarvis said the drag racing component had not been offered before in this country and would see thrill seekers complete a quarter mile in a drag racing machine in just a few seconds.

“Imagine the potential for corporate bonding days or conferences,” Mr Jarvis said.

“Let’s get the big boys to Ipswich and show them what we can do.”

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