ATTRACTIONS ESK QLD

Nestled beneath the magnificent Glen Rock, Esk is a beautifully kept town with a range of cafes, gift and antique stores and sites to explore. As you drive into Esk, leave your cares and worries behind you. Your first stop is the Esk Visitor Information Centre on Ipswich Street where you can get travel tips from the locals. Drop in and see the friendly team of volunteers who are always happy to share their local knowledge with visiting tourists. Whilst you are there be sure to visit the Glen Rock Gallery and see the latest exhibition of local artwork. After driving up the steep incline of Highland Street, you will arrive at Lakeview Park Lookout. There you will see stunning views which stretch across to Wivenhoe Dam and beyond. With shaded picnic tables and breathtaking views, Lakeview Park Lookout is a prime spot for a picnic lunch. Back on the main street, take a stroll and discover the many unique gift and antique stores. There are a number of locally owned cafes and restaurants that offer real country hospitality and delicious meals. For those who enjoy getting active in the outdoors, the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail is a must visit. Explore the disused rail corridor which connects Esk to the towns of Coominya and Toogoolawah. The old Esk Railway Station was built in 1886 and today it's a popular meeting spot for groups using the trail, as well as history buffs who like to reminisce the days when the old steam trains used to pull into the station. Just outside of Esk, many adventures await at Ottaba Llamas where you can do a guided tour with a llama along the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail and see many other friendly farm animals. The Ostrich and Fish Farm also has an array of farm animals and visitors can enjoy a slice of farm life as they wander through the 100 acre property just outside of Esk. Esk is the gateway to all the hidden delights of the Somerset region such as Lake Wivenhoe and Lake Somerset....

Skip the skyscrapers and escape the traffic. Find calm in the chaos and experience Somerset. With expansive skies, crystal lakes and spectacular country landscapes, Somerset will have you spellbound in seconds. Experience Somerset: Somerset hosts a range of caravanning and camping options from lakeside and bush retreats to village life. Cyclists, walkers, runners and horse riders can enjoy their favourite pastime along Australia’s longest recreational rail trail, the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail. Bring your fishing gear and drop a line at some of the most picturesque lakes in Queensland. Take in the region’s wine and country pub trails and good old-fashioned country hospitality at local cafes. Reinvigorate your artistic side through the Art Gallery Trail with a visit to Somerset Regional Art Gallery – The Condensery in Toogoolawah Keep an eye out for the elusive Kilcoy Yowie and Red Deer. To experience Somerset to the fullest, drop into one of their accredited visitor information centres at Esk, Fernvale, Kilcoy or Toogoolawah to chat to a local and pick up a copy of the Somerset visitor guide....

An opulent bronze, marble and sandstone cenotaph has stood in Esk since 1921, even though it took another 58 years for the surrounding park to be proclaimed as a memorial reserve. The foundation stone was laid in December 1920 by Colonel Graham Butler, the original medical officer who landed with the Queensland 9th Battalion at Gallipoli. The Esk Patriotic Committee had started fundraising in 1916. They needed £885, a high price for a community paying a high human cost. Of the 545 men from the Esk district who enlisted, 83 died. All the names are captured on this monument. Fixed bronze plates on the base bear the names of the dead. The others' names appear on huge bronze plates fixed to recessed marble panels. Designed by Georg Brockwell Gill of Ipswich, the stonework was executed by masons Frank Williams & Co. Art metalwork was supplied by Wunderlich Ltd of Sydney. The memorial park, proclaimed in 1979, was extended four years later. It now includes a stone memorial to Captain Patrick Logan, commandant of the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement who was murdered while exploring the Brisbane Valley in 1830, and plaques honouring those who died in WWII and post-1945 conflicts. ...