Ipswich, Queensland,Australia - part 1
- Luke Pantelidou
- May 19
- 54 min read
Updated: May 22
The oldest provincial city in Queensland, Ipswich is situated at 27° 37’ S 152° 46’ E on the Bremer River, approximately 25 miles west of Brisbane. The city covers an area of 420.9 sq miles (1090 sq km). Population:- The population as at August 2016 was 193,733.*
*In January 2017, the population reached 200,000
How to get there:-
By road: From Brisbane & the east take the Ipswich Motorway. From the west use the Warrego Highway (Highway 54). From the south take the Cunningham Highway (Highway 15), & from the north, the Brisbane Valley Highway (Highway 17). From the Gold Coast & the south east take the Logan Motorway.
By rail: Queensland Rail’s Citytrain network runs regular services on the Ipswich & Rosewood Line to & from Brisbane, with connections to the Gold Coast & Sunshine Coast.
Brisbane International & Domestic airports are approximately one hour’s drive from Ipswich.
Time Zone: Australian Eastern Standard Time (GMT +10 hrs). No daylight saving time in summer.
Order of contents on this page: (Click on the links below)
History:
Buildings:
Parks/Nature Reserves:
Transport:
Sport:
People:
Events:
Sister Cities:
Geography:
Ipswich Basin, West Ipswich Fault, Ipswich Coal Measures & Ipswich Microflora
Pre-European Settlement
Prior to European colonisation, the area around what was to become Ipswich was inhabited by three tribal groups of Aboriginal people. To the North & North East of present day Ipswich were the Yuggerapul (or Ugarapul people), a subdivision of the Yuggera or Jagera tribe, whose territory stretched east in the direction of Oxley & northwards as far as Esk. In the Yuggera language, the area around Ipswich was known as Tulmur or Doolmoor. Another group, the Cateebil extended westward towards Gatton & Grantham. To the south the Yugumbir tribe, a subdivision of the Bundjalung people, were prevalent in the region of the Logan & Albert Rivers. None of these tribal areas were particularly well defined, however, & much overlapping of territories appears to have taken place.
Early Settlement & Derivation of Name
The area was first explored in 1826 by Captain Patrick Logan, who was commandant at Moreton Bay Penal Colony. A convict camp consisting of the superintendent’s house and a blockhouse for the convicts was established the following year to mine the limestone that had been discovered in the vicinity. This penal outpost was referred to as “Limestone Station”.
In 1839 the penal colony was closed and in 1842 the area was surveyed and opened up for settlement under the provisional name of “Limestone”. In February 1843 it was renamed Ipswich. It seems that the origi nal suggestion for the name came from Capt. Harry Rous, when he visited the area in his ship Rainbow in 1832. Rous was from Stradbroke in Suffolk, England & he had said that the countryside in the vicinity reminded him of Ipswich in his homeland. The name appealed to the Governor of New South Wales, Sir George Gipps, who realised that the Old English spelling of Ipswich, Gipeswic or Gippeswic, had similarities to his own name.
With the growth of the coal & wool industries, Ipswich soon became an important river port. A paddle steamer service to Brisbane began in 1846 & remained the most important form of transport until the Brisbane to Ipswich railway was completed in 1875.
On 3rd March 1860, with the population at about 3,000, Ipswich gained municipal status. In 1904 Ipswich had city status conferred on it by the Government of Queensland.
Ipswich City Crest & Arms
The City of Ipswich Crest & Arms was designed in 1861 by the Rev. Lacey H Rumsey, who was rector of St.Paul’s Church.
The crown at the top sits upon a rose, a thistle & a shamrock; representing England, Scotland & Ireland. Beneath this, a shield is divided into four quarters by a red cross, each arm of which contains a star, thought to symbolise the Southern Cross.
The upper left quarter of the shield depicts a golden fleece, which signifies the importance of the wool trade in Ipswich’s early days. The upper right quarter represents the mining industry, as it shows a pick, shovel & coal basket. The bottom left shows a plough in a field of wheat, smoking factory chimneys & a church, denoting industry, agriculture & religion. The bottom right segment has an illustration of a paddle steamer, highlighting the importance of river travel to the early Ipswich.
To the left of the shield is shown a sheaf of wheat, whilst the right hand side has some flowering cotton; both important crops in Ipswich’s early days.
At the bottom, a ribbon atop a grapevine bears the motto ‘Confide Recte Agens’, which translates as ‘Be Confident In Doing Right’. The grapevine symbolises the vineyards that were found around Ipswich at the time.
Ipswich Volunteer Corps
The Ipswich Troop of the Queensland Mounted Rifles and The First, or Ipswich, Company of the Queensland Rifle Brigade (otherwise referred to as the Cavalry and Infantry respectively) have the distinction of being the first two volunteer corps in Queensland. Formed in May 1860 with a combined force of around 50 men, the two units were assembled in response to Governor in Chief and Vice-Admiral of the Colony of Queensland, Sir George Bowen’s efforts to form a volunteer defence force for the newly formed colony, as he felt that the two principal settlements at the time, Brisbane & Ipswich, were defenceless & open to attack.
On 23rd May 1860, the Governor accepted the services of The Ipswich Troop of the Queensland Mounted Rifles, with Arthur Delves Broughton being appointed as the first captain; & The First, or Ipswich, Company of the Queensland Rifle Brigade, under the captaincy of Waterloo veteran Lieutenant-Colonel Charles George Gray. Gray had been Police Magistrate in Ipswich, as well as accepting the invitation to become Parliamentary Librarian and Usher of the Black Rod in the first Queensland Parliament in 1859.
To be eligible to join, the Volunteers had to be British subjects over the age of 16, who had to sign a declaration that they would serve for twelve months. Soon after the formation of the Ipswich troops, Brisbane followed suit by establishing their own volunteer corps of The Queensland Mounted Rifles & a company of riflemen to serve as infantry.
The Volunteer movement in Queensland experienced a rapid decline after 1863, and defence was left to regular British Army regiments stationed at Brisbane. After the Brisbane troop was disbanded in 1863, the Ipswich Troop of the Queensland Mounted Rifles were renamed the Queensland Light Horse. They were disbanded, however, in 1866 due to a decline in volunteers.
The arrival of the 50th Regiment of the British Army (the Queen’s Own Regiment of Foot), stationed at Brisbane from 1866 to 1869, boosted the morale of the remaining Volunteers, and led to a revival of the Queensland Volunteer Artillery and the Queensland Volunteer Rifles. It seems that the 1st, or Ipswich, Company of the Queensland Rifle Brigade were still in existence during this period, since the Brisbane Courier mentions the 50th Regiment drilling both the Brisbane and Ipswich Volunteer companies of Rifles in January 1868.
Although the Colony ran out of funds to finance the equipment for the volunteer forces, the various units managed to keep going and by 1875 a series of annual encampments for training had been inaugurated. Nevertheless, there was a concern regarding the Colony’s defence, and in response to the build up of German and French forces in the Pacific, the British government sent out Sir William Jervois in 1877 to review the colonial defences. As a consequence, the 1st Regiment of Queensland Infantry was formed in 1879, when the Volunteer Infantry Companies amalgamated into one body as the Queensland Defence Force. The individual companies retained their autonomy until 24 February 1885 when a major re-organisation took place following the Queensland Defence Act of 1884. This introduced a partially paid, permanent militia force, with the part-time Volunteer element downgraded to rifle club status, unless called-up for active service. This was effectively the end of the separate “Ipswich Company”.
In 1885 a wave of patriotism swept Australia following the unsuccessful intervention and death of General Gordon in the Sudan. This wave of patriotism resulted in the revival of the mounted infantry, and in 1885 the Moreton Mounted Infantry was established. On 27th October 1890 the Ipswich Mounted Infantry Corps of 30 men was formed under Capt. Pollet Cardew. Two other mounted infantry corps were also raised elsewhere in Queensland. In 1892 it became too expensive for the Colony to maintain four separate mounted units, and they were all merged with the original Moreton Mounted Infantry. This was renamed the Queensland Mounted Infantry in 1897.
Apart from subduing a group of unemployed rioters in Brisbane in September 1866, the only active service that the Volunteers saw came during the Shearer's Strike, which was started in January 1891 by sheep shearers at Logan Downs Station & quickly spread through Queeensland. Colonel George French, the commandant of the Queensland Defence Force, called out the Volunteers for active service when the Queensland Government proclaimed a state of emergency. The Ipswich troops were used to protect non-union labourers & arrest strike leaders.
Ipswich Battery of the Queensland Volunteer Artillery: In 1862 the Queensland Government submitted a request to London for the provision of a light field battery of four 6 pounder smooth bore muzzle-loading field guns, and on 12 March 1864 it was announced that an Ipswich Battery of the Queensland Volunteer Artillery was being formed. The guns arrived from Britain in 1866 and the Ipswich Battery came into effect. From 1880 to 1884 it was renamed the No. 2 Battery (Ipswich) of the Queensland Volunteer Artillery. In 1885 the No. 2 Battery was moved to Fort Lytton at the mouth of the Brisbane River, hence the name Ipswich was dropped. In 1886 it was disbanded as a volunteer unit, and absorbed into the regular Queensland Artillery.
First Television Broadcast in the Southern Hemisphere?
The popular belief is that the first television broadcast in Australia was made by Bruce Gyngell on TCN Channel 9 in Sydney in September 1956. Although this may have been the first commercial broadcast, it is maintained by some sources that the first ever television pictures successfully transmitted in Australia - & indeed the Southern Hemisphere - were part of an amateur experiment beamed to a house in North Ipswich on 10th April 1934. There are other sources, however, that dispute this claim, contending that the first Australian TV transmissions were those broadcast by Gil Miles and Donald Macdonald in Melbourne on 10th January 1929, more than five years before those involving Ipswich. Even if this is the case, however, Ipswich’s claim would still be that it took part in the first television broadcast in Queensland.
The broadcast, which featured a black & white picture of the American actress Janet Gaynor (1906-1984), was transmitted from an experimental laboratory at the Old Windmill Observatory in Wickham Terrace, Brisbane & was received at a house in Ipswich, a distance of some 25 miles, by Tom Biddle, an electronics lecturer at Brisbane Polytechnic. The exact location of the house is not recorded, although it is usually described as a “small cottage”, & would undoubtedly have been on high ground. The group responsible for the experiment was headed by Thomas Elliott, a pioneer of both radio & television, who built the transmitter for this historic broadcast using materials which included cotton reels & parts from a Meccano set.
The experiments continued until the outbreak of the Second World War, when the broadcasters’ licences were withdrawn by the government.
The Ipswich Floods (1893, 1974, 2011)
The Bremer River catchment covers an area of approximately 1,800 sq km (695 sq miles). Heavy rainfall in the Macpherson Range, where both the Bremer & its major tributary Warrill Creek rise, can cause major flood problems in the Ipswich area. The city is also in danger of backwater flooding from the Brisbane River, as well as local flooding from the Bundamba and Woogaroo Creeks.
Records of flooding in the Ipswich area date back to the nineteenth century, with the first major incident being recorded in 1893. In February of that year, the Brisbane River broke its banks on three separate occasions, leading to the month becoming known as “Black February”. In Ipswich, seven people were killed in John Wright’s Eclipse Colliery in North Ipswich, when the Bremer River burst its banks on 4th February & the mine flooded. This was caused by the first of three tropical cyclones to hit the area; the others occurring on 11th & 19th.
As a result of the flooding, Somerset Dam was built on the Stanley River (a tributary of the Brisbane), which created the artificial Lake Somerset, around 70 km (43 miles) north of Ipswich. Named after local landowner Henry Plantagenet Somerset (1852–1936), who first suggested the need for the dam, construction was not started until 1933, & was completed in 1953. Lake Somerset’s function is not limited to flood defence, but also provides water for the Ipswich & Brisbane areas, as well as hydro electric power. It is also popular for boating & fishing, with two camp sites situated on its banks.
The worst flood of the twentieth century occurred in January 1974. This was a result of the Brisbane River flooding after heavy rainfall caused by “Cyclone Wanda”, which combined with a trough during the peak of the La Niña event of 1973; an ocean-atmospheric phenomenon during which the sea surface temperature across the equatorial Eastern Central Pacific Ocean falls to a lower level than normal by 3-5 °C. This causes wetter conditions across eastern Australia. The cyclone crossed the Queensland coast around 150 km (93 miles) north of Brisbane, & triggered intensive rain, with more than 600 mm (24 inches) being recorded in the Brisbane & Ipswich areas over a three day period commencing 25th January. On Sunday 27th, the Brisbane River broke its banks. It is estimated that around 8,500 homes were inundated, 1,800 of these being in Ipswich. The Ipswich suburbs worst affected were those along the Bremer River, such as Amberley, Basin Pocket, Bundamba, Churchill, East Ipswich, One Mile, Raceview, Ripley, Sadliers Crossing, Swanbank & Tivoli.
During late December 2010 & January 2011, Queensland experienced severe flooding, with three quarters of the state being declared a disaster zone. At least 70 towns were affected, including Ipswich & Brisbane. The floods were caused by similar weather patterns to those witnessed in 1973/4, with “Cyclone Tasha” combining with the strongest La Niña since that time. Areas affected included the basins of the Fitzroy, Burnett, Mary & Condamine/Balonne rivers, as well as the Lockyer Valley & the Brisbane & Bremer catchment areas. In Ipswich, the water levels steadily rose over several days of heavy rain, until on 12th January the Bremer reached a height of 19.4 metres (64 ft) & the Central Business District was flooded, with more than 3,000 homes having to be abandoned & thousands of people taking refuge in evacuation shelters. At one point, a third of the city was reported as being underwater, with the worst affected areas being the suburbs of Goodna and Gailes.
Around 30 km (19 miles) to the northwest of Ipswich, the Wivenhoe Dam on the Brisbane River recorded water levels equivalent to 191% of its supply capacity. The dam, built between 1977 & 1985, created the artificial Lake Wivenhoe. Without the dam, the devastation in early 2011 would have been much greater.
Like Lake Somerset, Lake Wivenhoe is also a water & hydro electric supplier for the region, as well as a popular fishing, boating & camping destination.
Appeals for relief aid went out across Australia & around the world, with the Flood Relief Appeal: Australia Unites telethon, broadcast by the Nine Network, raising A$10 million. In Ipswich, England the “Ipswich United” appeal was launched jointly by the local Evening Star newspaper & the Ipswich Building Society.
Recognition by the Intelligent Community Forum
Ipswich, Queensland has been recognised as one of the top 7 Intelligent Communities of 2015 worldwide, by the New York based think-tank The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), It is the first Australian city to have achieved this, having previously been listed in the top 21 in 2011 and 2012.
According to the ICF:
“Intelligent Communities are those which have – whether through crisis or foresight – come to understand the enormous challenges of the Broadband Economy, and have taken conscious steps to create an economy capable of prospering in it. They are not necessarily big cities or famous technology hubs. They are located in developing nations as well as industrialized ones, suburbs as well as cities, the hinterland as well as the coast.”
The evaluation for nominations is based on five Intelligent Community Indicators; broadband connectivity; knowledge workforce; innovation; digital inclusion; marketing and advocacy.
In 2011, Ipswich published a 20-year economic development plan, responding to the challenges of the 21st century. This has resulted in the city being recognised for the way it has planned for the future in the areas of the economy and technology, providing solutions to the challenges faced by the world’s cities, ranging from economic growth to the environment, and for embracing the opportunities brought about by high speed internet.
Having been named as one of the Smart21 Intelligent Communities for the third time in 2015, Ipswich has now made the top 7 for the first time.
The seven nominations for 2015 are:
Arlington County, Virginia,
Columbus, Ohio
Ipswich, Queensland
Mitchell, South Dakota
New Taipei City
Rio de Janeiro
Surrey, British Columbia
Each year the ICF names the Intelligent Community of the Year at its annual ‘Building the Broadband Economy’ summit in New York City. The winner of the 2015 Intelligent Community of the Year was revealed on 11th June 2015, with Columbus, Ohio, USA coming out on top.
The Intelligent Community of the Year award was first awarded in 1999, with Singapore being named as the first winner. Other previous winners of this prestigious award include: Toronto (2014), Stockholm (2009), Glasgow (2004) and New York (2001).
Top of Town
The Top of Town is the name given to an area of Brisbane Street between Ellenborough Street & Waghorn Street in the Central Business District of Ipswich. It roughly follows the route of the original bullock team trail that ran between Ipswich & the Darling Downs.
The area experienced a boom period in the early 1900s, with many shops & businesses springing up to reflect the prosperity that accompanied Ipswich’s elevation to city status in 1904. Although the area eventually became run down, a programme of revitalisation was set in motion during the early 1990s; with new pavements, traffic calming measures & roadside tree planting. Many of the shops in the area took this as their cue to renovate & restore the historic shop fronts. For this reason, the district retains an historic feel to it.
Some of the historic buildings in the Top of Town include:-
Bostock Chambers: Designed by local architect George Brockwell Gill & built in 1914-15, the chambers were built for E Bostock & Sons; a firm of surveyors & estate agents.
The Flour Mill: This was built in 1902 for the Ipswich Milling Company, which was owned by local politician Francis Kates. The mill was also designed by George Brockwell Gill. The building came into the hands of the Johnson family in 1935, firstly as a garage & motor showroom, but later as the home of radio station 4IP, established by William Johnson. This began broadcasting in September 1935.
Goleby’s Building: This building was completed in 1906, the same year its owner, Frederick Goleby (born in Suffolk, England), was elected mayor of Ipswich. The building was originally occupied by F Goleby & Sons for their saddle & harness making business.
The Lyric Theatre: Opened in 1913, the Lyric Theatre showed silent movies until 1925, when it became a car showroom.
State Government Offices: Built around 1915, these buildings once housed the Ipswich branch of the State Butchers Shops & the State Government Insurance Office; both of which were established by the Labour government of Thomas Joseph Ryan, who was Premier of Queensland from 1915 to 1919.
Big Whites: Established by John Charles White in 1919 as a furniture & carpet shop, the business moved premises from one side of the street to the other in 1922. It is still owned by the White family today.
Queensland Times Buildings: The former offices of the Queensland Times were designed by architects Samuel Shenton & George Brockwell Gill. The Queensland Times was first printed in 1861; its forerunner The Ipswich Herald having appeared two years earlier, in the same year that Queensland was created. The paper moved its operations to the corner of Brisbane & Ellenborough streets in 1874 & the new offices were built in 1888.
Central Baptist Church: Built in a simple Gothic style in 1876, with a 1938 facade designed by George Brockwell Gill, this is the oldest Baptist church in Queensland. An elaborate pavilion with ornate columns was added in 1954. The Baptists relocated & sold the church off in 2005.
Old Town Hall
Situated on Brisbane Street, the two storey Town Hall was built in 1861 on the site of an old court house. Originally known as the Mechanics School of Arts, the building included a library & meeting rooms & was used for community events.
In 1864 the elaborately decorated front section was added & two years later Ipswich Municipal Council obtained the building, as the School of Arts was experiencing financial difficulties. In 1878 the clock tower was added, which originally housed a clock that had been presented as a memorial to Governor Blackall, who died in 1871. The clock was initially intended to be lit at night, however heat from the gas flame affected the workings of the clock & this idea was soon abandoned. The building was used as Ipswich Town Hall for more than one hundred years until the new Civic Centre & Council Administration Buildings were constructed in the 1970’s & 80’s.Although there had been a post office next to the Town Hall since 1862, the current Post Office building was opened in 1901; complete with its own cupola surmounted clock tower. This eventually made the Town Hall clock redundant & it was moved to the Council Chambers at Sandgate in 1912.
In 1879 the Bank of Australasia built its banking chambers & manager’s residence next to the Town Hall on the site of an old church. The building was used as a bank until 1970 & has since been renovated for offices. The Town Hall, Post Office & Bank of Australasia are collectively known as the Civic Buildings or Civic Group.
RSL Memorial Hall & Ipswich Technical College
Standing on Nicholas Street, the Returned Soldiers League Memorial Hall was opened in 1921 as a memorial to the men of Ipswich who fought in the First World War. It was designed by local architect George Brockwell Gill, who also designed the nearby Ipswich Technical College in a similar style. Although Ipswich Technical College was founded in 1891, the present building opened in 1901 to commemorate the diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. It is situated on the corner of Ellenborough Street & Limestone Street.
Incinerator Theatre (Walter Burley Griffin Incinerator)
Situated in Queens Park, the incinerator was built in 1936, with a second chimney added in 1940. It was designed by Walter Burley Griffin, the architect responsible for designing Australia’s capital city, Canberra. With Eric Nichols, he formed the Reverbatory Incinerator & Engineering Company, which specialised in building municipal incinerators.
Ipswich Incinerator is the only surviving building in Queensland designed by Burley Griffin.
The incinerator’s original purpose was to dispose of the city’s rubbish. However, with an ever growing population, eventually the incinerator was unable to cope with the workload & alternative methods of disposal had to be found.
Although due for demolition in 1965, a campaign to preserve the building was successful & in 1969 it was turned into a theatre. It is now leased by Ipswich City Council & run by Ipswich Little Theatre; an organisation founded in 1946.
Claremont
Built around 1856-8 by John Panton, using sandstone blocks probably taken from the Woogaroo quarries at Goodna, Claremont is a single storey u-shaped house built to Panton’s own design but supervised by architect William Wakeling.
Born in Scotland, Panton was a merchant and member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, who moved to Ipswich in 1851. During the American Civil War, with the cessation of cotton growing in the southern states of America, he formed a cotton company in Ipswich to supply the mills in England. However, with the end of the war, Panton’s company failed & he was forced to sell Claremont in 1863 to George Thorn (see separate section, below) who is known as ‘the Father of Ipswich’.
In 1975, Claremont was bought by the National Trust of Queensland, who renovated & restored the house, before opening it to the public. It has now, however, been sold & is once more used as a private home. It is situated on Milford Street & is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Ipswich.
Belmont
Located on Burnett Street opposite the Grammar School, Belmont was built around 1865 by William Welsby. It was bought in 1885 by former mayor of Ipswich Josiah Francis, who was also a member of the first Queensland Parliament. The house became known as Belmont sometime after 1901; named after the battle of Belmont in the Boer War by the owner at that time, Frederick William Johnson. Belmont was also owned for some time by the poet Tom Shapcott (see separate section, below) who purchased it in 1969. It has appeared in his writing on several occasions.
Gooloowan
Built in 1864, Gooloowan stands on Quarry Street, Denmark Hill. The name Gooloowan is aboriginal & means ‘House on the Hill’. It was built for English born business man Benjamin Cribb, who also represented Moreton Bay in the New South Wales Parliament &, after separation, was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly. The house contains 23 rooms & retains many of its original features. It is privately owned but can be viewed by appointment.
Rockton
Built in 1855, Rockton is a contender for the oldest surviving building in Ipswich. Situated on Rockton Street, the oldest section of the house was built by William Craies, who had acquired the land in 1854. Initially a three room cottage with separate kitchen, an extension was built in 1856 & the grounds formally laid out with lawns, vineyards & a vegetable garden. The Craies family sold Rockton in 1862 & the house changed hands several times before being bought by the Bullmore family in 1882. They added a second storey & a ballroom. In the 1890s the tower was built. By 1918 the house had become run down & was acquired by architect Martin William Haenke. He renovated the property & due to his work the house now has a 1920s feel to it. Haenke would soon become a leading figure in the coal mining industry around Ipswich.
The house today is still a private residence.
Booval House
Located in the suburb of Booval, on Cothill Road, Booval House is a colonial Georgian mansion built by William Hancock in the late 1850s for Ipswich’s Bank of Australasia manager George Faircloth as a farmhouse on a 125-hectare estate. It is the oldest two-storey house in Ipswich. Queensland’s first Governor, Sir George Ferguson Bowen is known to have stopped here in 1859, on his first visit to Ipswich. In 1921 the house was purchased by the Catholic Church, & in 1931 it became St Gabriel’s Convent, at which time it was fully renovated. A chapel was built in 1969. The house was fully restored in 1998 & is now a private residence, but can be hired for weddings & other functions.
In 2000, Booval House received the Ipswich City Council Awards for Excellence, Ron Brown Memorial for Heritage Conservation, & in 2002 was awarded the National Trust of Queensland John Herbert Gold Award for Excellence in Heritage Conservation.
The Old Court House
Situated on East Street, the Old Court House was designed by Charles Tiffin, who later became the first Queensland Colonial Architect. Built by William Trotter from sandstone believed to have come from the Woogaroo quarries at Goodna, it was completed in 1859. The building remained the main courthouse building for the Ipswich region until 1982 & is now run as a cultural community centre owned by Old Court House Ipswich Cultural Association.
Ginn Cottage
This former residence located on the corner of Ginn Street and Meredith Lane in Central Ipswich near The Old Courthouse, and now known to us as Ginn Cottage, is the earliest surviving brick cottage, dating from around 1859/60, although the precise date of its construction is not known. William Ginn (d. 1897), a tutor by profession, arrived in the area from Ireland in 1858 and bought the land from the government in November 1858.
It is known that the cottage was in existence by 1860 as local rates were being paid. Ginn became a produce merchant and was conspicuous in the early days of Ipswich. It is a simple brick building which closely followed the style of other Victorian era residences. The original shingle roof has been replaced by a corrugated iron pyramid roof. It has a separate bull-nosed roofing over its front verandah. The dormer windows, fitted to two attic rooms which are accessed by a central staircase, and the placement of the chimneys are typical of the late Georgian symmetrical design of this period. Ginn Cottage, in acknowledgement of its historic importance, is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. The photograph on the right shows Ginn Cottage around the late 1870s, when the house was still largely in its original state. (Courtesy of Brian Randall – Queensland Places Coordinator, State Library of Queensland)
St Paul's Church - Link with Ipswich, England
St Paul’s Church on Brisbane Street was opened in 1859 & is the oldest Anglican church in Queensland. The church contains two windows featuring leaded stained glass medallions dating from the 17th century & presented to St Paul’s by St Margaret’s Church of England, Ipswich, England. The medallions represent St Mark & St Luke. Originally part of a set of four depicting Matthew, Mark, Luke & John, two were destroyed by bomb damage during World War II. The surviving pair were gifted to St Paul’s as a token of the link between the two churches.
St Paul’s is also home to the first pipe organ in Queensland, installed in 1860 & still in use today. A New Guinea Chapel in the northern corner of the church & a stone cross outside are both dedicated to a church missionary named Mavis Parkinson who was killed by the Japanese during the War.
(Thanks to Andrew Vinyard for the information regarding the link between the two churches & for the photograph; a larger version of which can be found in the Ipswich, Queensland album in the Photo Gallery, as well as a photograph of the plaque between the two windows. See also Historic Churches feature on the Ipswich, England page)
Ipswich Grammar School
Founded in 1863, Ipswich Grammar School was the first secondary school established in Queensland, & was the first of ten grammar schools established under the Grammar Schools Act, passed by Queensland's first parliament in 1860. It is an independent, non-denominational, day and boarding school for boys.
Situated on Grammar School Hill, the school was officially opened in September 1863 by Governor of Queensland Sir George Ferguson Bowen. The original gothic building, now known as the 'Great Hall', is listed by the National Trust of Australia, & today nestles amongst a complex of modern buildings & facilities.
Notable old boys include Sydney Harbour Bridge designer John Bradfield (see below); Australian test cricketers Craig McDermott & Shane Watson; Hollywood film director, screenwriter & producer George Miller; & Sir Harry Gibbs (1917 – 2005), Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia.
Located in central Ipswich, & closely linked with Ipswich Grammar School, is Ipswich Girls’ Grammar School; one of the eight original Queensland Grammar Schools, which opened in March 1892. Notable Alumnae include poet, novelist & journalist Zora Cross (1890 – 1964).
University of Queensland - Ipswich Campus
The Ipswich Campus of the University of Queensland was established in 1999, after the need for a new campus for the university had first been mooted in 1994.
The site chosen for the campus was on a hill originally known as Sandy Gallop, as during the nineteenth century a sandy track had been developed around the hill to train race horses. In 1878, the Ipswich branch of the Woogaroo (Goodna) Lunatic Asylum was established on the 139 acre site, which became known as Sandy Gallop, or simply “The Gallop” throughout its existence. After expansion, in 1910 the asylum became an institution in its own right, and was renamed the Ipswich Hospital for the Insane. During the next three decades, further buildings were added until the hospital became almost a small, self contained village with its own farm, dairy & bakery. In 1938 the institution was renamed the Ipswich Mental Hospital, with further name changes taking place in 1964, when it became the Ipswich Special Hospital, before in 1968 it was renamed the Challinor Centre, in honour of Dr Henry Challinor; an Ipswich doctor who had given up his private practice to become the second superintendent of Woogaroo Lunatic Asylum in 1869. After 1968, the complex was modernised, with many of the old buildings being demolished. As the emphasis switched to rehabilitating patients back into the community, the centre gradually wound down, until the last residents moved out in 1998.
Initially, three sites were considered for the new University of Queensland campus; Springfield, Gatton College & the Ipswich Railway Workshops. All three were eventually deemed unsuitable, however, & the Challinor Centre, which in 1996 had been entered in the heritage register, was offered to the university. The campus opened in the following year.
Today Ipswich Campus of the Univer sity of Queensland occupies an area of 62 acres, with the new buildings blending in with the many that remain from the days as a hospital. The campus is positioned on top of a ridge in a large curve to maximise the surrounding views. The campus offers teaching & research programs in arts, education, health science, medicine, nursing & midwifery. The campus library & fitness facilities are available for use to the local community, whilst the site also offers the hire of its facilities for conferences & events. The campus has approximately 5,000 students at any one time.
The campus gardens are home to wild koalas, as well as being one of the few places where the rare Cooneana Olive Notelaea ipsviciensis (see Ipswich as a Scientific Name page) can be found. To the south & west, the campus borders the Sandy Gallop Golf Course.
The University of Queensland was founded in 1909. It is the oldest and largest university in Queensland & the fifth oldest in Australia. The main campus is situated in the Brisbane suburb of St Lucia. Other campuses include Gatton, Herston, & Turbot Street in the Central Business District of Brisbane.
Denmark Hill Conservation Park
Located within walking distance from the centre of Ipswich, Denmark Hill Conservation Park was first established as a reserve in the 1880s & covers 11.5 hectares. The water tower within the park offers 360o panoramic views of the city &, on a clear day, Brisbane can be seen.
In the 1890s many well preserved insect fossils were discovered here, including those of dragonflies, locusts & mantids from the Triassic period, 250-210 million years ago (see Ipswich as a Scientific Name page). In 1964, several three toed dinosaur tracks were discovered at a colliery in nearby Dinmore. These & other fossil exhibits are now on show in the area known as Triassic Park (see also Ipswich Basin, below).
Beneath the park lies a maze of tunnels from the days of coal mining in the early 20th century. Some of the trails within the park follow the old tramways that once served the mines.
Several species of gum tree are found growing naturally in the park & these are home to a small population of koalas.
Ipswich Pteropus Conservation Park & Woodend Nature Centre
Located immediately south of the Bremer River in the suburb of Woodend, is the Ipswich Pteropus Conservation Park, within which is the Woodend Nature Centre.Bats of the genus Pteropus are the largest bats in the world. Adults can have a wingspan up to 1 m (3.3 ft) and can weigh up to 1 kg (2.2 lb). They are commonly known as fruit bats or flying foxes. All species of flying fox only feed on nectar, blossom, pollen and fruit, which is why they are only found in the tropics and subtropics. They do not possess echolocation, using smell and eyesight instead. Australia is home to eight species of flying-fox which are found in the northern and eastern coastal regions of Australia. The flying fox mainly roosts in eucalypt forests, mangroves, and swamps. They form permanent camps and feed on nectar, flowers and fruits of native trees and on cultivated fruit (bananas, paw paws, mangoes, lychees) when native food is sparse.Early in the last century, the flying fox was considered abundant, with numbers estimated in the many millions. In recent years, evidence has been accumulating that the animal is in serious decline in Australia. Flying foxes are exposed to several threats, including loss of foraging and roosting habitat with the depletion of the forest cover in Queensland, and mass die-offs caused by extreme high temperature events. The latter are of increasing concern as present climate models predict significant increases in the intensity, duration, and frequency of such temperature extremes. When present in urban environments, flying foxes are often perceived as a nuisance because cultivated orchard fruits are taken. Because their roosting and foraging habits bring the species into conflict with humans, they suffer from direct killing and harassment and destruction of their roosts. A very high proportion of adult flying fox deaths are caused by entanglement in barbed wire fences or loose, improperly erected fruit tree netting. As a result, the current conservation status of the Pteropus species is not secure and in 1999 the native species of fruit bats were listed as ‘vulnerable to extinction’.In 1994 the Queensland government passed legislation protecting the roosting sites. That year the Ipswich City Council and the Queensland Government funded the purchase of a private property and established the Woodend Nature Centre in an attempt to attract the animals away from residential areas. Ipswich City Council and the Department of Environment and Resource Management have joint responsibility for managing the flying fox habitat, with the aim of keeping the bats out of residential areas.Three of the eight species of flying fox can be found in the Centre. They are the Black Flying Fox (Pteropus alecto), Grey-headed Flying Fox (Pteropus poliocephalus), and the Little Red Flying Fox (Pteropus scapulatus). The Nature Centre has a series of information boards on the viewing deck so viewers can learn a little about flying foxes.
Queens Park
Named after Queen Victoria, Queens Park was the first park to be developed in Queensland. It was first surveyed in 1842 with a view to setting aside 80 acres (32 hectares) as a recreational area. In 1862 it was designed as a pleasure garden and was officially opened in 1864 as the present parkland. It lies just to the south west of central Ipswich. There are many attractions within the park’s 22 hectares including the Nerima Gardens, Ipswich Nature Centre, Lions Lookout & the Cunningham Monument.
The Nerima Gardens (see picture, right) were designed in consultation with the city of Nerima, Japan & were officially opened in 2001 (see Nerima, Japan - Sister City of Ipswich section, below). The gardens aim to be a fusion of Japanese style together with local Queensland flora, including some species that are now endangered. The gardens were expanded in 2004, with an authentic Japanese teahouse being added in 2009.
The Ipswich Nature Centre was founded in 1936 & is home to a wide variety of species of fauna & flora, some it them rare. Amongst others, kangaroos, wombats & emus can be found here.
Lions Lookout was constructed in the 1990s & gives superb views of Ipswich, the mountains beyond & Cunningham’s Gap.
The Cunningham Monument is named after the explorer & biologist Allan Cunningham who visited the area in the 1820s & discovered the Cunningham Gap.
Also within Queens Park is a stand of tall grass trees thought to be several hundred years old & first mentioned by Capt. Patrick Logan in 1827.
In May 2011, a memorial to the second HMAS Ipswich was unveiled in Queens Park. This consists of the ship’s Bofors gun which now stands alongside the existing Royal Australian Navy (RAN) memorial. (see also HMAS Ipswich (FCPB209) section on the Ships Named Ipswich page)
To the south of Queens Park is Limestone Park, which is orientated towards sporting activities, with facilities for football, cricket, cycling, netball & running.
College’s Crossing Recreational Reserve
In Chuwar suburb is the popular park, picnic spot and river crossing on the Brisbane River known as College’s Crossing, with walking trails, lookouts, swimming and fishing. College’s Crossing is named after George Colledge, one of the first settlers who bought land on the north side of the Brisbane River in 1854. The first river crossing in this district was a wooden bridge a few hundred metres downstream of the current bridge. In 1894 this was replaced by a low-level concrete bridge, as seen in the photo to the left, that was known as Colledge’s Crossing until the 1940s, when the current spelling of College’s Crossing came into use (he spelt his surname both ways).Early in the 1920s College’s Crossing became a popular picnic and tourist spot for the residents of Brisbane and Ipswich alike. In 1927 Moreton Shire Council declared 67 acres as a recreation reserve. Over time the park was equipped with barbecues, playground facilities, a cafe, lookouts, boat ramp, bird hide and clean water for drinking.
However, during major floods the road and bridge becomes impassable (see photo, right) . The low-level crossing is considered such an historic feature that when previous structures have been washed away during floods, the new bridge is always restored in the same manner. It was completely destroyed during the 2010-11 floods. The recreation area was inundated and obliterated, and the total bill came to $10.067m. College’s Crossing was re-opened in December 2012 only to be hit again by the January 2013 floods. Tonnes of stinking sludge and other river debris have piled themselves onto new playground equipment and seating, while freshly planted gardens have been washed away. Nevertheless, the intention is to restore this popular venue exactly as it has always been.
Kholo Botanic Gardens
Located to the north of the city on the banks of the Brisbane River, Kholo Botanic Gardens were established in 1988 & offer trails through bushland & sub-tropical rainforest. Two pump wells dating from 1878 can still be seen here, which were the original water source for Ipswich.
Kholo Botanic Gardens contains waterfalls, ponds & trails, & boasts a number of Queensland kari pines at 50m (164 ft) tall & hoop pines at over 60m (197 ft), that were planted by the early settlers to the Ipswich area. The scientific name of the latter is Araucaria Cunninghamii, after the biologist Allen Cunningham (see Queens Park, above). The gardens combine areas of remnant vegetation together with more ornamental native plants, plus a few exotic species.
Flinders-Goolman Conservation Estate
To the south of Ipswich, the 1,900 hectare Flinders-Goolman Conservation Estate is an area of extensive pristine forest & volcanic peaks with views of Mounts Flinders, Goolman & Blain among others. Part of the Greenbank-Karawatha wildlife corridor, the area is an important habitat for over 500 species of plants & many mammals, birds, reptiles & amphibians. As a result, it has been listed on the Register of the National Estate. The estate includes a number of hiking, biking & horse riding trails, together with two picnic areas.
Purga Nature Reserve
Located to the south of Ipswich, the trails are a favourite location with hikers. The reserve boasts the largest area of swamp tea tree forest in the Ipswich area & offers the chance to see koalas in their natural habitat. The name Purga derives from the indigenous word ‘Purpur’, meaning a meeting place.
Haig Street Quarry Bushland Reserve
Just to the north west of the centre of Ipswich, this wildlife reserve was created in 1989 from a former quarry where important fossil flora has been discovered (see Ipswich Basin, below). It now consists of open eucalypt forest, & is a significant element of the wildlife corridor that links the Bremer River to Pine Mountain.
Haig Street Quarry offers spectacular views of the mountains of the Scenic Rim & is a haven for bird life, as well as being noted for its abundance of colourful wildflowers in the springtime. Two species of possum, the squirrel glider & sugar glider, can be found here, as well as koalas & the glossy black cockatoo.
White Rock – Spring Mountain Conservation Estate
To the south east of central Ipswich, the 2,500 hectare White Rock - Spring Mountain Conservation Estate comprises several rocky outcrops within bushland habitat that contains several threatened species of flora & fauna. The estate features several hiking, biking & horse riding trails with varying degrees of difficulty. Some of the higher trails offer spectacular views of the Ipswich & Brisbane regions. The estate also includes the Paperbark Flats Picnic Area.
White rock itself is of high cultural importance to the indigenous Yuggerapul people.
Camira Bora Ring
Bora rings are Aboriginal formations found in south-east Australia. A Bora is the name both to an initiation ceremony of the indigenous people, and to the site on which the initiation is performed. At such a site, boys achieve the status of men. The appearance of the site varies from one culture to another, but it is often associated with stone arrangements, rock engravings, or other art works. Women are generally prohibited from entering a Bora. The name is said to come from the belt worn by initiated men.Bora rings comprise circles of foot-hardened earth surrounded by raised embankments or stones. They were generally constructed in pairs, although some sites have three, with a bigger circle about 22 metres in diameter and a smaller one of about 14 metres. The rings are joined by sacred walkways. The boys would start the ceremony in the larger circle and end it in the smaller one, to which only initiated men were admitted.Three bora rings, sacred to the Ugarapul tribe of the Ipswich region, are found on council-owned bushland near Sandy Creek at Camira on the south side of Kertes Road, at its eastern end. The Federal Government’s Indigenous Heritage programme has helped to restore this Aboriginal site and allows viewing access to the public. There is an explanatory sign covering the significance of the site, a protective fence and gated access for the three local tribal people, the Jagera, Yuggera and Ugarapul so that they can commemorate and continue their heritage.
Railways
The first railway in Queensland was the Bigges Camp (now Grandchester) to Ipswich line, which opened in July 1865. It was the first narrow gauge mainline railway in the world. In 1875, the line from Ipswich was extended northwards to Brisbane. This line still forms the basis of rail travel through Ipswich to this day.
Today the southern section from Ipswich Central Station is known as the Rosewood Line, where the line now terminates. The northern section is the Ipswich Line, which leaves the city of Ipswich near Gailes & enters Brisbane before terminating at Bowen Hills Station. The two lines, which have now been electrified, are often collectively referred to as the Ipswich & Rosewood Line; the total length of which is around 35 ½ miles (57 km). A short branch line specifically for coal freight was opened from Thagoona near Rosewood to Ebenezer in 1990.
Although the Queensland Rail’s Citytrain services no longer run to Grandchester (the terminus now being at Rosewood), the line westward still serves Traveltrain’s ‘Westlander’ service, which runs twice weekly from Brisbane through Ipswich to the the outback town of Charleville. Grandchester Station (see photo, right), built in 1865, is the oldest surviving station in Queensland & is now listed by the National Trust.
1882 saw the commencement of the construction of a branch line from a point to the west of Ipswich Station, that would eventually run approximately 31 miles (50km) southwards to Dugandan, which is now part of the town of Boonah in the Fassifern Valley. Completed in 1887, this became known as the Dugandan Railway Line (sometimes known as the Fassifern Railway), which is generally considered to be the first branch railway line in Queeensland. The line closed in June 1964.
Started in 1884, the Brisbane Valley Railway was opened in stages & finally completed in 1913. Starting at Ipswich, the line reached Lowood in 1884, Esk in 1886, Toogoolawah & Yimbun in 1904, Linville in 1910 & finally Yarraman in 1913. Passenger services operated until 1967, with the line closing in stages for freight transport between 1988 & 1993.
A branch line from Rosewood to Marburg was in operation from 1912; closing in stages between 1964 & 1995.
A more recent addition to the railway network in Ipswich is the Springfield Line. Work on the line, which connects to the Ipswich Line at the Brisbane suburb of Darra, commenced in July 2010, & the first stage to Richlands was opened in January 2011. The second stage to Springfield Central Station in Ipswich was started in October 2011 & is scheduled for completion in 2013. When fully opened, the line will be 8 ½ miles (13 ½ km) in length.
The Workshops Rail Museum
Situated on North Street in North Ipswich, the Workshops Rail Museum is part of the Queensland Museum.
The very first train in to run in Queensland departed from here to Grandc hester (then known as Bigges Camp) in 1865. The Workshops are the oldest continually operating railway workshops in Australia, where visitors can get a behind the scenes glimpse of the day to day maintaining & restoring of Queensland Rail’s Heritage Fleet in the Steam Shop & Blacksmiths Shop . The museum offers many interactive & hands-on displays, plus exhibits of restored locomotives, carriages & rolling stock from 140 years of rail travel in Queensland; from the days of steam through to the present day. The museum also houses the largest model railway in Queensland.
The Workshops Rail Museum is open daily throughout the year.
In 1958, a new rail workshop was opened in the Ipswich suburb of Redbank, to take pressure off the existing Ipswich Workshops. The Redbank Rail Workshops today houses Queensland's major railway workshops & is known as the “Redbank Centre of Excellence”. It too operated a museum from 1969 until 1992.
Rosewood Railway Museum
Located around 11 miles (18km) west of central Ipswich, Rosewood Railway Museum is operated by the Australian Railway Historical Society. The museum’s exhibits include an extensive collection of trains, wagons & carriages from both the steam & diesel eras, as well as three rail motors. The museum is open every Sunday, with steam train rides running from Cabanda Station on the last Sunday of each month.
RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre
Opened in 2011, the RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre is run by Air Force reservists & volunteers. Housed in two hangars, exhibits include a World War II Boston bomber, Sabre & Mirage fighter jets, Sioux & Iroquois helicopters & a Canberra bomber from the Vietnam era. Also on display are a variety of fully restored aircraft engines, weapons, World War II vehicles & medals, plus modules of Caribou & F1-11 cockpits. The centre also features a display celebrating No. 23 (City of Brisbane) Squadron, which has been based at RAAF Amberley since the 1940s. The complex also includes a workshop where aircraft & other heritage listed artefacts are restored.
RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre is open to the public on the third Sunday of each month, with group tours available by prior arrangement on Tuesdays & Thursdays. Admission is free.
Australian Motorcycle Museum - Haigslea
Situated on a 35 acre site in Haigslea to the west of Central Ipswich, the Australian Motorcycle Museum boasts a collection of more than 200 bikes dating from the early twentieth century up to the present day. Exhibits include a wide range of road, off road & racing bikes, covering models & brands from around the world, some of which are extremely rare.
As well as continually adding to their collection of bikes, the museum also collects & displays memorabilia such as helmets, leathers, engines, signs & posters. The museum also boasts a library containing more than 4,000 books including specific model reference books, parts books & workshop manuals. The museum is open seven days a week.
The Ipswich Motorway
Part of the AusLink Network, the Ipswich Motorway begins at the junction of the Ipswich Road (A7) & Granard Road in the Brisbane suburb of Rocklea. The Ipswich Motorway then runs as the M7, connecting with the Centenary Motorway (M5) in the Brisbane Suburb of Darra, before entering Ipswich & merging with the Logan Motorway (M2) in the suburb of Gailes. From here the Ipswich Motorway continues westwards as the M2, passing through the suburbs of Goodna, Redbank & Riverview, before becoming the Warrego Highway at the junction with the Cunningham Highway (A15) in Dinmore, to the east of central Ipswich. In total, the stretch of road known as the Ipswich Motorway (M7 & M2) is around 12 miles (19km) in length. Over the past few years, much of the motorway has been upgraded from four lanes to six, & it is now estimated that, on average, the road carries around 100,000 vehicles per day.
Ipswich Jets RLFC
The Ipswich Jets Rugby League Football Club was founded in 1982 & takes it’s name from RAAF Base Amberley in Ipswich; one of the largest airforce bases in Australia. Their stadium is the North Ipswich Reserve & the team’s colours are green, gold & white.Initially, the Jets competed in the Brisbane Rugby League Premiership, in which they finished runners-up in both 1988 & 1989. Since 1997 they have been competing in the Queensland Cup, where their best finishes have been as runners-up in 2002 & again in 2008; also winning the Minor Premiership in the latter year for the first time in their history.
Ipswich Jets most famous player is Allan ‘Alfie’ Langer, who started his career here & who later went on to play for the Brisbane Broncos, as well as representing Queensland in the State of Origin series & playing, & eventually captaining, Australia. Langer also came to Great Britain during 2000/2001 & played for Warrington Wolves.
Other Ipswich Jets players who have gone on to play for both Queensland & Australia include the Walters Brothers; Kerrod & Kevin, Brad Meyers, Jason Hetherington & Graham Mackay.
The picture above left shows the former Hotel Cecil on Downs Street in North Ipswich, which was acquired as the Ipswich Jets new clubhouse in 1998.
Ipswich Motorsport Precinct
Located to the south of central Ipswich, Ipswich Motorsport Precinct is a 128 hectare site that caters for a wide variety of motor sports. Included within the precinct are a number of different tracks & circuits including:
Willowbank Raceway, which hosts drag racing events throughout the year, including Australia’s premier event, the Winternationals, held each June & thought to be the biggest drag racing event in the world outside of the USA.
Queensland Raceways, nicknamed the ‘Paperclip’ due to the shape of the circuit, this 3.12 km track hosts, amongst other things, V8 supercars, the Australian Superbike Championships & drifting.
Ipswich Motorsport Precinct also has a kart racing track, home to the Ipswich Kart Club & a short circuit dirt racetrack run by Ipswich West Moreton Auto Club, which hosts autocross, rallying & short circuit touring car races.
Ipswich Turf Club
Horse racing first took place in the area around present day Ipswich in 1848, with the first official race meeting in Queensland taking place in 1859. Ipswich Amateur Turf Club was formed in 1890, based at the Bundamba Racecourse, just to the east of central Ipswich.
In 1988, the club was renamed the Ipswich Turf Club & three years later the course was also renamed; becoming the Ipswich Racecourse.
Ipswich Turf Club hosts around 46 race meetings per year, with the highlight event being the Ipswich Cup, held each June. First run in 1935, this is a listed race run over 2,150 metres.
Ipswich Greyhound Racing Club
Situated within the showgrounds on Warwick Road, Ipswich Greyhound Racing Club hold race meetings on Tuesdays & Wednesdays. Races are run over 431, 520 & 630 metres. Notable events in the calendar include the City of Ipswich Gold Cup, the Young Guns Series, the Ipswich Auction Series & the Vince Curry Memorial Maiden Series.
George Thorn - The 'Father of Ipswich'
George Thorn, who is known as the ‘Father of Ipswich’ was born in 1806 in Stockbridge, Hampshire, England. He joined the army &, as a colour-sergeant with the 4th (King's Own) Regiment, arrived in Australia in 1832. In 1838 he was sent to Moreton Bay & put in charge of the Limestone Hill penal colony, where he was overseer of the government herds in the region. After resigning from the army, he began purchasing land in the Ipswich area that would eventually total more than 58,000 acres.In 1860, he became a member of the Legislative Assembly for West Moreton; a post he held until 1863. He was also an alderman of Ipswich between 1862 to 1865; helping to establish, amongst other things, the Anglican Church, School of Arts, Grammar School, Botanic Gardens, North Australian Club & the Queensland Pastoral and Agricultural Society. He died in Ipswich in April 1876.
Four of his sons also served in the Legislative Assembly. Henry, John and William, represented Dalby, Fassifern and Aubigny respectively. His eldest son George won the seat for West Moreton for the first time in 1867, before being nominated to the Legislative Council as government representative & postmaster-general in 1874. He also briefly held the position of Premier of State between June 1876 & March 1877.
John Bradfield
Engineer John Job Crew Bradfield (1867 - 1943), best known as the designer of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, was born in Sandgate, Queensland & received his early education at Ipswich Grammar School.
In 1889 he completed his Bachelor of Engineering degree, & in 1896 received his Master of Engineering degree; both from the University of Sydney. In 1924 he received the first Doctorate of Science awarded by that university for his thesis “The city and suburban electric railways and the Sydney Harbour Bridge”. He also designed the Story Bridge in Brisbane, the Cataract Dam and the Burrinjuck Dam, as well as developing plans for Sydney’s railway system that were never fully implemented. Another of his ideas that was never brought to fruition was the development of a system known as the Bradfield Scheme for diverting some of Queensland’s coastal rivers onto the western side of the Great Dividing Range.
Both the Electorate of Bradfield & the Bradfield Highway are named after him.
Edward & Daniel Carroll
Edward John Carroll (1868-1931) was born in Gatton, to the west of Ipswich, whilst his younger brother Daniel Joseph Carroll (1886-1959) was born in the Ipswich suburb of Redbank Plains. Both attended Redbank Plains State School, with Daniel later going on to St Edmund’s Christian Brothers’ College in Ipswich.
After a spell working for the Queensland Department of Railways, Edward, or ‘E.J’ as he was known, acquired the Queensland rights for the first Australian feature film, The Story of the Kelly Gang in 1906, which he screened in open-air settings around the suburbs of Brisbane & Ipswich. This proved such a success that he began building up a chain of theatres & skating rinks, including the first cinema built in Ipswich. At this time he was also organising vaudeville tours & side shows. In 1908, he was joined by his brother Daniel, & the pair began to bring British and American plays to Australia, which included a tour by the famous Scottish entertainer Harry Lauder in 1914.
In 1918 the Carrolls invested in their first film production, The Lure of the Bush, starring R. L. ‘Snowy’ Baker, & with the latter they formed the film production company Carroll-Baker Australian Productions in 1919; producing such films as The Man from Kangaroo & On Our Selection (both 1920).
Withdrawing from film production in 1921, & having formed Carroll Musgrove Theatres Ltd in the previous year, the brothers went on to build the Prince Edward Theatre in Sydney which opened in 1924, & which became one of Australia's leading cinemas. In 1923 they formed Birch, Carroll and Coyle Ltd, in order to modernise & manage their extensive theatre circuit in Queensland. They also remained active in live-theatre management & promotion during the 1920s, which included bringing the Sistine Choir to Australia in 1922.
Edward Carroll died in Sydney in July 1931. Daniel remained managing director of their companies until his own death in Sydney in August 1959.
Situated at 16 Queen Street in the Ipswich suburb of Goodna is the ‘The Queenslander’; the house built around 1906 for the Carrolls’ parents. The house, which was visited by Harry Lauder during his 1914 tour of Australia, has been identified as a place of historical significance to Ipswich, & has been marked with an Ipswich City Council historical plaque.
Neville Bonner
Neville Thomas Bonner (1922-99) of the Jagera people was the first indigenous Australian to become a Senator for Queensland in the Australian Federal Parliament.
Born in the small settlement of Ukerebagh Island on the Tweed River in northern New South Wales, he moved to Ipswich in 1960 & became a director of the One People of Australia League (OPAL), an organisation helping indigenous people with rights & welfare; rising to become its president by 1970. Before that, in 1967, he joined the Liberal Party; holding local office until the resignation of the Liberal Senator Dame Annabelle Rankin in 1971, at which point he was chosen to fill this role. Thereafter he was elected in his own right in 1972, 1974, 1975 & 1980; serving for twelve years & giving indigenous Australians a voice in parliament for the first time, as well as speaking out on ethnic issues & championing the coming together of all Australians. In 1983, having been dropped by the party, he stood as an independent candidate, & though unsuccessful, he was appointed by the government to the board of directors of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation soon afterwards.Named joint Australian of the Year in 1979, he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1984. In 1993 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Griffith University.
Twice married with five sons, Neville Bonner died in Ipswich in February 1999 at the age of 76.Since then a rugby league ground in Ipswich has been renamed the Neville Bonner Sporting Complex in his honour. His name has also been given to a suburb of Canberra, & the Queensland federal electorate of Bonner was created in 2004.
d'Arcy Doyle
Painter of landscapes & historical scenes, d’Arcy Doyle was born in Ipswich in 1932. Having served in the Royal Australian Navy during the Korean War, he later found employment as a sign writer, before becoming a full time artist in 1961. After working for several years in Sydney, he returned to Queensland in 1973; settling on the Gold Coast.
Much of Doyle’s work evokes a nostalgic bygone era & is influenced by the Australian bush in the area around Ipswich & Brisbane, especially the area around Darling Street, Ipswich where he had grown up. Many of his paintings also have a sporting theme, particularly cricket; one of his most famous paintings being of Sir Donald Bradman, which he donated to Queensland Cricketers’ Club.
In 1993 d’Arcy Doyle Place was named in his honour in Ipswich. Situated near the Old Town Hall, just off Brisbane Street, it features a bronze statue of children playing in a fountain sculpted by Rhyl & Rob Hinwood.
In 1990 Doyle was diagnosed with bone cancer, which finally took his life in August 2001.
The d’Arcy Doyle Art Awards were established in 2004 in his honour, as a competition for Australian artists.
Thomas Shapcott
Poet & novelist Thomas Shapcott was born in Ipswich in 1935. In 1968, he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Queensland, whilst working full time as an accountant. His first published work was ‘Time on Fire’ in 1961, for which he received the Grace Leven Poetry Prize. In 1967 his ‘A Taste of Salt Water’ was awarded the Sir Thomas White Memorial Prize and the Myer Charity Trust Award. He became a full time writer in1978 & has since published several collections of poetry, such as ‘Chekhov’s Mongoose’ (2000) & ‘Spirit Wrestlers’ (2004), as well as many novels, plays & short stories. From 1983 to1990 he was Director of the Literature Board of the Australia Council, & from 1991 to 1997 he was Executive Director of the National Book Council. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for services to literature and arts administration in 1989. In 1997 he became Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Adelaide. His work has been published in many countries around the world & translated into several languages.
The Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize was established in his honour in 2003, as a literary award for unpublished poetry by Queensland authors.
Ipswich Show
Held annually over 3 days each May, the Ipswich Show was first held in 1873 at a site in Lobb Street, Churchill. In 1877, however, the show moved to its present location at the Ipswich Showgrounds on Warwick Road.
The event is run by the Ipswich Show Society; a non profit organisation, whose aims are to promote the development of pastoral, agricultural, horticultural and industrial interests in the region. Originally held as just an agricultural event, the show has diversified over the years & the exhibits & attractions now encompass a wide array of other products, activities & entertainments. The primary events, however, still revolve around livestock, as well as equestrian events such as show jumping.
Nerima, Japan - Sister City of Ipswich
Nerima, on Honshu Island in Japan, is one of the 23 Special Wards of Tokyo.
The area had been mainly farmland until the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, after which many people from central Tokyo began moving to the area. In 1932, Nerima town, together with Kami-nerima, Naka-arai, Shakujii & Oizumi villages were incorporated into Old Tokyo city. The 23 Special Wards, or self governing municipalities, were originally established after the Tokyo Metropolis was created in 1943 from the merger of the former Tokyo Prefecture & the City of Tokyo. Nerima, however, didn’t become a ward until 1947; having been part of Itabashi ward in the interim period.
Nerima is the most northwesterly of the wards and is usually known in English as Nerima City. It covers a land area of 48.2 sq km (18.6 sq miles), and in May 2016 had a population of 721,858.
Ipswich and Nerima became sister cities in October 1994. This has resulted in the creation of the Nerima Gardens within Queens Park, close to central Ipswich (see Queens Park section, above).
Hyderabad, India – Sister City of Ipswich & Brisbane
In 2010, a tripartite sister city agreement was signed between Ipswich, Brisbane & the Indian city of Hyderabad. It is thought to be the first such three city partnership in the world. The aim of the agreement is to increase two-way investment and encourage trade between the three cities.
Situated on the banks of the Musi River in the state of Andhra Pradesh in central southern India, Hyderabad covers an area of 650 sq km (250 sq mi) & has a population of more than 6.8 million. Established in 1591 by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, it is now the sixth most populous city in India.
Hyderabad’s nickname is the “City of Pearls”, due to its historic links to the pearls trading industry, & until the eighteenth century it was the only global trade centre for large diamonds. Nowadays, the city is known as India’s pharmaceutical capital and “Genome Valley of India”. The city is also home to the Telugu film industry, popularly known as “Tollywood”, the second largest film industry in India after Bollywood.
Ipswich Basin, West Ipswich Fault, Ipswich Coal Measures & Ipswich Microflora
The city of Ipswich, Queensland has given its name to geomorphological features in this part of Australia.
During the Permian and Triassic periods, almost all the Earth’s land mass was concentrated into a single supercontinent called Pangaea. In the Late Permian or Early Triassic (about 250 million years ago) stresses built up along what is now the eastern Australian coastline when tectonic plate movements created subduction zones on the margin of the Pangaea land mass. The stress resulted in what is known as the West Ipswich Fault, running northwest to southeast, causing extensive shearing of the crust along the fault-line (known as a strike-slip fault). This was followed by the gradual subsidence of the crust in the Middle Triassic (from about 240 million years ago). This formed the intermontane Ipswich Basin southwest of Brisbane straddling the Queensland-New South Wales border and extending about 8000 sq. km (3088 sq miles), bound in the north and southeast by earlier Carboniferous block massifs, with the Ipswich Fault to the west. The eastern extent of the basin is not well known but probably covers an offshore area of about 1000 sq. km (386 sq. miles) under Moreton Bay at Brisbane.The basin-fill is dominated by sandstones, shales, conglomerates and coals deposited in alluvial, fluvial and lacustrine environments, with some interbedded volcanics. However, the greatest characteristic is the thick accumulation of coal measures – the Ipswich Coal Measures – that became an important resource in the Ipswich Basin and gave rise to the coal mining industry there. These coal measures were mostly laid down during the Carnian Age of the Late Triassic (228 to 216 million years ago). Sedimentation began in the Middle Triassic in the slowly subsiding basin with the surrounding mountains providing sediment that was deposited by streams. Numerous small lakes and swamps dotted the landscape. In moist areas, leaf litter and plant remains accumulate and, mixed with mud and silt, when compressed they eventually form coal beds. A sequence of sandstones and coal measures was repeated several times during this cycle of deposition. The Ipswich Coal Measures comprise a number of sub-groups forming different coal seams. The coal originated from a peat-swamp in an alluvial plain with meandering channel systems. The coal seams are separated into three main groups based on the mean seam thickness and the manner in which they were deposited. Group 1 contains the oldest seams and shows a very high thickness, which indicates the replacement of water by peat in a shallow flood basin as a result of tectonic subsidence. Group 2 seams have moderate thickness, indicating that peat accumulated in progressively shallower, swampy wetlands with a rising water table. Group 3 seams are the youngest and thinnest, and show that they were deposited in quiet depositional environments with the prolonged existence of extensive peat-swamp conditions. There is an abundance of fossil flora and fauna and the noticeable feature about these fossils is the complete absence of all traces of fish and marine life, indicating that the Triassic sedimentation of the Ipswich Basin was entirely terrestrial. Around 205 million years ago, at the beginning of the Jurassic period, tectonic movements began breaking Pangaea into two continents (Australia being part of the southern continent of Gondwana), and the Ipswich Basin experienced uplift. This tectonic activity was accompanied by extensive volcanic extrusions, and subsequent erosion of the surface of the Ipswich Basin. This was followed by rifting and subsidence that created the adjacent Nambour and Clarence-Moreton basins to the east and south of the Ipswich Basin. This resulted in the eroded upper parts of the Ipswich Coal Measures being overlain by thick layers of conglomerates, shales, sandstone, siltstone and clay formed in extensive fluvial and lacustrine conditions (the Bundamba and Marburg deposits, named after localities around Ipswich), indicating that the conditions were now less swampy, but still terrestrial. As the Jurassic progressed the tectonic plates were reactivated and began the process of separation of Gondwana, with the major continents of today beginning to drift away from each other. It was at this time that the Australian continent was delineated. By the close of the Jurassic and beginning of the Cretaceous, 144 million years ago, Australia was the only continent still joined to Antarctica, and about 80 million years ago the New Zealand land mass separated from Australia. The rifting basically created the present east coast of Australia, but at the beginning of the Cretaceous period, the seas began to rise and large areas in northern and central Australia became inundated. That is when the Great Artesian Basin was formed in central Queensland, but the southern part of Queensland formed a large island separate from the rest of Australia. That is why no Cretaceous material is present in the Ipswich Basin.
The seas eventually drained away, leaving the landscape more or less as it is today. Fossils of the Ipswich Coal Measures: Abundant plant fossils representing “Dicroidium” flora are present in the Ipswich Coal Measures along with rare freshwater bivalves, conchostrachans, and a variety of insects. The two major fossil sites are the Denmark Hill Conservation Park and Haig Street Quarry Bushland Reserve (see Ipswich as a Scientific Name page) . The Denmark Hill Conservation Park: This park is within walking distance from central Ipswich. In the 1890s many well preserved insect fossils were discovered here, including those of dragonflies, locusts and mantids from the Upper Triassic period, in what became known as the Denmark Hill Insect Bed. The fossils were found in the Blackstone Formation of the Ipswich Coal Measures, dated to the Carnian age (228 - 216 million years ago). Also found in the Blackstone Formation are the only two definite reports of dinosaurs in the Triassic Period in Australia. In 1964 several three-toed dinosaur tracks were discovered at the Rylance colliery in Dinmore, a suburb of Ipswich. These were identified as those of a large theropod. In 1983 at least six further footprints were found in siltstone and shale deposits of the Blackstone Formation at the colliery. These have been attributed to the small bipedal theropod “Grallator”. The existence of these tracks in a remote intermontane basin of eastern Gondwana indicates that theropod dinosaurs had achieved an extensive, possibly global, range as early as the Carnian age, whereas most other dinosaurs only evolved during the following Jurassic period. These and other fossil exhibits are now on show in the area known as Triassic Park.Haig Street Quarry Bushland Reserve, Brassall, Ipswich: Important fossil flora occurs in a disused quarry at the end of Haig Street, Brassall, located 4 km (2½ miles) northwest of Ipswich city centre. Formerly a sand and gravel quarry, this site was handed to the City of Ipswich in 1989 and converted into an open eucalypt forest reserve and environmental park. Two rock units are exposed within the reserve. The Late Triassic Tivoli Formation is exposed on the eastern wall of the quarry and contains rich fossil flora. The site is located close to the West Ipswich Fault forming the western margin of the Ipswich Basin, and extensive movement along this fault has caused strata in the quarry to be tilted at a high angle. Dip slopes of beds in the eastern wall of the quarry host an array of leaf impressions. The fossil flora of the Tivoli Formation at this site is different from the Corystospermaceae foliage (Dicroidium) found elsewhere in the Ipswich Basin, in that it is dominated by leaves of conifers (Heidiphyllum), Petriellales (Rhochipteris), Ginkgoales (Ginkgoites) and Matatiellales (Dejerseya).
Ipswich Microflora: This is a specific term in palynology (the study of pollen, spores and other microscopic organisms) to describe a particular environment found in the Upper Triassic sediments laid down between 237 to 228 million years ago. This term was applied by J H Dolby and B E Balme in 1976 when they became the first palynologists to demonstrate that the distinct differences between microscopic flora found in Triassic sediments were determined by the latitudes that they inhabited at that particular epoch. Their studies were based on the fossil microscopic flora found in sedimentary deposits in Australia around Onslow, Western Australia, and Ipswich, Queensland. Dolby and Balme showed that a number of taxa (populations or groups of populations of organisms that share common characteristics) found in deposits in north west Australia and Timor, which they termed “the Onslow Microflora”, were basically the same as those found in northern Madagascar and western Europe, whereas taxa found in deposits of the same age in eastern Australia, termed “the Ipswich Microflora”, were different but the same as taxa found in deposits in Antarctica, New Zealand and southern Madagascar. Not only did this provide further evidence that these lands were once united in a single continental mass, but it showed that the “Onslow Microflora” represented warm, temperate rain-forests found in latitudes between 30°S and 35°S, while the “Ipswich Microflora” represented a cooler, temperate climate found at higher latitudes of between 50°S and 70°S. Mixed populations have been found in the intermediate latitudes. The “Onslow Microflora” were deposited in marine and coastal margins of the continent, whereas the “Ipswich Microflora” represent sedimentation of a continental nature, deposited in intramontane basins in which “Onslow Microflora” is notably absent. Further studies elsewhere confirmed these findings, and the terms became accepted to describe the two major regional flora realms that existed in the Upper Triassic epoch. Thus, similar environments found in Patagonia, South Africa, Antarctica and New Zealand are referred to as “Ipswich Microflora” regardless of the fact that the deposits are not laid down in proximity to that city.
Bremer River & Brisbane River
The Bremer River rises below Mount Fraser & flows in a northerly direction for 59 miles; dropping 420 feet and flowing through Ipswich before merging with the Brisbane River at Barellan Point in the north east of the Ipswich region. The Bremer’s major tributaries are Bundamba Creek, Purga Creek, Reynolds Creek, Warrill Creek & Western Creek. On the upper reaches of Reynolds Creek, around 37 miles from Ipswich, Lake Moogerah has been created as a source of drinking water & irrigation by the Moogerah Dam, which was completed in 1961.
The Bremer was discovered in 1824 by John Oxley, Allan Cunningham & Lieutenant Butler of the 4oth Regiment, whilst exploring the Brisbane River. Oxley named the tributary Bremer’s Creek, after Captain James Bremer of HMS Tamar, which at the time was in New South Wales. The Bremer wasn’t explored at this time however; the first exploration taking place in 1827 when Captain Patrick Logan of the Brisbane Penal Colony spent several days in the vicinity. A year later, botanist Allan Cunningham returned to the region & wrote ‘It is, therefore, highly probable that upon the site of these limestone hills, a town will one day be raised.’
Ipswich was one of the first river ports to be established in Queensland & was to become an important centre for trade between the Darling Downs & the coast. This trade was critical in the rapid growth & development of Ipswich. The first steamer service was started in 1846 by James Pearce with his vessel Experiment; which prompted the improvement of the landing facilities. These improvements continued until, by the 1860s, a wharf precinct had been established downstream from the town centre, where it was wide enough to allow the steamers to turn. In October 1860, the port of Moreton Bay had been extended up the Brisbane River as far as Ipswich, which allowed dutiable goods to be warehoused there. In May 1865 work commenced on deepening the basin. With the coming of the railway in 1875, the steamer services gradually declined.
The Brisbane River, which in places forms the northern boundary of the Ipswich region, is joined by the Bremer at Barellan Point, before winding through the city of Brisbane & emptying into the sea at Moreton Bay. The river’s source is to the east of Kingaroy, close to Mount Stanley in the Great Dividing Range. From there it flows in a southerly, then easterly direction for approximately 213 miles, making it the longest river in south eastern Queensland. It was first explored in 1823 by John Oxley who was Surveyor General of New South Wales. He named the river after the Governor of New South Wales at the time; Sir Thomas Brisbane. In December 1823 John Oxley travelled as far as Termination Hill, east of Woogaroo Creek near Goodna, 42 miles from the mouth. Next year he reached a point 56 miles from the mouth to just beyond Kholo. It was Major Edmund Lockyer in 1825 who explored the upper reaches of the Brisbane River as far as its source. To the north of Ipswich, Wivenhoe Dam, built across the Brisbane River, forms the artificial Lake Wivenhoe; completed in 1985 & now the main water supply for the Brisbane area.
Today, both the Brisbane & Bremer Rivers offer excellent facilities for canoe & kayak enthusiasts in & around the Ipswich area.
The Expansion of Ipswich
The Ipswich that attained city status in 1904 covered only 3.8 sq miles, a small fraction of the 420.9 sq miles that make up the Ipswich of today. At that time Blackstone, Booval, Churchill, Newtown, Silkstone & Tivoli, although suburbs of Ipswich, were not actually part of the city. The boundary with the Shire of Brassall was altered in December 1909, although only a small area was lost in North Ipswich around the Tivoli Bridge on Tantivy Road.
Agitation to include the above suburbs began in 1904, as Ipswich was now a city and should be larger. Although the idea of a ‘Greater Ipswich’ was first mooted in 1910, it wasn’t until October 1916 that this came to fruition, when these suburbs were finally made part of Ipswich. At the same time, parts of the shires of Brassall, Bundanba (now Bundamba), Purga & Walloon were incorporated into what was known as the Shire of Ipswich (see also separate entry on The Ones That Got Away page). The name lasted only until July of the following year, however, when it was changed to the Shire of Moreton (or Moreton Shire). The Shire of Moreton included all the land surrounding Ipswich, but not the city itself.
The Shire of Moreton’s boundaries were extended in January 1926, when it gained part of the City of Ipswich, & further expansion was forthcoming in August 1930, with the annexation of part of the Shire of Waterford.
In 1949, the Shire of Moreton once again increased in size, after the abolition of the shires of Rosewood & Normanby; with the whole of the former & part of the latter being taken over. However, the shire also lost some land to the City of Ipswich at this time when the area between the Bundamba Creek and Woogaroo Creek, including Goodna, was absorbed by the city. Gailes, on the other side of Woogaroo Creek, was partly in Goodna and partly in Brisbane; in 1959 the boundary with Brisbane was confirmed whereby part of Gailes finally went to that city.
In March 1995, the Shire of Moreton ceased to exist when it was merged with the City of Ipswich. Most of the former shire was incorporated into Ipswich, although part of Carole Park went to the City of Brisbane. At the same time a small part of Gailes around the intersection of the Logan and Ipswich Motorways went from the City of Ipswich to the City of Brisbane.
In 2000, more boundary changes resulted in Ipswich losing Mount Walker, Warrill View, Rosevale & parts of Harrisville & Mutdapilly to Boonah Shire (now Scenic Rim Region), whilst Kholo, Karana Downs, Mount Crosby & the northern part of Chuwar were at this time incorporated into the City of Brisbane.
In 2008 the City of Ipswich lost the rest of Harrisville & Peak Crossing to the Scenic Rim Region (For further details of these land losses see City of Ipswich, Queensland - Land Lost to Other Jurisdictions on The Ones That Got Away page).
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