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Ipswich, Queensland
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Ipswich is a city and Local Government Area situated on the Bremer River in South East Queensland, Australia. It is located approximately 40 kilometres south-west of the state capital, Brisbane.
area was first explored by European colonists in 1826, when Captain Patrick Logan, commandant of the Moreton Bay penal colony, sailed up the Brisbane river and discovered large deposits of limestone and other minerals.
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Encyclopedia
Ipswich is a city and Local Government Area situated on the Bremer River in South East Queensland, Australia. It is located approximately 40 kilometres south-west of the state capital, Brisbane.
History
The area was first explored by European colonists in 1826, when Captain Patrick Logan, commandant of the Moreton Bay penal colony, sailed up the Brisbane river and discovered large deposits of limestone and other minerals. In 1827, the first convicts and overseers arrived to mine the area, and the town that built around this industry became known as Limestone, and is remembered by one of the main streets through the Ipswich city centre.
Ipswich was an important river port for the Darling Downs in the 1840s and a regular steamer service from Moreton Bay was established in 1846. This service remained until the railway was extended from Brisbane in 1876 to take out the enormous coal deposits in the region.
In 1843, the settlement officially became known as Ipswich, making Ipswich the oldest provincial city in Queensland. The name change was proposed by surveyor Henry Wade and approved by Sir George Gipps, a soldier and Governor of New South Wales. The UK town of Ipswich was once called Gipeswic , derived from the Old English for "workplace by water".
Father William McGinty, a native of Northern Ireland, took charge of Ipswich Roman Catholic Parish in 1852 and had the first St Mary's Church built. This building was described as "a rude slab building of small dimensions, without glass windows, only shutters." This church was later demolished and replaced by a "beautiful stone edifice of Gothic design" as quoted from a member of the church community. This was the old St. Mary's and it cost £7,000. The year was 1862.
Ipswich was proclaimed as a municipality on March 2, 1860, and became a city in 1904.
Damaging flooding has occurred on numerous occasions, the largest being in 1893 peaking at 24.5 metres, and more recently during the 1974 Brisbane Flood, peaking in Ipswich at 20.7 metres. Collectively, 8500 houses were flooded in Ipswich and Brisbane.
In 1980s and 1990s, with land in nearby Brisbane becoming fully developed, and very expensive for housing, many new large scale housing estates became attractive for buyers in Ipswich with lower prices and bigger lots. Such new housing estates sprung up in Goodna, Springfield Lakes, Collingwood Park, Redbank Plains with acreage estates in Karalee, Barellan Point, and Chuwar, Queensland.
Economy
This is a rich agricultural region and a major industrial centre with coal mining, earthenware works, sawmills, abattoirs and foundries.
Ipswich is the site of RAAF Base Amberley, the Royal Australian Air Force's largest operational base. RAAF Amberley is currently home to No. 1 and No. 6 Squadrons flying F-111 strike aircraft and No. 38 Squadron which flies Caribou transport aircraft. In addition a number of ground support units are located at Amberley. The airbase is currently being expanded and will eventually also house No. 33 Squadron (flying Airbus A330 MRTT tanker-transports) and No. 36 Squadron (flying C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft) and several Army units.
Ipswich is also home to a campus of the University of Queensland, the annual Ipswich Cup horse races, and to commemorate the first trainline in Queensland from Ipswich to Grandchester, approximately 25km to the west. The present Ipswich Station is a major transport interchange.
A large shopping complex is being developed in the Springfield suburb which was, when designed the largest shopping centre in the southern hemisphere . Accompanying this is a satellite campus of the University of Southern Queensland, which has its primary campus in Toowoomba.
Redbank Plaza shopping mall has had 8 cinemas added as well as a fourth floor of shopping. Three clear retail and service hubs are developing outside Ipswich central and besides Springfield. Brassall and Karalee to the north, Yamanto to the South, and Booval in the central east.
Housing
The traditional Ipswich dwelling has always been a detached home on land, however this is changing as housing demand and a desire to live closer to amenities increases. The Ipswich region has also been approved as the new South-East Queensland 'boom corridor' to cope with the high demands to live in the region. New estates and suburbs are currently under development in the Springfield Region and Ripley Valley. Ipswich is currently the fastest growing region in South-East Queensland. Several large apartment buildings are also planned or under construction in the Ipswich CBD.
Transport
Local transport
There are three forms of public train transport servicing the Ipswich region.
- Queensland Rail's Citytrain offers regular services to and from Ipswich CBD to Brisbane, Brisbane Airport, the eastern suburbs, and western suburbs (as far as Rosewood). A new rail line is currently under construction from Darra to Springfield and Springfield Lakes. Another rail line has been proposed to run from Ipswich to Yamanto, and the Ripley Valley.
- Westside Buslines is the prominent bus company in Ipswich, linking all sides of town to Ipswich CBD; Redbank; Springfield; or Forest Lake (in Brisbane).
- Southern Cross Citilink is a bus which operates between Ipswich and Indooroopilly via Riverlink, Karalee, Chuwar, Karana Downs, Anstead, and Kenmore.
- Queensland Rail buses offer direct daily services to Gatton, Helidon, Fernvale, Lowood, Coominya, Esk, and Toogoolawah.
- An Airport Express Bus operates from Ipswich to Brisbane Airport on a regular basis. Prior bookings are essential though.
Ipswich also has direct access to the Ipswich Motorway (linking to Brisbane); the Cunningham Highway (linking to Warwick); the Warrego Highway (linking to Toowoomba); and the Centenary Highway (linking Springfield and the Ripley Valley to Brisbane).
Long distance transport
Sport
- The Ipswich Knights play in the Brisbane Premier League Division 1 competition.
- The Ipswich Jets play in the Queensland Cup competition.
- The V8 Supercars race each year at Queensland Raceway at Willowbank in mid July.
- Brookwater Golf Club is the state of the art Greg Norman designed course located in the Springfield Region to the south-east of the CBD.
- The Ipswich Cougars play in the Gridiron Queensland league and have been one of the most dominant teams since the launch of Gridiron in Queensland.
- AFL is well represented. The Ipswich Eagles play in second tier division of AFL Queensland. The Ipswich Miners play in the under 18 competition of AFL Queensland. Collingwood Park(Power), Ipswich Central (Cats)and Springfield Lakes play in the junior competition of AFL Brisbane Juniors.
- Drag Racing is conducted at Willowbank Raceway year round with events open to both professional and amateur racers, including a series conducted to facilitate newcomers to the sport.
Prominent locals
Sportspeople
- Allan Langer (attended Ipswich State High School and Blair State Primary School), Kevin Walters, Kerrod Walters, Steve Walters and Dale Shearer represented Queensland and Australia at rugby league
- Craig McDermott and Shane Watson: represented Queensland and Australia in cricket, attended Ipswich Grammar School.
- John Buchanan: Former Australian cricket team coach
- Berrick Barnes: Former Brisbane Broncos player and current Queensland Reds player. Attended Ipswich Grammar School
- Rhan Hooper: Current Brisbane Lions Australian rules footballer in the AFL. Attended Bundamba State Secondary College.
- Mark Tonelli:Olympic gold medallist in swimming, member of the Quietly Confident Quartet.
- Israel Folau (NRL player for the Brisbane Broncos and Australian and Queensland rugby league representative. Played for Ipswich junior rugby league team Goodna Eagles).
- Lagi Setu: NRL Player for St George Illawarra Dragons. Attended Ipswich Grammar School.
- Des Morris, Queensland rep and current Australian selector Attended Bremer High School.
- Rod Morris, former Balmain, Queensland, NSW and Australian Front rower Attended Bremer High School
- Noel Kelly: former Australia and QLD Rugby League player and hooker for team of the century, also attend St. Edmunds College
Politicians
Musicians
Other
Education
Colleges and universities
Secondary schools
Ipswich has a considerable number of secondary schools including:
Primary schools
Ipswich has a number of primary schools including:
- Goodna State School, established in 1870.
- Ipswich State School
- Silkstone State School
- St Marys Primary school
- St Josephs Primary School
- Brassall State Primary School
- North Ipswich State Primary School
- East Ipswich State Primary School
- West Ipswich State Primary School
- Central State Primary School
- Bundamba State Primary School
- Blair State Primary School
- Karalee State Primary School
- Tivoli State Primary School
Events
Ipswich Show
The first Ipswich Annual Show was held on April 2, 1873, by the Queensland Pastoral and Agricultural Society. There had been shows staged by the Ipswich and West Moreton Horticultural and Agricultural Society as early as 1868.
Originally held at the sale yards situated at Lobb St, Churchill, the show moved to its present home at the Ipswich Showgrounds in 1877
Goodna Jacaranda Festival
This festival has been held annually at Goodna (Evan Marginson Sportsground) since 1968, over 10,000 people attend this three day event.
Local attractions
Sister Cities
Nerima City, Japan
External links
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