Traditional Owners

The original inhabitants of the City of Ipswich were the Jagera, Ugarapul and Yuggera Aboriginal people.

Settlement history

European settlement dates from 1827, although population was minimal until 1842. Land was used mainly for farming, timber-getting, sugar cane growing, cotton growing and coal mining, with Ipswich being an important river port. Growth took place from the 1880s into the early 1900s, spurred by the opening of the railway line from Ipswich to Brisbane in 1875. Significant residential development occurred from the post-war years, particularly from the 1960s, accompanied by industrial development. Growth continued during the 1990s, with the population of the City rising from about 110,000 in 1991 to about 122,000 in 2001. Considerable growth took place from 2001, with the population rising to nearly 192,000 in 2016. Population growth is expected to continue, particularly in the Greater Springfield area.

Land use

The City of Ipswich is a rapidly growing residential area, with substantial rural, rural-residential, commercial and industrial areas. The City of Ipswich encompasses a total land area of about 1,100 square kilometres. The main urban centre is Ipswich, with developing residential areas in the east, and numerous small townships including Grandchester, Marburg, Rosewood and Walloon. Rural land is used largely for agriculture, with coal mining also being an important industry.

Transport

The City of Ipswich is served by the Ipswich Motorway, the Logan Motorway, the Brisbane Valley Highway, the Centenary Highway, the Cunningham Highway, the Warrego Highway, Brisbane Road and the Ipswich, Rosewood and Springfield railway lines.

Major features

• Major features of the City include the Ipswich CBD,
• Ipswich Central (including Ipswich City Square,
• Ipswich Riverlink Shopping Centre and Top of Town),
• Redbank Plaza,
• Orion Springfield Central (shopping centre),
• TAFE Queensland South West (Bundamba and Springfield Campuses),
• University of Southern Queensland (Ipswich and Springfield Campuses),
• RAAF Base Amberley,
• Ipswich Hospital,
• Rosewood Railway Museum,
• The Workshops Rail Museum,
• RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre,
• Grandchester Model Steam Railway,
• Queensland Pioneer Steam Railway,
• Ipswich Art Gallery,
• Ipswich Little Theatre,
• Ipswich Civic Centre,
• Ipswich Nature Centre,
• Woodend Nature Centre,
• Brookwater Golf Course,
• Ipswich Golf Club,
• Rosewood Golf Club,
• Sandy Gallop Golf Club,
• Dusit Thani Brookwater Golf & Spa Resort,
• Ipswich Motorsport Precinct (including Queensland Raceway and Willowbank Raceway),
• Ipswich Showground,
• Ipswich Racecourse,
• Henry Lawson Bicentennial Park,
• Limestone Park,
• Queens Park,
• River Heart Parklands,
• Robelle Domain,
• Kholo Gardens,
• Denmark Hill Conservation Reserve,
• Mount Beau Brummell Conservation Park,
• Flinders-Goolman Conservation Estate,
• White Rock-Spring Mountain Conservation Estate,
• Haig Street Quarry Bushland Reserve,
• Purga Nature Reserve,
• Ironbark Ridge Vineyard,
• The Bremer River and the Brisbane River.

Included areas