IPSWICH CITY – A Vital Part of South East Queensland - AUSTRALIA

Centrally located in the booming South East Queensland region of Australia, Ipswich is located 45 kilometres west from Queensland’s capital, Brisbane.  Ipswich includes an area of 1207 square kilometres, with a population of 150,000, set to double within the next 20 years.

Ipswich is Queensland’s oldest provincial City and has a history dating back to 1827.  This is illustrated through its architectural, cultural and natural heritage, with more than 6000 heritage-listed sites throughout the City.  Its early prosperity was built on cotton farms, coal mines, woollen mills and is the birth place of the State’s rail industry.  

Ipswich is an exciting place to live, work, visit and invest, with its central location in South East Queensland, modern infrastructure, sub-tropical climate, affordability and positive economic performance.

Ipswich is now well regarded as a hub for economic development, attracting multi-million dollar industrial enterprises and developing significant commercial and industrial parks.  Ipswich is home to the Amberley Airbase, scheduled for a massive redevelopment worth $284 million, and is the largest operational airbase in Australia. 

Ipswich’s future as a major regional centre has been assured with the release of the State’s most important strategic planning documents – the South East Queensland Regional Plan and the South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program 2005-2006 (June 2005).  These documents channel new development and an estimated influx of one million new residents into the State’s South East corner over the next 20 years.

Ipswich offers all the facilities and attractions of a modern, progressive city.  Attractions include heritage homes and buildings, art galleries, championship golf courses and sporting facilities, wineries, 500 parks, steam trains, a great range of cafes and restaurants, shopping centres and country townships.  Ipswich is also proud to host events of magnitude such as the largest drag meet outside the USA (Winternationals) and Queensland’s largest golf event (The Queensland Golf Open Championship). 

Ipswich residents represent more than 115 countries with over 80 different languages spoken.  By the year 2020, the population is expected to grow to 317,000 people.  In readiness, the Ipswich City Council has established its own strategic plan – Ipswich 2020 and Beyond (2005).  The foundations of the plan focus on a network of central business districts, major centres, large enterprise parks and general business areas connected by an efficient transport network to quality residential and recreational areas. Implementation of the plan will facilitate efficiencies in transport, water, energy, communications and general service delivery.  It will deliver sustainable community well being, generate jobs, facilitate community capacity building, substantially reduce per capita vehicular commuting, improve our waterways and protect our greenspace, leading to enhanced social, economic and environmental outcomes for the community.

This “roadmap” is critical to the City’s present and its future.  It does more than simply map sites for development and open space.  It expresses a vision for the development of the community itself and lays a foundation that equips the City with strategies to cope with existing and future pressures.

Ipswich’s proud past is paving the way for an exciting future. Ipswich continues to be in step with the growth of South East Queensland and will share in the prosperity that this growth will ultimately bring. Ipswich is living the history of its future now – the full story of Ipswich is yet to be told.