The Best Ipswich Newsletter
Join 2,500+ locals: Get the best of Ipswich in your inbox every Wednesday morning— What's on, iconic homes, finds, local buzz...
🦜 Meet Woodlands of Marburg
Happy Wednesday! Looking forward to the Ipswich Show this weekend? Welcome to Issue #009 of Ipswich Insider, your weekly cheat sheet for all things Ipswich. If you enjoy it, forward it to a friend—they can sign up for free. Okay, let's jump right in: Woodlands of Marburg — From Sugar-Baron Splendour to Boutique Hotel Charm Finished in 1891 for cane king Tommy Smith, Woodlands began as the show-home of a 300-acre mill-and-rum enterprise. In 1946 it became St Vincent’s Missionary Seminary, then...
Belmont Revealed, 1893 Flood, Mother's Day - Insider #008
Welcome to Issue #008 of Ipswich Insider—home of fun weekly polls that really matter (🌭 sausage sizzle not included... yet!). Loving it? Forward this email to two friends so they can join us free. 🌟 Meet Belmont: Ipswich Grammar’s 160-Year Heritage Heartbeat Belmont House was built 1863–1865 by Brisbane builder William Welsby. It cost £2,000 (≈ A$495 000 today) and sold in 2021 for $1.3 million. It had previously changed hands off-market for $1.05 million in February 2020—a 24 % jump in just...
Meet Brynhyfryd: A Coal King's Castle in Ipswich
Welcome to Issue #007 of Ipswich Insider—your weekly briefing on all things Ipswich, shaken not stirred 🍸. Enjoying it? Forward this email to a friend so they can sign up for free. Shall we get started? 🏰 Brynhyfryd: Ipswich’s Legendary “Coal King’s Castle” Built in 1889–90 atop Blackstone Hill, Brynhyfryd (“pleasant hill” in Welsh) was Ipswich’s iconic 49-room, three-storey mansion crowned by a four-storey viewing tower. Constructed for Welsh coal magnate Lewis Thomas—dubbed Ipswich’s “Coal...
Karragaroo House (+Best ANZAC events)
Welcome to Issue #006 of Ipswich Insider — your weekly mix of Ipswich goodness. Enjoying it? Share with a friend; they can join for free →. Let’s dive right in: Karragaroo House, c. 1906 — pictured from today’s Whitehill × Karragaroo St, Eastern Heights. An empty horse-and-buggy waits out front, perhaps ready for the Foote family’s Sunday ride to the 1858-built Wesleyan chapel (now Ipswich City Uniting) — Queensland’s oldest continuously running church. Meet Karragaroo Hidden treasure. You’ve...
Meet Gooloowan: The Original Cribb (Ipswich Insider #005)
Welcome to Issue #005 of Ipswich Insider—your fun & informative weekly newsletter for all things Ipswich. If you're enjoying it, do us a quick favour: hit forward up top and send it to 2 people—they can join for free. Okay, let's jump right in: Meet Gooloowan 🏛️ The White Stone House on the Hill Built in 1864—just as Ipswich was finding its feet—this two-storey villa has been watching over the city for 160 years. Locals call it "The big white house on Denmark Hill,” though it wasn’t always...
Meet Rockton: Ipswich's Oldest Home (Ipswich Insider #004)
Welcome to Issue #004 of Ipswich Insider—the weekly newsletter where we discover the best of Ipswich. If you enjoy it, forward it to 2 people—they can join for free here. Okay, let's jump right in: 🕰️ What's the Oldest Home in Ipswich? Rockton. Built in 1855 — four years before Queensland even existed. It’s been in the same family for 106 years, still lived in today by the granddaughter of the couple who bought it in 1918. Set back from the street, hidden behind hoop pines, Rockton turns 170...
Meet Claremont: From Convict Land to Premier’s Mansion (Ipswich Insider #003)
Welcome to Issue #003 of Ipswich Insider—the free weekly email that connects you to Ipswich. If you enjoy it, please forward it to 3 friends—they can join for free here. Okay, let's jump right in: Meet Claremont In 2003, Michael Read and Sharon Jones bought one of Ipswich’s oldest and most historic homes for around $653,000 (~$1.1 million in 2025 dollars). Known as Claremont, this 1857 Georgian-style sandstone residence sits proudly at 1A Milford Street on Limestone Hill, overlooking the...
Meet Garowie - Ipswich Insider #002
Welcome to Issue #002 of Ipswich Insider—the best of Ipswich, delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. If you enjoy it, please forward it to 3 friends—they can sign up for free here. Okay, let's jump right in: Meet Garowie Garowie, shown in watercolour above. Each issue of Ipswich Insider will feature a new Ipswich Icon. If Garowie hit the market… Would it break the$4 million mark? Everyday I walk past Garowie — usually heading to Limestone Park — and wonder: “If I won the lotto… how much...
Meet Fairy Knoll - Ipswich Insider #001
Welcome to Issue #001 of Ipswich Insider—your weekly Ipswich cheat sheet, delivered every Wednesday. If you enjoy it, forward it to 3 friends—they can sign up for free here. Okay, let's jump right in: Meet Fairy Knoll Fairy Knoll, shown in watercolor above. Each issue of Ipswich Insider will feature a new Ipswich landmark in watercolor, along with its story. In 2010, Ipswich surgeon Dr. Michael Fish and his wife bought one of the city's most iconic homes for $1.2 million. Known as Fairy...
Join 2,500+ locals: Get the best of Ipswich in your inbox every Wednesday morning— What's on, iconic homes, finds, local buzz...