🌳 Queens Park: 160 Years of Ipswich's Iconic Green Space

Last week we polled you, and the result was loud and clear—93.4% said yes to expanding our coverage beyond houses. So we're widening the lens, starting today with Queens Park, then tackling Swanbank's past and future, the Railway Workshops, and more iconic Ipswich spots.

Queens Park has shaped Ipswich for more than 160 years. From its 1864 beginnings as a botanic garden to today's free zoo, Nerima Gardens, limestone terraces and Incinerator Theatre, it's a local landmark worth rediscovering.

Explore Queens Park's timeline:

• 1842 — Henry Wade reserves 80 acres at Woodend for a public recreation and botanic garden, but that site is never developed.
• 1858 — Government approves the current site east of town as a 207-acre botanic and recreation reserve.
• 1864 — Queens Park is laid out with Walter Hill’s plan and first plantings.
• 1891 — The central ~62 acres are gazetted as the permanent Park Reserve.
• 1915 — Curator F.W. Turley begins, boosting figs, palms and bougainvillea across the park.
• 1932–1936 — Depression works build the limestone terraces, steps and gateways that shape today’s paths.
• 1935 — Walter Burley Griffin’s municipal incinerator is built (later adapted as the Incinerator Theatre in 1969).
• 1936 — The park’s free native-fauna zoo begins as the Queens Park menagerie.
• 2001 — Nerima Gardens opens on the old nursery site as a Japanese-style garden.
• 2002 — Queens Park enters the Queensland Heritage Register (Place ID 602356).

Explore More Iconic Queens Park →

In this week's SPOTLIGHT: our quarterly Ipswich Insider Pulse report.

See what locals actually clicked:

• Top Polls
• Top Events
• Top Spotlights
• Top Bulletin Posters
• Top News Headlines
• And Top Iconic Homes

Learn what's working, what we're going to double-down on, and where attention flowed this quarter.

(Big winners: Pocket guide to Ipswich, Urban Legends...)

See Edition #002 →

Want a poster here? Details →

⛑️ First Aid Training in Ipswich with Australian Training Institute (RTO 30200): CPR (HLTAID009), First Aid (HLTAID011), Childcare (HLTAID012), LVR+CPR, plus Advanced First Aid/Resuscitation. Blended or face-to-face. See more details →

✈️ Ipswich Civic Centre — Come From Away: Final weekend, Sep 19-21. Three performances only, tickets from $69. Book fast →

🎭 PLAY: COMEDY... Secret Bridesmaids’ Business — Elizabeth Coleman’s comedy about a wedding weekend unraveling, staged at the historic Incinerator Theatre, Queens Park. Season Sep 17–Oct 4, 7:30pm nights, Sunday matinees 2pm. Book your spot here →

🌄 $1.8+million (estimated) Tallegalla — 52-acre hilltop estate with sweeping views, pool, dual living, fenced paddocks, four dams, cattle yards, machinery sheds, main home plus studio, solar, and 100,000L rainwater. See full listing →

🗳️ Vote

🤔 Trivia

🧩 Scramble

📍 GuessWhere

How to play: Look close at the photo, guess where it was taken from in Ipswich. Click the link and drop your pin to see how close you can get.

GuessWhere →

🚓 Ram-Raid And Fire Gut Redbank Plains Shops

Police say a stolen MG was used to smash through a tobacconist on Redbank Plains Road about 5am, before offenders looted the store and fled in a second MG. Fire spread to an adjoining shop; detectives declared a crime scene and appealed for dashcam.

💰 State Releases 6.1ha For Bundamba Housing

Economic Development Queensland released 6.1 hectares on Mary Street, Bundamba—two housing parcels (2.21ha and 1.62ha) and a 0.86ha mixed-use lot. The serviced, development-ready sites aim to accelerate supply, with tenders open under the state’s one-million-homes push.

🏗️ $80m Transit Lounges To Include Ipswich Hospital

Seven hospitals will receive new or expanded transit lounges under an $80 million program, with Ipswich among the sites. The lounges add capacity to move patients out of ED and wards faster, with all facilities targeted to be operating by late 2026.

🏛️ Eight-And-A-Half Years For Raceview Baby Manslaughter

Andrew William Campbell, 45, was jailed for eight-and-a-half years over the 2019 manslaughter of eight-month-old Dexter Wilton in Raceview. The court heard the infant was neglected while the adults used drugs; parole eligibility is set for September 2026.

🏉 Wynnum Ends Jets’ Cup Run 34–12

Wynnum Manly defeated the Ipswich Jets 34–12 at Kougari Oval to reach the preliminary final. The result ends Ipswich’s Hostplus Cup campaign for 2025; Wynnum advances to the next week of finals.

Quick-fire snippets—local buzz & chatter:

• 🚧 Night Works: Blackstone Road, Silkstone (7pm–5am to 28 Oct) →
• 🏃‍♂️ Ipswich Sports Awards: 34 Finalists Announced →
• 🎓 Rosewood State School Celebrates 150 Years →
• 🤠 Galvanized Festival Concludes (Highlights) →
• 🦖 Dinosaur Discovery, Nicholas Street Precinct (22 Sep–4 Oct) →
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Discover Ipswich: September School Holidays Guide →
• 🚗 Cars Stolen At Powercruise (Queensland Raceway) →
• 🏉 IRL Grand Finals: Redbank Plains A-Grade; Brothers (Reserves); Swifts (Volunteers Cup) →
• 🏛️ BBC: Ipswich (Qld) Mayor Visits Ipswich, UK →
• 🪖 Springfield Police 24-Hour Weighted Ruck, 24–25 Sep →
• 🏏 Cricket Ipswich Season Launch & Baxter Oval Lights Opening (12 Sep) →

🎭 Musical: Come From Away — final weekend. True story of kindness in Gander, Newfoundland after 9/11. Last shows Fri–Sun (19–21 Sept) at Ipswich Civic Centre. See showtimes →

Secret Bridesmaids' Business — Elizabeth Coleman's sharp wedding-night comedy — plays presented by Ipswich Little Theatre Society at the heritage listed Incinerator Theatre, Queens Park, 17 Sep–4 Oct. Shows 7:30pm Fri–Sat; 2pm Sun. Book your spot here →

Black Snake Creek Festival (Marburg) — Sat 20 Sep, 8am–3pm at Marburg Community Park & Queen St. Markets, live music, food and an art show — this year’s theme is “Celebrating Our Community.” Details →

Wednesday (17 September)

🆓 Mervyn Patterson Hall – Ipswich Girls’ Grammar Arts Showcase 6-8pm details

🍻🍽️ Banshees Bar and Artspace - Open Mic 6 PM info

🍻🍽️ Monte Lane Wine Bar - Trivia 6:30-8 PM info

Thursday (18 September)

💵 Queensland Museum Rail Workshops - Little Engineers (ages 2–5) 10am info

🆓 Ipswich State High School – Hair & Beauty Showcase Night 5:30-8:30pm details

🍻🍽️ Club Services Ipswich - Trivia 6:30 PM info

🍻🍽️ Orion Hotel - Trivia 7-10 PM ($1) details

🍻🍽️ Banshees Bar and Artspace - Karaoke 8 PM info

Friday (19 September)

💵 Imbibis Craft Distillery - Tour & tasting 2pm details

🆓 Wendon Way Park (Wacol) – Platypus Walk 4-6pm info

💵 Banshees Bar & Artspace - The Salty Sirens 7-10:30pm info

💵 Hotel Metropole – Sydney Hotshots Lady’s Night 7:30pm ($37) more info

Saturday (20 September)

🆓 Robelle Domain – Yoga 6-6:45am details

🆓 Rosewood Markets 7-11am info

🆓 36 Springfield Parkway - Protea Delights biltong store Grand Opening 9am info

🆓 North Ipswich Reserve – Grant writing workshop 9am-3pm info

💵 Orion Shopping Centre - Vapiano kids pizza masterclass 10am book fast

🆓 Ipswich Art Gallery - The Artists Lounge 10am-4pm more info

💵 Banshees Bar & Artspace - Improv with AltCity Mechanics 4pm tickets

🍻🍽️ Hotel Commonwealth – Music: 80s Tribute 9:30pm info

💵 Walloon Hotel – Bangers & Bingo 6-10pm ($35) info

Sunday (21 September)

🆓 RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre – Open Day 9am-3pm info

🆓 Orion – Springfield Markets 9am-4pm info

🆓 Ipswich Junior Grammar School – David Attenborough ‘Ocean’ screening 10am-12pm info

Monday (22 September)

🆓 Riverlink - Basketball World 10am-2pm

💵 YMCA Springfield Lakes Community Centre - September School Holiday Program All week 10-11:30am info

Tuesday (23 September)

🆓 Queens Park Environmental Education Centre - Kids workshop 9:30am info