TOGETHER WITH

Colton Villa: Hiding on Ipswich's most interesting road

Briggs Road might be the most interesting road in the Ipswich LGA.

1 road – 4 suburbs: Ipswich, Eastern Heights, Raceview and Flinders View.

Industry. Sports. Cemetery.

Boral. Heidelberg. Sapar. Ipswich Hockey. The Briggs Road Sporting Complex. Ipswich General Cemetery. And the council depot at the old tip.

Tucked away at the northern end is a small cluster of great old homes most locals have never noticed.

This week's feature is one of them.

Colton Villa. A 1905 brick Queenslander built by an English bricklayer who left his mark twice on the same street.

Get the full story →

The Rise of Ripley (Part 2): The Masterplan

Drive past Ripley Town Centre and you see Coles and the carpark solar.

The 2011 Masterplan saw something very different.

12 storey buildings.

Apartments above shops.

A future train station.

Think Springfield Central, not Karalee shopping village.

All of it was locked into one document, and it's still running the valley today: the Ripley Valley Priority Development Area Development Scheme.

Today, in Part 2 of The Rise of Ripley, we walk you through what it's all about.

11 custom graphics and some remarkable renders.

See the vision →

$1.8m+ Est, Brookwater: A character home on Rufous Crescent is open for inspection this Saturday at 11am. It has five bedrooms, three living areas, a study, 873m² block and fairway views over Brookwater Golf Course. Check the listing here →

RESULTS: Top Things To Do Ipswich – Over the last few weeks, you cast 2,973 upvotes and downvotes across 45 different things to do in Ipswich. Now check the results. Can you guess what’s the best thing to do? See the top five here →

Ipswich Show On All Weekend: Rides, showbags, animals, food, fireworks and classic country show chaos are back at Ipswich Showgrounds from Friday to Sunday. Check times and tickets here →

Almost 8,000 Locals: Thanks to everyone who reads this little Ipswich newsletter. It is genuinely a joy to put together each week. We’re now closing in on 8,000 subscribers, with readers from nearly 70 of Ipswich’s 82 suburbs. See the subscriber map here →

🗳️ Vote

🤔 Trivia

🧩 Scramble

Unscramble your GuessWhere hint

📍 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 #061 →

🚫 Inland Rail Cut Hits Ebenezer Plans

The federal government has scaled back Inland Rail, focusing on Beveridge-to-Parkes after the full Melbourne-Brisbane project estimate rose above $45 billion. That clouds the Ebenezer inland port vision, once tied to 3,500 Ipswich jobs by 2041. ABC News →

🚆 Toowoomba Rail Push Revived Through Ipswich And Rosewood

Ipswich, Toowoomba and Lockyer Valley councils are pushing “The Range”, a proposal to extend the electrified Ipswich-Rosewood line to Withcott. It keeps western rail advocacy alive after the Inland Rail cut, but there is no funded project yet. Facebook →

🛒 Woolworths West Brassall Opens $50m Shopping Village

Woolworths West Brassall officially opened on 7 May, bringing a new supermarket and 15 specialty shops to the $50 million Emerald Hill neighbourhood centre. It gives north-west Ipswich another grocery anchor and everyday retail hub in a fast-growing part of Brassall. Facebook →

🏛️ Free Nicholas Street Parking Deal Approved

Ipswich City Council approved five free Nicholas Street Precinct car parks for the Ipswich Trades Hall and Labour Day Committee. The arrangement is estimated to cost ratepayers $32,500 a year and drew transparency concerns. Local Ipswich News →

🚨 $38m Ripley Police Headquarters Opens

The $38 million Ripley Police Facility officially opened in May, with a three-level complex now serving as Ripley’s station and Ipswich District Headquarters. It houses more than 200 police and staff, including 30 extra officers for the fast-growing Ripley area. myPolice →

Quick-fire snippets—local buzz & chatter:

• 👶 Mater Springfield Welcomes First Baby →
• 🚗 Old Limestone Street Car Yard Comes Down →
• 🌱 Free Compost Gear Opens For Ipswich Households →
• 🐕 Limestone Park Dog Area Moves Into Construction →
• 🔬 Springfield Quantum Lab Opens To Industry →
• 🏃 Jude Thomas Claims National Mile Title →
• 🏉 Jets Hold Top Four After Rockhampton Draw →
• 🎖️ Ipswich Railway RSL Sub Branch Marks 90 Years →

Wednesday (13 May)

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

🍻🍽️ General Public - Trivia 6:30 PM info

Thursday (14 May)

🆓 Ipswich Art Gallery - NEW: On Planar 10am-3pm DAILY info

🍻🍽️ Banshees Bar and Artspace - Karaoke 6pm info

💵 Everyday Mums Hub - Zumba class 6:30-7:30pm ($12) details

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

Friday (15 May)

🆓 Rosewood Community Centre - Facials for a cause 9am-5pm book →

💵 Banshees Bar and Artspace - Fun with Explosives Southeast Asphyxia Tour 26 7pm-late tickets

Saturday (16 May)

🆓 Rosewood Anglican Church Markets 7-11am info

🆓 John Street Reserve, Rosewood - Community Planting 8:30-10:30am details

💵 Rusty Nail Bar - Cocktail class 12-2pm ($65) details

Sunday (17 May)

🍻🍽️ Willowbank Raceway - The Car Marathon 7am info

🆓 Booval Country Markets 7am-1pm info

💵 Lake Manchester Day Use Area - RUNHER RACES women-only trail runs 7:30-11:30am ($39-90) info

🆓 Orion Springfield Central - Springfield Markets 9am-4pm details

🆓 Orion Hotel - Kids Rave 10am-12pm info

💵 Ipswich Art Workshop - Manikin making art workshop ($30+) info

Monday (18 May)

🆓 Weekly Adventure Walk + coffee (BYO) - with Kez and crew from @thingstodoIpswich 9-10am info

💵 Event Cinemas Orion - Ipswich Thriving Seniors Movie & Mingle 10am-1pm ($8) details

Tuesday (19 May)

💵 Dandiiri Room, Nicholas St - Youth Speak final 5:30-9:30pm ($30-$100) tickets

—Jamey (Support Monthly · Facebook · Instagram)
Eastern Heights, Ipswich, QLD 4305
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