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INSIDER #078: What’s that giant white ball on the hill?
Published 2 months ago • 6 min read
Let’s find out what that giant white ball on the hill at Redbank Plains is actually for. And see who won the 2 tickets to Grease. Then have a go at this week’s Swicheroo and GuessWhere. Details below. Catch ya round.
👀 The Curious Case of the Giant White Ball
You know that giant white ball you see from the Centenary Highway?
The one up on the hill near Redbank Plains and White Rock?
What even is that? What’s inside it? And were scientists really trying to make it rain?
Congrats to Darlene from Deebing Heights, winner of our 2 tickets to Grease at Ipswich Civic Centre on Friday 18 September.
Enjoy the show, Darlene!
Ipswich Musical Theatre Company is bringing Grease to Ipswich Civic Centre from 12–20 September, with all the songs, dancing and Danny-and-Sandy drama you know from the classic musical.
The first two shows on 12 and 13 September are already sold out, with tickets still available for 18, 19 and 20 September — but all three are selling fast.
Brighton House c.1886 – Open for inspection this Saturday 12 September at 12:45pm, 14 Whitehill Road, Newtown. Set on a 1,039m² corner block, it features wraparound verandahs, bay windows, a heated pool and a separate shed office with its own bathroom. View the listing →
$15 Cooneana After Dark – Explore the 1868 homestead by lamplight, watch blacksmiths at work and hear cemetery tales from Jack Sim. Friday 11 September, 6–9pm, at Cooneana Heritage Centre, New Chum. Not suitable for children under 12. Book your tickets →
Know your suburbs? Put your local geography to the test with Which ’Swich, our Ipswich suburb guessing game. Identify the highlighted suburb on the map and see how many you can get right. Play the game →
STEP INSIDE two great Ipswich houses this Saturday 12 September. The Chestnuts and Rhossilli are opening their doors from 10am–2pm for Great Places of Ipswich. Just $5 per person, per house, with online bookings essential. Book now! →
🗳️ Vote
If you won Thursday’s $5 million Powerball, would you still live in Ipswich?
🗑️ Ipswich Households Can Choose a Free Tip Voucher or Kerbside Collection
From 1 September, each Ipswich household can choose a free tip voucher or a 2m³ blue bag kerbside collection once per financial year. The voucher covers one load of up to 500kg of household waste at Riverview or Rosewood Resource Recovery Centre. Get your free tip voucher →
🏘️ Ipswich Passes 275,000 Residents as 167 People Arrive Each Week
Figures released on 3 September put Ipswich’s population above 275,000, with an average of 167 people moving to the city each week. Council says its response includes keeping land available for homes and supporting housing affordability. 7NEWS Facebook video →
🚒 Fire Severely Damages Haigslea’s Sundowner Saloon
Fire severely damaged Falvey’s Sundowner Saloon at Haigslea on 3 September, causing part of the Warrego Highway pub’s roof to collapse. A worker was treated for smoke inhalation and a nearby petrol station was evacuated, while firefighters stopped flames reaching the adjoining bottle shop. ABC News →
🏥 Mater Springfield Passes 10,000 Emergency Department Visits
Mater Hospital Springfield’s emergency department has recorded more than 10,000 visits in its first few months, averaging about 130 patients a day. The expanded hospital provides emergency, maternity and surgical care closer to home for families across Greater Springfield and Ipswich. Local Ipswich News →
🔥 South Ripley Bushfire Sends Smoke Across Deebing Heights and Nearby Suburbs
A bushfire between Bayliss, Coleman and Ripley roads sent thick smoke across Deebing Heights and surrounding suburbs, prompting warnings on 7 September. Residents were advised to stay indoors with windows and doors closed where smoke was thick, and check for warning updates. ABC Emergency →
Hardrock Quarry has operated in Redbank Plains since the 1980s. Run by Cumner Contracting, it extracts trachyte, a volcanic rock, and supplies mainly gravel. Its licence allows extraction and screening of up to one million tonnes a year. Atrio Property’s proposed HQ development could eventually transform the broader 186-hectare site into more than 1,000 homes.
GuessWhere Answer:
📍Taken from Aldinga Street, Redbank Plains looking at the big white sphere located on top of Mount Juillerat inside Hardrock Quarry.
This Week's Trivia Answer:
B. Mount Juillerat. Hardrock Quarry cuts into this Redbank Plains hill, with the CP2 radar’s giant white dome at its summit. A family history links the hill’s name to Swiss settlers Friedrich and Elise Juillerat, who arrived in Australia in 1871.