discoveripswich.com.au
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Queensland incontinuoususe,whileStPaul’s
AnglicanChurchwasbuilt in 1859 justbefore this
stateseparated from itssoutherncounterpart,
resulting in the landmarkbeing laudedas ‘thenicest
church inNewSouthWales’ forashort time.The
Gothic-spiredStMary’sCatholicChurchmade
fromHelidonsandstone, isan imposing Ipswich
landmark.
Ifyou’d like togo furtherafieldand inhale some
countryair, follow the leisurelyCobb&Co.
TouristDrive retracing thehistoricalCobb&Co.
mail route that commenced in 1866 from Ipswich
toToowoomba. Youcan stopoff foravisit atThe
WorkshopsRailMuseum inNorth Ipswichfirst,
thenheadout following theeasilyvisible ‘wagon
wheel’ touristdrivesignposting, throughWulkuraka
and then into the idyllicpastoral scenery.
Fromhere, small townsdot theroute, eachworthy
ofastop-off–Rosewoodboastsastateheritage-
listedCourtHouseandPoliceStation,while
Grandchesterhas theexquisitelymaintained,oldest
survivingrailwaystation inQueensland,built in
1865. Furtheralong, thePioneerVillageMuseum in
Laidley is fascinating forallages. Youcanspend
hourssoakingup thepioneeringambience, looking
athistoricartefactsgalore, andwalking through
buildingssuchasa fully furnishedslabhutwithant
bedoven, 110year-oldschoolhouse, andpost
office. Then there’s thepicturesque little township
ofForestHill,withquaintcafesandgiftshops, and
on toGatton,Helidon,SpringBluff, andfinally
Toowoomba.
Therearenumeroushistoricregionalprecincts
around Ipswich,withself-guidedPrecinctHeritage
Trailsbrochuresavailableat the IpswichVisitor
InformationCentre. Aswellas thoseon theCobb
&Co. route, thepretty townofMarburg justoff the
WarregoHighway isa former timber-getting town
withseveralhistoricbuildings including
Woodlands, ahugeplantation-stylemansionbuilt
in 1890. Or there’s thesmall townshipofWalloon,
justeastofRosewood,where theWalloonHotel
and formerschoolwerebothbuilt in 1877. It’salso
renowned fora tragedyof twoyoungsisters
drowning in 1891, immortalised inHenryLawson’s
poem,BabiesofWalloon, and inamemorial statue
in the town.
Then thereare theGoodnaandRedbankregions,
whichhavehistoricpubs, cemeteries, churches,
coalminingartefacts (thefirst recordedcoalmine
inQueenslandwas inRedbank), andsignificant
sites for the indigenous Jagera,Yuggeraand
UgarapulPeople.
Perhapsyou’dprefer tositbackandbe takenaround
rather thanDIY? Themonthly IpswichHeritageBus
Toursare just the thing.Theexpertguideswill take
you toseehistoricpubs, statelycivicbuildings,
beautifully-maintainedheritagehousesandgrand
churches. You’ll learn littlegemsof information,
suchasaparticularchristening font froma
well-knownchurchwentmissingandendedup in
someone’sbackyardasabirdbath!Luckily, itwas
retrieved, restoredand isback in its rightfulplace.
Foraveryspecialopportunity tosee insidesomeof
themanystatelyhomesof thishistoricprovincial
city, it’sagreat idea toplanavisit tocoincidewith
the twice-yearlyeventknownas
GreatHouses of
Ipswich.
Operatedby theNationalTrustof
Queensland, threeprivatelyownedheritagehouses
areopen to thepublic from 10am-3pm,with the
choicechangingeach time. Housespreviously
featured includeFederationFiligreehome, Fairy
Knoll,whichoverlooks thecity fromEastern
Heights–onceamaternalandchildwelfarehome
and thenarespitehome for the intellectually
disabledbeforereturning toaprivateresidence–
andBowerlea, agracefulCalifornian-bungalow
styleresidence,built in 1929 forFlorenceFox,
daughterof theMayorat the time.
Withall theseandmanymoreoptions for
glimpsing intoabygoneera,perhapsanovernight
stay isagood ideasoyoucansoak itallup.
SPENDHOURS SOAKINGUP
THE PIONEERING AMBIENCE
AND LOOKING AT HISTORIC
ARTEFACTS GALORE.
FormerTechnicalCollegewithheritage trailmarker
Cobb&CoHeritagePark,Rosewood
WoodlandsofMarburg
