The Workshops Rail Museum in North Ipswich

Ipswich is the westernmost city of the Greater Brisbane region in South East Queensland, 44 km west of the City of Brisbane. It had a population of 232,000 in 2021.

Understand

When the Moreton Bay convict settlement was established by Britain, Ipswich was about as far as craft could venture up the Brisbane and Bremer Rivers, and as coal was found here, there was very early European settlement. Because of the coal mines, Ipswich was seen as primarily an industrial centre, however these days Ipswich is more seen as a satellite of Brisbane.

There are still the railway industries, Swanbank power station and RAAF Amberley, but the city has expanded substantially because of its part in the massive expansion of South East Queensland as a very desirable place to live.

For the visitor on the way to Sydney on the Cunningham Highway or Toowoomba on the Warrego Highway, the bypass is usually taken, however the inquiring visitor will find much of interest in this city of 232,000 people (2021).

Get in

By train

Ipswich can be reached from Brisbane via the Caboolture via Brisbane to Ipswich line. This takes approximately an hour and 10 minutes from Roma Street Station. (note that Ipswich and surrounding stations have some of the highest crime rates in Queensland - take caution travelling alone and/or at night.)

• 1 Ipswich railway station, Bell St. (updated Jan 2022)

By car

Ipswich is served by three motorways, though one of them isn't really a "motorway":

• M2 Logan Motorway from Logan City
• M5/A5 Centenary Motorway/Highway from Brisbane
• M15 Cunningham Highway southwest from Warwick and from the New England region of New South Wales.

The M2/A2 Warrego Highway also passes by Ipswich from Toowoomba and other Outback Queensland towns northwest.

See

• 1 Workshops Railway Museum (The Workshops Rail Museum), North St, North Ipswich, ☏ +61 7 3432 5100. Daily 9:30AM–4PM. Contains several railway exhibits and a bit about rail history in Queensland and Australia. (updated Apr 2022)

• 2 Ipswich Art Gallery, D'Arcy Doyle Place, ☏ +61 7 3810 7222. Daily 10AM–5PM. Kids activities, new and local art, historical insights into Ipswich's development and mining town history. (updated Jul 2022)
• Queens Park. Play equipment, lookout, Japanese Gardens, BBQ facilities, kiosk, free access to the nature center (Australian Wildlife) (updated Jul 2022)
  • 3 Ipswich Nature Centre, Tu–Su, school and public holidays 9:30AM–4PM (closed Mondays, Good Friday and Christmas Day), ☏ +61 7 3810 6666. It's not a very large nature centre by all means, but it has a collection of wildlife found in various different regions of Queensland. While some are common throughout Australia, some of their birds might surprise you. Free. (updated Jul 2022)
• 4 Ipswich Historical Society (Cooneana Heritage Site), 1041 Redbank Plains Rd (from Ipswich CBD, travel via Blackstone Road, Mary Street Blackstone, & Redbank Plains Road), ☏ +61 7 3282 0358, ipswichhistoricalsociety@gmail.com. Th-Sa, 2nd and 4th Su 10AM-2PM. $5 per adult. (updated Mar 2018)

Buy

• 1 Riverlink Shopping Centre, cnr Downs Street and The Terrace, ☏ +61 7 3294 5500. (updated Jul 2022)
• 2 Ipswich Antique Centre, 86 East St, ☏ +61 7 3281 2330. Th–M 10AM–5PM. A classic antiques store with some great collectables. (updated Jul 2022)
• 3 Booval Fair Shopping Centre, cnr Brisbane and South Station Rd, ☏ +61 7 3281 0655. (updated Jul 2022)

Eat

• Hog's Breath Cafe Ipswich, 40/42 Brisbane St, ☏ +61 7 3281 5222. (updated Sep 2021)
• UB's Milk Bar, 126 Brisbane St, Ipswich QLD 4305 ☏ +61 415 820 853. (updated Feb 2024)
• The Retro Diner, 195 Brisbane St, Ipswich QLD 4305 ☏ +61 7 3143 9623 (updated Feb 2024)

Sleep

• Quest Ipswich, 57-63 Warwick Rd, ☏ +61 7 3813 6000. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 10AM. (updated Sep 2021)

Go next

Routes through Ipswich

Roma ← Toowoomba ←	W  E	→ Brisbane → END
END ←	N  S	→ Boonah → Warwick → Newcastle