Ipswich is preparing to say goodbye to 2020 by planning over 220 events in music, sports, food and entertainment for 2021. As the second stage of the Nicholas Street Precinct redevelopment is underway, the Ipswich City Council has unveiled exciting major events that locals and visitors can look forward to in the coming year.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding highlighted some of these council-supported events:
It comes as the anticipated annual CMC Rocks won’t return until 2022. Ms Harding said that the Council’s liaising team was working with the promoters for several weeks to examine how CMC Rocks could proceed.
Photo Credit: Ipswich City Council
However, the event promoters decided to skip staging a 2021 event despite its economic, social and cultural benefits to the region.
“We have had to endure some tough times this year and everyone has had to make some tough decisions. But I think our community understands and will look forward to the next CMC Rocks with even greater enthusiasm,” the mayor said.
Motorists using the on-street and off-street parking spaces around the Ipswich city centre will enjoy new parking options under two types of free parking trials adopted by the Ipswich City Council.
The trials were introduced on Monday, 26 Oct 2020, and will run until the end of April 2021.
The scheme will cover around 3,500 unrestricted or time-managed parking spaces, whilst approximately 710 spaces will be subjected to priced parking.
Parking trial 1 includes the free use of CBD parking spaces for 15 minutes. Parking trial 2 includes the lifting of the time and pay restrictions of on-street parking during Saturdays, from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Photo Credit: Ipswich City Council
Motorists are encouraged to look at the new City of Ipswich Parking Pricing Strategy and share their comments or feedback about the free parking trials in the comment box.
Prior to the trial, Ipswich City Council’s parking pricing around the CBD were as follows:
TIME
PRICE
0.5 hr
$0.70
1 hr
$1.40
2 hrs
$2.80
3 hrs
$4.20
4 hrs
$5.60
9 hrs
$7.00
“It is great news for the business community and for people coming to the CBD. Some of the most common complaints have been from motorists having to pay for a brief stop in the city centre,” Deputy Mayor Marnie Doyle said. “[Feedback] is particularly important at this time, with the Ipswich Central redevelopment nearing completion, that we learn what works best for motorists and businesses in the CBD.”
Craving for a scoopful of happiness? Here’s how you can snag free ice cream for three months!! Ungermann Brothers at Limestone Street in Ipswich has created a gourmet Mystery Go Pink ice cream for Breast Cancer Awareness month this October, and you can win free ice cream if you can guess this secret flavour.
To taste the ice cream (hint: it’s pink and has nuts!), take home a tub or buy a scoop at Ungermann Brothers from their Ipswich store, their Gold Coast outlet, or online. Each purchase is equivalent to an entry stub, which gives you a chance to guess the mystery flavour.
Part of the proceeds of this contest will go towards the West Moreton Breast Cancer Research Project to boost projects like establishing a virtual breast cancer care clinic or improving support facilities for after-surgery procedures.
“What we want to do is expand on the existing after-surgery consultations, which focus on physical assessment and symptom management, to provide a comprehensive assessment of patient’s psychosocial health and quality of life,” West Moreton Health’s McGrath Breast Care Nurse Karen Miles said.
Ungermann Brothers Ipswich will continue to accept online orders for delivery until Friday, 23 Oct 2020 but you may keep guessing the mystery flavour in-store until the end of the month.
The winner will be notified on or before 9 Nov 2020. Follow their Facebook page for updates.
Ungermann Brothers is owned and managed by Danny Ungermann, who left the corporate world more than seven years ago to concentrate on this local business. All ingredients at the ice cream sources are locally sourced and prepared in-house.
Key roads in the Springfield region will undergo major upgrades in 2021 under the Springfield Greenbank Arterial (SGA) Duplication project. Work will start with Stage 3, which covers Eden Station Drive to Sinnathamby Boulevard.
According to MP Charis Mullen, the Ipswich City Council decided to change the SGA sequencing to start with Stage 3 “given the other major projects in the area.”
“This was in a letter sent to residents recently,” Ms Mullen said.
“The overall project includes 3.9 km of road duplication and shared path upgrades. The project is set to be the largest single road project in the Council’s history,” the fact sheet stated. “With such a large capital cost to the Council, if delivered in a single year, the project would consume over half of the typical capital works budget. By spreading the costs across a number of stages, the project can be delivered over multiple years, and allows for Council to continue to deliver its usual portfolio of new roads, road rehabilitation, open space, drainage and facilities project.”
The Ipswich Central Library is set to open soon as the building’s construction is in the process of completing this October.
“Ipswich Central Library is a very practical name for the new general library that aligns with naming conventions of other libraries across the city,” Ipswich Central Redevelopment Committee chairperson Deputy Mayor Marnie Doyle said.
Photo Credit: Nicholas Street
Tulmur Place will be the name of the new civic square, where entertainment and community events will take place.
“Tulmur means Ipswich in the universal Indigenous language and I very pleased this council has seen fit to recognise our city’s Indigenous heritage in selecting this name for the new civic plaza,” Ms Doyle said.
The laneway will still retain its more commonly known name as Bottle Alley.
“While the laneway has been widely known as Bottle Alley for many years, it has in fact never been officially named. Today’s decision locks in the name.”
The new precinct will be generally known as Nicholas Street Precinct, covering Brisbane, Ellenborough, Bremer and Bell streets.
“Retaining the Nicholas Street Precinct name makes sense because it is a well-known and long established name for the area. It has also been widely used in recent years in marketing and promotion for the precinct.”
Photo Credit: Nicholas Street
Five key spaces, including the children’s library and the new council administration building, will still need names once the new CBD’s development is completed. Many of the residents’ suggested recognised personalities like tennis superstar Ash Barty and bagpiper Joe McGee, as well as the region’s first peoples.
Located 40 minutes outside of Brisbane CBD, Nicholas Street will become the trade centre for 215,000 residents. Apart from the library and the civic plaza, the site will also become a commercial, retail, lifestyle and dining precinct with the first shops opening by mid-2021.
Whilst 62.2 percent of buyers preferred the major cities, more than half of first home buyers had homes 15 to 30 minutes away from the CBD. Nearly 70 percent of the buyers picked detached houses, 25 percent chose apartments whilst fiver percent bought a townhouse unit.
Of the 1850 FHLDS issued in the last six months, 70 percent were homes from the 4350 postcode comprising Toowoomba, Newton and Centenary Heights, among others. About 56 percent of buyers took deposits in Ipswich and the rest of postcode 4305. Postcode 4300, comprising Springfield, Brookwater, Goodna and Camira, was also in the top ten of preferred areas.
Photo Credit: Tumisu/Pixabay
According to Realestate.com.au chief economist Nerida Conisbee, Springfield Lakes is attractive to buyers because there are heaps of new homes and potential building activities.
Queensland introduced the FHLDS on 1 Jan 2020, allowing 10,000 new homeowners to acquire a property by depositing just five percent of the value. Under the scheme, the government serves as the guarantor for the rest of the 15 percent, reducing the cost of mortgage insurance that normally comes with a 20 percent deposit for house purchases.
The days of reckless driving, doing burnouts and racing — otherwise known as “hooning” — are numbered in Ipswich as the Police Minister announced a crackdown on these activities with a new law and the installation of new high-tech cameras.
Minister for Police and Minister for Corrective Services Mark Ryan said that the Government plans to shift the “onus of proof” to the owner of the vehicle. Under this law, the burden of proof will be on the car owners’ shoulders if they claim that they weren’t driving when the offence was committed.
To complement this proposed new law, upgraded high-tech cameras with night vision will be installed across traffic networks in the state. Traffic police will also be equipped with a new fleet of drones to go after the hoons.
“These changes will provide police with enhanced flexibility when dealing with gatherings of hoons,” Mr Ryan said in a statement. “For example, if dozens of cars were hooning in a particular location, police would be able to use these new hi-tech cameras to capture images of all the vehicles.
“The high-resolution images would allow police to identify each vehicle, and then proceed to take action against the registered owner, unless the owner could demonstrate they weren’t driving at the time.
Photo Credit: Life-Of-Pix/Pixabay
“The expanded laws would apply to a greater range of traffic offences caught on camera. An offender would no longer be able to avoid prosecution by simply masking their identities and denying they had been behind the wheel.”
Charges of hooning or theft shall be filed against the drivers. Charis Mullen MP, the State Member for Jordan, welcomed the move given that Ipswich is a known hooning hotspot in Queensland.
“Hooning is a serious issue in our #Jordan community and our residents are rightly fed up!” Ms Mullen said in a post on Facebook. “Thank you to all those who have contacted me about this – I have used your experiences to help push for more action.”
Current Hooning Strategy
Roads in Queensland already have these hooning tactics:
Intelligence-driven enforcement with covert patrols
Monitoring of all forms of social media to take swift action
Commissioner Katarina Carroll of the Queensland Police Service commended the additional strategy.
“Hooning is not only anti-social in its impacts on the community, but potentially life-endangering for the hoons and innocent road users,” Ms Carroll said. “The community rightly expects hooning behaviour to be addressed and the QPS remains committed to targeting hoons and other unsafe driving behaviours.”
About 7,005 new residents moved to Ipswich for the previous financial year, increasing the city’s total population to 3.16 percent or 228,544, latest statistics revealed.
According to the Planning and Regulatory Services Annual report, nearly 2,500 new houses were built in the city from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020. Spring Mountain continues to have the highest population growth with 1,247 new residents followed by Redbanks Plain with 900. South Ripley, Bellbird Park and Ripley also gained new residents and new dwellings.
Photo Credit: Ipswich City Council
The increase does not surprise Mayor Teresa Harding who said that many people are slowly recognising the benefits of living in this city.
“Ipswich is one of the most liveable regions in Queensland. Our beautiful parks and natural areas, world-class heritage sites and vibrant local restaurant scene attract a diverse range of new residents every day,” Ms Harding said.
However, with an increasing population, Ms Harding said that Council will need to “gear-up” with developments and improvements with the help of the State and Federal governments.
“Our growing communities will require new infrastructure and services and this Council is committed to ensuring both the State and Federal governments understand the current and future investment opportunities.”
Photo Credit: Vc1988/ CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
In line with this, the Council is asking for inputs from residents on a number of issues, especially for flood control and catchment management.
“The new plan goes above and beyond basic flood mitigation and as such will guide council’s action and future investment in everything from land use planning and new infrastructure, through to community awareness and ecosystem health,” Ms Harding said.
Seven talented Ipswich artists will be making their debut at the Brisbane Street Art Festival and their murals will be showcased across the city for two days this August 2020.
Fintan Magee, Emily Devers, Ash Taylor, Gus Eagleton, Jordache, Styna and Rachael Sarra are the first group of artists to get involved in this festival’s five-year history. They’ve been painting in different areas around the city from 27 July until 2 Aug 2020.
If you’re keen to check out their work, mark these sites for the public viewing on 8 to 9 Aug. 2020, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The artists will also be on-site to engage the viewers. However, everyone is expected to observe social distancing and other safety protocols against virus transmission.
ARTIST
LOCATION
Fintan Magee @fintan_magee on Instagram
Limestone St Centre, Ipswich (facing South St)
Gus Eagleston @instaguss on Instagram
Nicholas St Precinct
Emily Devers @emily.devers on Instagram
Ipswich Art Gallery, d’Arcy Doyle Place
Ash Taylor @ashtaylr on Instagram
Circa 160 Dancing Bean, 164 Brisbane Street
Jordache @itsjordache on Instagram
Fire Station 101, 101 Limestone St
STYNA @stynabyna on Instagram
Studio 188, 188 Brisbane St
Rachael Sarra @sar.ra__ on Instagram * She will begin painting 10 Aug 2020
Ipswich Health Plaza, 15 Bell St (Visible from East Street)
To check the artists’ profiles, visit the Ipswich Festivals official site. Follow Ipswich Festivals on Facebook for the artists’ interviews and upcoming socially-distanced workshops.
Lincoln Savage, the Brisbane Street Art Festival director, said that Ipswich’s urban spaces provide these artists “a unique canvas” to “highlight the local culture and history” as well as develop new stories that will enhance and reinvigorate the CBD.
Ipswich has some of the most incredible but underrated walking trails in Queensland that both casual and experienced walkers. Only less than an hour’s drive from Brisbane CBD, Ipswich walks are family-friendly and well-suited for prams and wheelchairs.
Time to put on your most comfortable shoes and check out these best sites to visit:
Springfield Lakes Promenade
The Promenade is an easy stretch that features a section of the Springfield Lakes. It starts off on Springfield Lakes Blvd and down to the Waterside Reserve.
Public artworks of metal crocodiles and other designs are scattered all around the walking paths so it makes for a nice and interesting walk with the little ones. There’s a barbecue area and a fenced playground at the Promenade Park and it’s a lovely place to rest or cap off a Sunday afternoon romp with family.
Within the eastern section of Queens Park is a Japanese garden, an ideal place to find your zen and solace. Nerima Gardens has a few winding paths surrounded by native Australian plants and fir trees, some Japanese-styled bridges across calming ponds, and a verandah overlooking a lake filled with ornate flowers and greens.
If walking helps you think, this is where to go to get those creative juices flowing. This garden is well-maintained and has benches all around if you’d like to just sit, relax, breathe fresh air and relish in Mother Nature’s beauty.
Photo Credit: John Stephens/Google Maps
Denmark Hill Conservation Park
Set at the heart of the city, this Ipswich walk delivers the best views from the west. The old quarry in this area has been closed since 1952, leaving an abundance of natural places to explore for day-trippers, pet owners, birdwatchers and families or groups.
Pick from three different walking tracks — the Waterfall track (200m), the Circuit track (800m) and the Water Tower track (800m). The old water reservoir towers now serve as a climbing spot for visitors to view the best landmarks of Ipswich.
Denmark Hill Conservation Park is also home to the Triassic park, where dinosaur footprints on preserved sandstones are found.
A short drive north of Ipswich city is this gorgeous nature reserve that may be the best place to reset, rejuvenate and recover a peaceful mental state. If you need a break from your hectic life, reconnecting with nature at the Kholo Botanic Gardens should be the fix.
The Kholo Botanic Gardens is a paradise of flora and fauna amidst a spacious green open space. This subtropical bushland offers heaps of walking paths, varying from 400m to 800m.
There’s a bit of history here, too, with the restored and preserved structure of the Redbank Uniting Church from 1904. This is actually a favourite spot for small weddings.
The botanic gardens provide public toilets, drinking water stations, BBQ and picnic areas.
Photo Credit: Sudha_Lyoness/Google Maps
Ipswich Heritage Trail
If you have a full day to spare, reconnect and rediscover the city and join the Ipswich walk through the heritage trail. The “Then and Now” series come highly recommended for both kids and adults who want to learn more about the people, places and events that shaped Ipswich.
You’d surprised at how much fun, educational, and physically rejuvenating the heritage trail walk can be. Secure the maps at the Ipswich Visitor Information Centre at Queens Park if you’d like to set your trail at your own pace.
