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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ipswich is a city and Local Government Area situated on the Bremer River in South East Queensland, Australia. It is located approximately 40 kilometres south-west of the state capital, Brisbane. The Ipswich LGA comprises an area of 1,207 km² and has a population of approximately 137,000. Attractions include the Ipswich Art Gallery, the Workshops Rail Museum, steam trains, more than 500 parks, wineries, and cafes, restaurants, cinemas and shopping centres. Ipswich hosts regular national and local festivals and events such as the Queensland Open Golf Championships, Ipswich Cup-the city’s annual major horse race, Winternationals car drag races, Ipswich Festival and Ipswich Show. The area was first explored by European colonists in 1826, when Captain Patrick Logan, commandant of the Moreton Bay penal colony, sailed along the river and discovered large deposits of limestone and other minerals. In 1827, the first convicts and overseers arrived to mine the area, and the town that built around this industry became known as Limestone, and is remembered by one of the main streets through the city centre named Limestone Street to this day. In 1843, the settlement officially became known as Ipswich, making Ipswich the oldest provincial city in Queensland. Mining of coal and other valuable minerals continued well into the 20th century. Ipswich has suffered somewhat from this establishment as a mining city, but recent efforts have made strides in improving its reputation. Ipswich was proclaimed as a municipality on March 2, 1860, and became a city in 1904. Ipswich was also originally nominated to become the State Capital of Queensland, as it was the most prominent city due to its mining capabilities, however Brisbane was chosen instead due to it having an ocean port (Port of Brisbane), whereas Ipswich relied on barges coming up and downstream on the Bremer River.