From Telegraph to NBN
There is a lot of excitement about the Government’s rollout of the National Broadband Network in Ipswich as it will improve our capability and speed in communications and information gathering. In 1861, the people of Ipswich were just as excited by the opening of the first Telegraph...
Historic fossil sites in and around Ipswich
**ADDENDUM (added 21/07/2015) The following information is for the interest of residents of the Ipswich area. Many readers of our blog are also interested in discovering more about where they can view fossils or in some cases fossick. There are a number of conservation areas in Ipswich where evidence...
Ipswich Railway Station
The above picture is of the first Ipswich Railway Station, which was also the first Queensland Railway Station. It opened in August 1865 and the first station master was John Scorra. He lived in the upstairs part of the building. The staion’s walls were corrugated iron, with an...
Picture Puzzle – Do you recognise these men?
Many of the images in Picture Ipswich have been kindly provided by the community. Along the way gems have come to light that are unable to be identified or important information is missing and because of this we need the community’s help. We are always looking for photos...
New additions to the Local History Room collection
The collection in the Viva Cribb Local History Resource Room has recently increased with the addition of a number of books about different aspects of Ipswich’s history. The authors of In heavenly garb : the headstones of the Ipswich General Cemetery examine the city’s past through the symbols on the...
Spring has sprung!
Spring is in the air and the people of Ipswich can start enjoying the fruits of their labours in the garden. Flowers, trees and bushes are all blossoming and showing their prettiest faces. Of all the gardens, that Ipswich has had the pleasure of enjoying, the best...
Ipswich City Vice-Regal Band
The Viva Cribb Local History Room has recently acquired the newly published Viva Cribb Bursary winner book by Maurine Lyon entitled “The Regals: History of the Ipswich City Vice-Regal Band”. The book focuses on the history of the band from its origins in Ipswich in 1890 by founders Hancock...
Box Flat mine disaster – 40 years later
Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Box Flat mine disaster which occured this day in 1972. At 2:45am on the morning of Monday the 31st of July a huge underground explosion ripped through Boxflat mine at Swanbank entombing fourteen men, eight of which were Mines Rescue Workers; another three miners...
Picture Puzzle
Many of the images in Picture Ipswich have been kindly provided by the community. Along the way gems have come to light that are unable to be identified or important information is missing and because of this we need the community’s help. We are always looking for photos...