Anyone that’s lived in the area of Ipswich, Queensland for awhile would hopefully be aware of its rich and diverse heritage. But for the visitor just passing through, the significance of the city may go unrecognised. To test your knowledge of all things Ipswich, here’s a couple of snippets.
The Ipswich Grammar School was the first official secondary school in Queensland and the first Grammar School. It was built in 1863 and the architect was Benjamin Backhouse. In 2013, past and present pupils and staff as well as the local community celebrated the school’s 150th year of operation. The history of the school has been recorded in a book by Sophie Church called The Story of Ipswich Grammar School 1863-2013 and can be borrowed from the library.
Ipswich Grammar School Jubilee group, Ipswich, ca. 1913 – Image courtesy of Picture Ipswich
The city’s earliest water supply – besides the collection of rain water – was a natural spring situated in the Old Pump Yard (the block on which the RSL Memorial Hall now stands) or water taken from the Bremer River. Since the river water was often brackish, the council explored other options. A site was eventually selected at Kholo on the Brisbane River and when the waterworks was officially opened on 31 August 1878, Ipswich gained the first pumped water supply in Queensland. The waterworks featured a pumping station that pumped water up into a concrete reservoir on a nearby hilltop and from here, the water flowed to Ipswich along a pumpline.
Pumping Station at Kholo, Ipswich, ca 1925 – Image courtesy of Picture Ipswich
If you’re keen to check out more of the great history of this city, then take a look at one or more of the heritage trails produced by the Ipswich City Council. There’s a wide variety – everything from churches & cemeteries to country pubs.
Information taken from : “Expanded Ipswich Heritage Study Volume, (Mt Crosby area)” 1997 and Picture Ipswich.