Looking Back with Picture Ipswich – Our Eastern Suburbs
Picture Ipswich was launched in May 2008 and is an online resource containing a collection of historical images, documents and oral histories of people and places in Ipswich. Local history enthusiasts are invited to attend a free “Looking Back with Picture Ipswich” session at the Redbank Plaza Library...
Identifying our history through Picture Ipswich
Picture Ipswich is an online database of images operated by the Ipswich Library and Information Service which captures the lifestyle and history of Ipswich. Many of the images in Picture Ipswich have been kindly provided by the community. The picture below was taken in 1972 at the 4IP...
Ipswich Show
It’s that time of year again, the weather starts to turn cooler as autumn nears its end and we eagerly await the Ipswich Show. It has been a long held tradition to showcase the region’s best produce. The very first Ipswich Show was held on Wednesday, April...
“From controversy to cutting edge”
We have a new addition to our Local History Room collection in the form of a colourful hardcover book detailing the history of the F-111 jets in Australian service, written by Mark Lax. Titled “From controversy to cutting edge”, this beautiful book covers the history of the jet...
Our own castle
Lewis Thomas was born in Wales in 1832 and started his working life in a woollen mill at the very young age of eight. He went on to work in coal and lead mines and in iron works. He emigrated to Australia in 1859 hoping to make...
Electricity comes to Ipswich
At 8:30 PM on Saturday 26th March 2011, lights will switch off around the globe for Earth Hour. While you are sitting in the dark during Earth Hour, consider Ipswich residents of less than a century ago who had never had the experience of instant light at a...
Identifying our history through Picture Ipswich
Picture Ipswich is an online database of images operated by the Ipswich Library and Information Service which captures the lifestyle and history of Ipswich. Many of the images in Picture Ipswich have been kindly provided by the community. The two pictures of kilns below were taken in 1970....
Wintergarden Theatre
Over the years Ipswich has had many picture theatres including the Olympia Theatre in East Street – renamed the Tivoli in 1927, The Garden Theatre in Silkstone, the Rialto in North Ipswich, the National Hall and the Alpha in Booval, Parkside in Brisbane Street and The Lyric,...
From Limestone to Ipswich
We recently had a query from Ipswich, England asking how our city was named and whether we were connected directly with their town. I found an answer for them on the Ipswich City Council website, listed under their history section, ‘suburbs and place names’. “The first name for...