Transport back in time and Galvanize your love of Ipswich
10 August 2023
Ipswich’s signature heritage festival, Galvanized – A Festival of Heritage, is back this month.
Across 11 days, the city will once again be transformed in its third annual celebration of the finest heritage experiences and events that Ipswich has to offer.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said that more than 50 events are dedicated to millennia of local heritage, with a workshop, guided tour, exhibition, or event that will excite and delight every member of the community – young and old.
“Kicking off on Thursday 31 August, Galvanized will be officially opened with a traditional welcome by Nunukul Yuggera, followed by an interactive virtual reality tour uncovering tens of thousands of years of the local area by Virtual Songlines,” Mayor Harding said.
“The first weekend alone is jam packed with wide-ranging odes to the city’s heritage, from the glitz and glamour of the Prohibition Party at The Workshops Rail Museum to impressive artisanal workmanship on display at the inaugural Sky Iron Festival of Blacksmithing.
“Whether it’s learning how to craft your own leather wallet, taking haunted history tours of the city and local cemeteries, or wandering through the historic halls of Woodlands of Marburg mansion, there are endless possibilities to explore the rich heritage of your own backyard.”
Community, Culture, Arts and Sport Committee Chairperson Councillor Andrew Fechner said the festival is coming to venues and spaces across Ipswich and is getting bigger and better each year.
“Since its first year in 2021, Galvanized has doubled in size with council and community groups working together to bring our city’s rich history to life,” Cr Fechner said.
“Across the festival’s 11 days, there are wonderful opportunities, from dusk to dawn, to experience the Ipswich of yesteryear.”
The calendar for Galvanized – A Festival of Heritage is now available covering all the activities and events to explore.
Transport the whole family back in time for the day at Cooneana Homestead and enjoy live music and entertainment while delighting in old-world skills of spinners, weavers, fibre artisans and blacksmiths.
If torch-lit museum visits by night is more your style, embrace this once-a-year opportunity to visit Cooneana Heritage Centre after dark and be regaled with tales of past residents while flames fly high as blacksmiths working their forges.
Visit Queensland’s oldest Anglican church that will be laden with a magnificent display of crafts including quilts, lacemaking, tatting, spinning and weaving while a restored pipe organ fills St Paul’s high ceilings and historic walls.
Or celebrate 150 years of woollen textile manufacturing heritage right here in Ipswich, the centre of the industry in Queensland since its beginnings in 1874.
On Father’s Day, a Bikes, Beards and BBQs event will be held at the Nicholas Street Precinct to enjoy vintage bikes and trucks, live music, and mouth-watering food and barbecue demonstrations.
The full festival program and ticketing information is available at Ipswichfestivals.com.au.
Presenting Partners: Ipswich City Council, McNamara Law
Festival Partners: ‘A’ Company 15th Battalion 1st A.I.F, Arts Connect, Arttime Gallery & Fine Art Supplies, Cooneana Blacksmiths, Cooneana Heritage Centre, City Design Branch, Discover Ipswich, Engineering Australia and Engineering Heritage Queensland, Heritage Bus Association, Ghost Tours Australia, Historical Motorcycle Club of Queensland, Imbibis Craft Distillery, Ipswich Catholic Community, Ipswich Genealogical Society, Ipswich Historical Society, Ipswich Hospital Museum, Ipswich Libraries, Ipswich RSL Sub Branch, Ipswich Visitor Information Centre, Lost Ipswich, Nicholas Street Precinct, Nunukul Yuggera Aboriginal Dance Troupe, Picture Ipswich, Planning and Regulatory Services Department, Pumpyard Bar and Brewery, Queensland Debating Union, Queensland Metal Artisans Collective, Queensland Museum Network, Queensland Pioneer Steam Railway, Queensland Rail, Spinners, Weavers and Fibre Artisans of Ipswich Inc., St Paul’s Anglican Church, The Great Marburg Bake Off, The Workshops Rail Museum, Vision Design, Woodlands of Marburg.