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to consider making it the capital of the new colony of Queensland
which came into being in 1859. Although Brisbane eventually won
the honour, Ipswich has continued to play a vital role in the
economic development of South East Queensland.
The decision to become a municipality was a contentious one.
Some argued against it fearing that the imposition of taxes would
follow. However, on 16 November 1859, a petition signed by 91
residents of Ipswich was received by the Governor of New South
Wales seeking to have the area known as Ipswich declared a
municipality. When Queensland became a colony in its own right,
the petition was forwarded to the first Governor, Sir George
Ferguson Bowen, who published it in the very first Queensland
Government Gazette on Saturday, 10 December 1859. Descendants
of the original 91 petitioners still live in Ipswich today with some
still prominent names within the community.
When Ipswich became a city on 1 December 1904, the population
had nearly trebled to 8637 residents. The new city boundaries
were quite small in comparison to today and only included the
CBD, Sadliers Crossing, Woodend and North Ipswich. In 2010, the
city of Ipswich has grown to cover 1027 square kilometres and has
over 7000 heritage listed sites. It is home to over 160,000 residents
who come from 115 different ethnic backgrounds and speak 84
languages. With the region experiencing the fastest growth in
Queensland households at 224 per cent, the population is
predicted to reach 435,000 by 2031. Ipswich’s future holds great
promise but the challenge to balance the city’s environmental,
social and economic needs is ongoing. Creating a beautiful,
prosperous and sustainable place to live and work pays tribute to
the custodians and visionaries of Ipswich’s past, her present and
the future.
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Cribb and Foote, corner of Brisbane and Bell streets 1959
Building the One Mile Bridge 1935
Ipswich General Hospital 1890s