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Long before Europeans arrived,
the Ipswich area was home to the Jagera, Yuggera and Ugarapul
clans who managed the land and waters in a sustainable and reverent way. It is estimated there were anywhere
from between 400 and 1200 Aboriginal people living in the Ipswich area though no one is really sure. With the
arrival of the Europeans from around 1827, there was conflict between the first peoples and the newcomers
and over time the Aboriginal citizens of the Ipswich area were marginalised and treated poorly.
The European idea of progress was in direct opposition to the long held sustainable practices that linked
Indigenous people to the land and waters. The Aboriginal view of the land is that it is something to be cared
for, that people are custodians. The European view is that the land is something to own. The Aboriginal
perspectives were also seen as inferior by the newcomers as they didn’t produce man-built monuments or
large commercial practices. In addition, the presence of limestone and coal so near to the navigable Bremer
River meant that the first Europeans saw a different kind of prosperity for the area. Today we have the
opportunity to recognise past mistakes and to bring the best of each approach into Ipswich’s future by
celebrating and caring for the environment, honouring the first peoples of this land and developing
communities that are more sustainable and in tune with their place.
The river played a key role in the life of the Indigenous clans as it did for the early European settlers, for whom
the deep river enabled a local economy to blossom. Later, as it was superseded as the main transport and
communications channel, for much of the city’s modern history, this great ribbon of water was often seen as
at best a tool for development. Today the Bremer River is once again being celebrated as the focal point of the
city and is now re-emerging as a beautiful natural icon. New parkland developments are bringing people back
to their river so they can enjoy its beauty and environmental significance.
the
Explorers John Oxley, Allan Cunningham and Lieutenant Butler
first spotted the mouth of the Bremer River on a trip up the
Brisbane River in September 1824.
John Oxley is thought to have named the Bremer River in honour
of Admiral Sir John Bremer who sailed the HMS Tamar to
northern Australia and established a settlement at Port Essington.
Ipswich was first called “Limestone Station” by Captain Patrick
Logan who discovered hills of limestone during a trip up the
Bremer River in 1827.
A team of convicts were sent to begin lime burning at
“Limestone Hill” in 1827, and the site still carries that name today.
Wool, cotton and dairy were industries important to the
emerging colony in the Ipswich area.
William Francis Emery
View of Ipswich from Limestone Hill (1861 - 62)
Oil on Canvas. Ipswich Art Gallery Collection. Gift of Les Thomas 1986
6 Ipswich 150: 1860 – 2010
Proud Past - Exciting Future