Leader:           Russell 0437 185 902

Meet:               Wacol Station, Platform 1

Time:               7.00 am

Distance:        10 km

Cost:               $2

Grade:             S12

Emerg Off:      Richard 0409 871 641

 

We start at the central business district of Ipswich to experience the rich heritage and history of this area such as the hotels Harp of Erin, Prince of Wales and Club.  We have engaged a guide to show us around.  Then we move to St Mary’s Catholic Church which was built in 1904 in Helidon sandstone and is very similar to a church in Rockhampton.  This Church is adjacent to Ipswich Grammar School, the second oldest school in Queensland.

 

We will then head up to Denmark Hill Conservation Reserve which was established in 1880 and
is 11.5ha in area. From the high point there are views of D’Aguilar, Teviot, Little Liverpool and Great Dividing Ranges, the sites of many walks of the Club. This reserve remains sacred to the Traditional Owners of Ipswich and its sacred sites provide a link between Country and personal identity and allow the passing on of cultural knowledge.

 

Next, we descend to Limestone Park, and we see the Incinerator Theatre, designed by Walter Burley
Griffin, of Canberra fame, and built in 1936 and adjacent to Queens Park which was established in 1864.

 

Next we head for Booval and the Prince Alfred Hotel (affectionately known as The PA Hotel) which
was built in 1842 by Mr D Bergin. It was a two-storey timber hotel surrounded by 40 acres of Cotton Fields. In 1961, the Historic Prince Alfred Hotel was destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt and opened in 1963.  Here we will have an opportunity to have lunch and then we catch a train from Booval station.

 

This walk has been designed to be suitable for summer with an early start and early end.  Nominate by Sunday, 12 January 2025 to secure your place as numbers need to be matched with the number of guides.