Dreaming of Tomorrow: Growth & Development

Henry Wade first surveyed the "Township of Limestone" in 1842, laying out the grid street pattern that would become the Ipswich CBD and surrounds, that was typical of most towns established in Australia in the mid-19th century.  Little attention was paid to the location of land use until the 1950s, when the first attempt to control development, from a planning perspective, featured in a Schedule gazetted on the 17th October 1953, followed by a second plan gazetted on the 21st December 1957.  The area covered by these two plans covered the area of the city and to the west of Bundamba Creek. Finally, in 1967, Council resolved to prepare a scheme that would cover the whole of the City of Ipswich, which would be gazetted on the 10th July 1976. Source: Ipswich Yearbook, Volume 1, 1977-1978, p.12

Robyn Buchanan wrote in Ipswich in the 20th Century:

In November 1957, a newspaper article discussed housing development in Ipswich. It said a big expansion of Ipswich had taken place in the immediate post-war years, but there had been little development between 1949 and 1956. However in 1957, large estates were planned for Redbank, Ebbw Vale and Riverview. Many home builders were said to prefer the eastern suburbs which were close to the railway. They also had low rates because there was no sewerage, making the area more affordable.

After many years of little activity, Brasssall was becoming popular and the suburb had “a new look with many modern houses”. Little development was taking place in 1957 in Leichhardt and the western suburbs. Very few houses or flats were being developed for rental. A real estate spokesman said they were not a business proposition because the “Landlords and Tenants Act” kept rents too low and returns were “paltry”. Investors were selling their rental houses, and in 1957, only one building was converted into flats.