Ipswich Gas & Coke Company Ltd.

The Ipswich Gas and Coke Company Ltd. was situated at The Terrace, North Ipswich.  The company commenced business in 1877 and was managed by a local directorate.  In February of that year they purchased almost 10.5 acres near the north bank of the Bremer River.  

Thomas B. Cribb was the Chairman of Directors at the first General Meeting of shareholders. 

The first gas mains were laid on 27 May, 1877 in North Ipswich. Without delay the Ipswich Town Council arranged for street gas lamps to be erected and gas lamps placed in the School of Arts.

 The first street gas lamps in Ipswich were lit on the night of 14 August 1877?

Local coal was used in the manufacturing process.

In 1878 the first gasometer for storing gas was erected with a second deemed necessary by 1884.

In 1928, the Ipswich Gas & Coke Company amalgamated with the Colonial Gas Association, a Melbourne based gasworks company.

The plant was updated in 1937 with further expansion planned to be carried out in 1950. A third gasometer was constructed in the 1950’s to cope with rising demand. By 1960 there were 65 miles of gas mains in Ipswich and suburbs.

After natural gas was introduced to Ipswich in 1969, the old brick gasworks was demolished. One gasholder built about 1961 was left standing and the storage tank site is now part of Riverlink Shopping Centre.

Ipswich Gas and Coke Co. Ltd also occupied a building at the corner of Limestone and Nicholas Streets. This property would eventually be the home of Keidge Motors and then part of the current Civic Centre which opened in 1975.