Mayor’s column monthly newsletter – June 2025

Spring Mountain our fastest growing suburb

Spring Mountain has claimed the honour of being our city’s fastest growing suburb for the first time in years.

Ipswich’s population was 263,757 at the end of March, an increase of 1,962 from the previous quarter. The information was revealed in council’s Planning and Regulatory Services Quarterly Report for January to March 2025.

I am sure it’s clear to Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce members why people continue to be attracted to Ipswich. Spring Mountain is the gateway to this pristine and protected natural environment, which is home to some of Ipswich’s most popular bushwalking tracks where visitors can find hundreds of native plant and animal species, as well as Indigenous sacred site White Rock.

Other suburbs among our city’s fastest growing include Ripley, White Rock and South Ripley. In the March quarter, 725 new dwellings were built and 552 lots approved or created.

For those interested, the full report is available at https://ipswich.cld.bz/Quarterly-Activity-Report-January-March-2025

June an adrenalin-charged month for our city

The next in our city’s annual lineup of signature events kicks off in June. Festival of Horsepower brings together the roar of engines, pounding of hooves and cheers of fans.

The headline events for Festival of Horsepower are the Winternationals drag racing event at Willowbank and Ipswich Cup at the Ipswich Turf Club – one of the social events of the year.

City-wide festivals such as this don’t just bring good times to our city, they bring incredible economic benefits and help drive tourism, with Festival of Horsepower expected to draw more than 55,000 people.

To see the full program, visit Ipswichfestivals.com.au/festival-of-horsepower

Share your thoughts on our libraries

Libraries play an important and ever-expanding role in our community. Each year, council asks the community to share its views through the Ipswich Libraries Annual Survey.

The survey is open now, until 9 June. Last year’s survey revealed an overall satisfaction rate of 92 per cent, which is wonderful, but council is always looking at ways to ensure the services it provides remain in line with community needs and expectations.

You don’t have to be a library member to share your thoughts. I encourage to have a say and help shape our libraries into the future.

The survey is available at Shapeyouripswich.com.au/libraries-annual-survey