GALVANIZED – A FESTIVAL OF HERITAGE

Galvanized is the city’s new festival of heritage, showcasing the best heritage experiences and events Ipswich has to offer across 10 days from 27 August – 5 September.

Be transported back in time by visiting iconic venues and historic sites and participating in open days, tours, demonstrations and workshops.

Walks & Talks

Walking tours through Ipswich Central and the historic Top Of Town will reveal the early businesses and their importance on the growing city. You can also discover more about the lost departments stores and corner stores of Ipswich past. 

Tours offered through Ipswich Cemetery will reveal the history of the cemetery, the headstones and their makers, stories and hardships of the early settlers and stories on those who helped create the City of Ipswich. You will also meet Ipswich’s founding residents and through re-enactments hear their tales of real life events in what shaped the city to what it is today.

Open Days (and nights!)

See The Workshops Rail Museum like never before at one of their evening Torchlight Tours.  Explore the museums stories and histories in a unique experience uncovering the tales told us by past workers and exploring the darker side of our railway history.  The museum has also partnered with Ipswich Mini Crafters to present the Made in Miniature exhibition, a display of miniature historic Ipswich buildings accompanied by photographic display of the buildings from the Picture Ipswich Collection.

If you are a quilt enthusiast we have got you covered (pardon the pun!).  The annual St Pauls Quilt and Craft Display presents magnificent display of quilts, lace making, tatting and other handcrafts displayed in the oldest Anglican church in Queensland. Within easy walking distance is an exhibition of important Australian heritage patchwork quilts at Ipswich Art Gallery, including examples from the early Victorian era through to mid-20th century.

Open days will take you inside the Cooneeana Heritage Centre and offer access into venues that are normally not accessible to the public including the Ipswich Woollen Mills.  Rail enthusiasts are invited to the Symphony of Steam at Queensland Pioneer Steam Railway, at one of the largest gatherings of steam machines in the Queensland in the last 20 years. 

Demonstrations

Night forging and spinning and weaving demonstrations will be held across the festival.  Unprecedented access will also be provided to the RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre’s restoration section so visitors can get an appreciation of the process involved in restoring aircraft and other heritage items to a display standard.

Workshops

For those who would like to get more hands, there are plenty of workshops in blacksmithing, steam punk jewellery, woodcrafting and more.  You can even learn how to preserve your family’s treasured historical items and participate in workshops on-line thanks to Ipswich Libraries.

Social and Special Events

Make a weekend of it and get social in the evenings with the St Pauls Annual Proms and a ‘bootleg’ Prohibition Party at The Workshops Rail Museum. In keeping with Proms tradition, the fourth St. Paul’s proms promises a rich mixture of light and classical, sacred and secular music, featuring the historic St. Paul’s Pipe Organ, West Moreton Anglican College Chorale, along with the Proms Orchestra and Choir.

A must see event is a procession of more that 200 Historical Motorcycles through Ipswich Central on Fathers’ Day to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Historical Motorcycling Club in Queensland.

We invite you to experience the city like never before and to discover the rich history of Ipswich during Galvanized.  The full program of events will be released in early August. To keep up-to-date, subscribe below to receive our monthly newsletter.