384:, merchants and agents from Brisbane, had taken over the wharf site. Harris's and Gray had jointly acted as agents for at least one ocean- going ship just prior to his death. J and G Harris built a large brick store on the southern side of Bremer Street on the Bell Street corner opposite the wharf. They probably also upgraded the wharf to a more substantial timber landing with a new wharf-side shed in the early 1860s. The upstream side of the new shed was shaped in a "v" configuration to withstand water pressure on the regular occasions that the Bremer flooded the site. In 1867 J & G Harris was paying rent for a water frontage of 130 feet (40 m). This was the third largest frontage in the precinct. Harris's appears to have ceased operation at the site by 1878 when they applied to the Ipswich Town Clerk to remove their buildings.
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established in the colony. As the westernmost point of access to
Moreton Bay via the Bremer and Brisbane Rivers, the town was a major port for the Darling Downs and West Moreton until the railway opened to Brisbane in 1875. During this period, the Bremer and Brisbane Rivers below Ipswich constituted one of the most important mercantile routes in the colony. The wharf remnants are evidence of this commerce and Ipswich's key role in it. The wharf remnants are also physical evidence of an important aspect of the historical rivalry between Ipswich and Brisbane. The river trade, in which the wharves played a vital role, underpinned Ipswich's rapid growth and prosperity and was the key to its viability as an alternative export port to Brisbane. The river commerce was an important factor in the town's bid to become the colony's capital.
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to and from the
Darling Downs and West Moreton, regions that made an important contribution to the development of Queensland. Most of the goods being conveyed to or from these areas prior to 1875 were channelled through the Ipswich wharves. The site has the potential to contribute to our knowledge of the Australasian Steam Navigation Company (ASN). An ASN wharf occupied the site from ca 1861 to ca 1874. ASN was the principal shipping firm in the Australian coastal trade by the 1850s. Its activities contributed significantly to the expansion of settlement in Queensland.
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feet (5.2 m) high. The structure was fastened with iron ties and braces and roofed with galvanised iron. Like Harris's shed, the upstream wall was shaped in a "v" configuration to deflect floodwaters. A new wharf was also built at this time. In 1867, ASN were paying rent for a river frontage of 163 feet (50 m), the largest in the precinct. ASN had probably ceased operations from the
Ipswich wharf by 1874 and in 1879 their wharf lease terminated.
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568:. Three timber bearers measuring about 30 centimetres (12 in) in diameter project up to 2.9 metres (9 ft 6 in) horizontally from the riverbank. The outer ends are modified (scarfed) on the underside to enable them to sit onto piles or a wharf head. The timber may be turpentine. A stone wall underneath these bearers is built into the riverbank. This wall is covered at high tide.
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516:. Two timber piles are extant on the site projecting out of the water at low tide. These are 3.8 metres (12 ft) apart and each average 16 centimetres (6.3 in) in diameter. They stand 1.27 metres (4 ft 2 in) from the riverbed to top. They are constructed from a dark red timber, possibly iron bark.
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The
Remnants of Ipswich Town Wharves on the town reach of the Bremer River, are important in demonstrating the evolution of Queensland's history insofar that they are surviving evidence of the important early river commerce between Ipswich and the coast. Ipswich was one of the first river ports to be
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Originally formed in Sydney in 1839/40 as The Hunter's River Steam
Navigation Company, ASN had become the principal shipping firm in the Australian coastal trade by the 1850s. The company commenced a regular service to Moreton Bay when it opened to free settlement in 1842 and in 1844 they established
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River trade peaked in the 1860s and 1870s, especially after
Ipswich became the eastern rail terminus. In 1860, the Port of Moreton Bay was extended to Ipswich. At least six wharves lined the south bank of the Bremer between The Basin and the bridge. The wharves were linked to large stores built along
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As an archaeological site, the remnants of the wharves have the potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the historical river trade along the Bremer and
Brisbane Rivers and Ipswich's role in this. They also have the potential to contribute to our knowledge of trade
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ASN rebuilt most of their wharf facilities in 1867 after a flood had destroyed their earlier buildings. A new 90-foot-long (27 m) shed was built next to the wharf, with 50 feet (15 m) of this partitioned off for customs use. The walls were 10 feet (3.0 m) high and the centre beam, 17
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There were sound practical reasons why this was a viable proposition. Poor road conditions meant that it was more convenient for the pastoralists to transport bulk goods from
Ipswich to the coast along the Bremer and Brisbane Rivers using riverboats. This meant that goods had to be transferred from
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The
Remnants are rare as surviving physical evidence of the early commerce between Ipswich and the coast along the Bremer River and Brisbane Rivers. There are no other known remains of this important early trade route. The remnants of the wharves are uncommon insofar that they constitute a largely
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as the colony's main port and, in the 1850s, together with other
Ipswich businessmen, bought land and signified his intention to build jetties there where punts could load and unload cargoes. Gray promoted cotton cultivation and was a shareholder and director of the Ipswich Cotton Company. In 1860
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Walter Gray's wharf, which was located at Site One, was one of the first wharves to be established in the precinct. In 1847, Gray, a Scottish immigrant, occupied a block of land that extended from Bremer Street to the riverbank at Site One. He commenced business as a general storekeeper and agent
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The remnants of Ipswich Town Wharves are an archaeological site that contains visible remains of two wharves. Horizontal timbers extending from the riverbank, together with an associated stone wall are probably the remnants of the Australasian Steam Navigation Wharf
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Nevertheless, two commercial river services operated in the early 20th century from the site. In 1903 William Collins & Son used a wharf next to the remains of Harris's wharf. Collins operated a number of vessels between Brisbane and Ipswich including the
346:. In 1848, a committee of townspeople was formed to upgrade the Ipswich "landing place" to a proper wharf with improved road access. By the 1860s a wharf precinct had developed between the present location of the railway bridge and The Basin, a section of the
377:. By 1861, wool presses, at least one of which was steam powered, were located on either side of the stores fronting Bremer Street. A steam-powered cotton gin was added, probably in early 1862. Gray also had a store on the corner of Bell and Bremer Streets.
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An associated artefact field on the riverbed extends up to 18 metres (59 ft) downstream from the downstream pile and upstream merges into the artefact field associated with Site 2. It extends up to 12 metres (39 ft) into the river channel.
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trading in wool and other produce which he conveyed to Brisbane using Reid and Boyland's punts. His business reputedly became the largest mercantile house in the district operating extensive stores capable of holding several hundred bales of wool.
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undisturbed archaeological site in an urban setting. The site functioned as a wharf precinct from the 1840s until at least the 1930s. From that period until 2006, no significant built development took place on the riverbank or in the river.
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After 1875, when the rail link to Brisbane was opened, the period of intense riverboat activity ended. A partial revival of river trade occurred in the 1890s, probably due in part to the lack of a rail link to Brisbane after the loss of the
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Initially, the ASN wharf was a small timber wharf or an "earth bank" similar to Gray's wharf. A shed was located immediately adjacent to the wharf and a store fronted Bremer Street. A slide linked the wharf-side shed and the store.
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the north side of Bremer Street. Bales of wool and cotton were slid down chutes to smaller wharf-side sheds. The wharf remnants presently located on the site were once among the largest and most important in the precinct.
298:). Vertical piles projecting out of the river a short distance downstream are probably the remains of the J and G Harris landing (ca1862). The site was also the location of a wharf owned by Walter Gray & Co (1847 -
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commenced as a convict outstation known as "Limestone" in 1827. After free settlement began in 1842, the township developed as an important regional centre because of its location at the head of navigation of the
423:. However, the economic and political motives that had stimulated the trade in the 1860s and 1870s no longer existed, and it became difficult to justify expending money on keeping the river route viable.
391:(ASN) wharf was established next to Gray's wharf between 1856 and 1861. ASN had an interest in the Ipswich shipping trade as early as 1856 when Gray acted as their agent. In 1860 they launched a steamer,
373:. Associated facilities included a shed enclosed on one side with bark near the river, a slab and shingle wool store higher up the bank, a wooden slide down to the wharf from the store, and a road
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An associated artefact field extends upstream from the site and downstream merges with artefacts associated with site 1. The field extends up to 17 metres (56 ft) into the river channel.
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Gray became a prominent member of the Ipswich community. He was treasurer of the committee of Ipswich businessmen that built the Ipswich town wharf in 1848. He supported establishing
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the riverboats to ocean-going vessels in Moreton Bay but this was necessary even for goods shipped from Brisbane because the Brisbane Bar prevented large vessels entering the river.
454:. Manders made three trips weekly carrying 18–20 metric tons (18–20 long tons; 20–22 short tons) of all kinds of merchandise. He initially used the former Collins wharf and crane.
331:, to be made the colony's capital. One of the key factors in favour of Ipswich was its role as an inland port. It was argued that goods could be shipped from Ipswich directly to
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Virtually no further development took place at the site from the time of Manders' operation until 2006 when the area was landscaped as part of the River Terraces development.
270:. They were also known as Australasian Steam Navigation Wharf and William Collins and Son Wharf, J & G Harris Wharf, and Walter Gray and Co Wharf. They were added to the
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Prior to this development, in January 2006, archaeological surveys were completed at the sites. These surveys mapped the remains of the wharves and recovered artefacts.
447:. A "stiff legged" timber crane was used to unload goods at the wharf. Increasingly unable to compete with road transport, Collins ceased the river service cira 1927.
305:) and was used by William Collins and Son in the first part of the twentieth century. Archaeological deposits originating from the wharves also exist on the riverbed.
324:. Goods from these regions were channelled through Ipswich en route to the coast and this trade contributed significantly to Ipswich's rapid growth and prosperity.
395:, specifically for trade between Brisbane and Ipswich. By July 1861, the company had acquired the site next to Gray's and had completed improvements on it.
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Remnants of Ipswich Town Wharves, Australasian Steam Navigation Wharf and William Collins and Son Wharf, J & G Harris Wharf, Walter Gray and Co Wharf
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The people of Ipswich, together with the Darling Downs pastoralists wielded considerable political influence and agitated for Ipswich, rather than
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when the Port of Moreton Bay was extended to Ipswich, his facilities were licensed as the bonded store where dutiable goods could be stored.
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The wharf remains are located in the River Terraces development at Ipswich, between the railway bridge and the David Trumpy road bridge.
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their first wharf facility in Brisbane. The company's activities contributed significantly to the expansion of settlement in Queensland.
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The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Queensland's history.
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A pastoralist, James Pearce, started the first steamer service from Ipswich in 1846 using the vessel,
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The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage.
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The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history.
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In 1932 Percy Manders commenced trading using the 40-foot (12 m) cargo vessel MV
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downstream from the town centre that was wide enough to permit steamers to turn.
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on 8 October 2014). The geo-coordinates were originally computed from the
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The central position on the riverbank of this site is approximately
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on 31 July 2006 having satisfied the following criteria.
371:"not a properly built wharf, but more of an earth bank"
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and Bremer Rivers and at the junction of routes to the
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This Knowledge (XXG) article was originally based on
579:Remnants of Ipswich Town Wharves was listed on the
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685:"Remnants of Ipswich Town Wharves (entry 602567)"
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286:Ipswich paddlesteamer at Ipswich wharves, 1870
50:Location of Ipswich Town Wharves in Queensland
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369:In 1856, a surveyor described the wharf as
263:, Australia. They were built from 1847 to
226:wall/s - retaining, pile/s, artefact field
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740:"Queensland heritage register boundaries"
751:licence (accessed on 5 September 2014,
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790:North Ipswich, Queensland
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335:, by-passing Brisbane.
548:27.61083°S 152.76028°E
496:27.61111°S 152.76083°E
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223:Significant components
53:Show map of Queensland
772:at Wikimedia Commons
755:on 15 October 2014).
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81:Show map of Australia
770:Ipswich Town Wharves
553:-27.61083; 152.76028
501:-27.61111; 152.76083
241:Ipswich Town Wharves
132:27.6111°S 152.7606°E
24:Ipswich Town Wharves
745:State of Queensland
727:State of Queensland
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215:Significant period
207:Reference no.
137:-27.6111; 152.7606
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464:Description
333:Moreton Bay
303: 1862
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268: 1927
247:beside the
164: 1927
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123:152°45′38″E
111:Coordinates
106:, Australia
779:Categories
614:References
557: (
535:27°36′39″S
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483:27°36′40″S
421:1893 flood
344:Experiment
261:Queensland
199:Designated
120:27°36′40″S
104:Queensland
433:Eucalypta
363:Cleveland
753:archived
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329:Brisbane
320:and the
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91:Location
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393:Ipswich
309:Ipswich
278:History
245:wharves
159:1847 -
747:under
729:under
524:Site 2
472:Site 1
210:602567
441:Myora
437:Essex
156:Built
699:2014
443:and
429:Mary
387:The
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