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The Ipswich Rail Museum or The Workshops Rail Museum is located in North Ipswich and is only 30 mins drive from Brisbane CBD. In this article, you will see all you need to know about this place with things to see, do, images, videos and more.
It is a heritage listed former Australian railway workshop. For many years, the site was the hub of rail construction work, maintenance and technology for the growing rail industry in Qld, Australia. The very first train to run in Qld steamed from here to Bigges camp, now Grandchester, over 145 years ago.
Plenty of things to do Brisbane and here we have another addition to the ever growing list of attractions in or around Brisbane. Come on board with Mediatimes for a wholly interactive authentic heritage and cultural experience located at Australia’s oldest railway workshops still in operation.
Full Tour of the Ipswich Rail Museum – Video By Mediatimes
Thousands of workers have called this workshop their home. During WW2, over thee thousand people worked here on this very site, making this workshop the state’s largest employer at that time.
Simulator
As you may have noticed in the video above, there are couple of train simulators in the museum. get on the train driver seat and experience how it feels to drive the train.
Model Railway Display
As you can see in the video above, this Ipswich railway museum hosts an awesome train tracks models, the largest model railway of Queensland anywhere in the world. You and your family can discover suburban Brisbane, busy ports, coastal landscapes, the cane and coal fields, outback Queensland and the iconic Kuranda Railway in Cairns all in micro version in this model. Tiny cameras are mounted in the display to see the view from inside this miniature world.
You can see the model trains running on tracks, crossing tunnels and bridges along with Brisbane buildings. You kids are going to love this model railway display at railway museum.
This is really a unique experience and something that you don’t see every day. This really gives you something different than your usual weekend outing on a beach or a shopping mall.
Ipswich Railway Museum – Heritage Tour
If you like to walk down the memory lane of this historic place then what’s better than a heritage tour where an history expert will take your back in the old days and tell you some fascinating tales of this railway workshop in the good old days. The tour of the Museum will also showcase some of its key collection items. Tours depart at 10:30am and 12noon and run for approximately 30 minutes. Tours are subject to change so please check with the Ticket Office when you arrive.
This heritage tour is great for locals to know the history of the place where they live and also great for kids to learn something new about their history.
Collections at Ipswich Rail museum
Queensland Museum has been building collections of the cultural and natural heritage of Queensland, its surrounding waters and near neighbours, since its inception as the Queensland Philosophical Society in 1862.
The collection continues to grow through new acquisitions of objects and specimens of strategic relevance to Queensland. This material evidence of Queensland ’s heritage forms the basis for the Museum’s research, exhibitions and public education programs that strive to better understand key global issues – from climate change to nature conservation, cultural awareness and community harmony.
Queensland Museum is responsible for preserving the collection and making it accessible to present and future generations. It strives to achieve and maintain the highest possible standards of excellence in preserving, studying and communicating the record of these natural and cultural resources.
Ipswich Railway Museum – Playground Area
There is spacial playground area, a very creative space here that your kids will love. The play area is named ‘Nippers Railway’ (a nipper was the youngest member of a railway gang) features a kids-sized railway network with a port, goods yard, country station, city station and even a signal tower. Kids can pedal through city stations pretending to be station masters and even don a hardhat for effect.
It features a kids-sized railway network with a port, goods yard, country station, city station and even a signal tower. Kids can also take small train rides in the museum lawn.
So this really gives you a full family day out and fun time on weekend and railway museum is a place you can certainly add in your things to do on weekends list.
Markets
As you can see in the video, the site hosts markets every now and then. You can stay updated with the market and other event timings on their Facebook page.
Sciencentre
After exploring all of the trains and activities of the museum then make sure you head over to the new Sciencentre, which opened to the public in April 2019 and can be found just off to the right as you first enter the museum’s main warehouse. Here, visitors can work their way through over 20 interactive exhibits where you can delve into the science behind train travel.
hours: Open daily 9:30am to 4:00pm.
There is a café on site and a parent’s room. The Museum is fully pram accessible.
For ticketing and to confirm opening hours head to their website www.theworkshops.qm.qld.gov.au or (07) 3432 5100
Location: The workshops rail museum. North Street, North Ipswich, Queensland
