Southeast Queensland’s fastest-growing region is welcoming the return of residents and visitors to its new CBD with visitation increasing, big brand announcements and continued investment in the new cultural, entertainment and business heart of Ipswich.
Once a dilapidated city core, the Nicholas Street Precinct is now home to the Ipswich Central Library, award-winning Ipswich Children’s Library, Council Administration building, dining and retail tenancies, and is centrally connected to the cultural arts precinct, historic Top of Town and Ipswich Central Train Station.
In addition, the newly opened Tulmur Walk shopping arcade links the precinct with the Ipswich Central Train Station and recently welcomed the first internal tenant, Sofia Nails, who is leading the way for a host of service-related tenants including barbers, beauty and banks soon to be announced.
Nicholas Street hosts a vibrant calendar of events
Located within the precinct is Tulmur Place, the city’s civic square with more than 4,000m2 of space, a performance stage, water feature, LED screen and more than 1,000 underground car spaces.
The space plays host to markets, expos, fairs, live performances, interactive school holiday activities and community gatherings including the recent St Nicholas Precinct, a 10-day illuminated festive event which welcomed over 80,000 attendees.
Nicholas Street embodies culture through its positioning alongside award-winning libraries and art galleries and connectivity to the historical Top of Town, is defined by its civic belonging as a place to work and gather in the community square, and bursting with commercial opportunities for new business.
The City’s leading lifestyle, entertainment and cultural destination
Some of Australia’s biggest brands are benefiting from the exposure and opportunity Ipswich represents:
- HOYTS – Construction is underway for a new state-of-the-art, six-screen complex and leisure destination with launch opportunities targeting food and beverage, leisure becoming available later this year
- Aushotels – Anchoring the lower precinct, the city’s much loved and historic Commonwealth Hotel is set to transform with extensive plans for the redevelopment including indoor and outdoor dining, a feature cocktail bar, a beer garden and function rooms
- Gelatissimo, Zambrero and Stellarossa – Opened in 2022 and successfully captures the family-focused demographic
- Unique food and beverage offerings not found in typical shopping centres of That Dumpling Place, The Rusty Nail and the soon-to-launch Bun Bun Bao
- Service providers such as Terry White Chemmart, Sofia Nails, banks and beauty brands are also scooping up the opportunity to service the needs of an ever-increasing CBD workforce of more than 16,000.
“What sets Nicholas Street apart is the appeal of harnessing those civic, cultural and commercial pillars,” said Nicholas Street Precinct Director, James Hepburn. “We’re not a standard shopping mall, this is blue sky shopping, and our offer is positioned around creating a city heart that offers a balance of design, placemaking and culture.”
Dwell times are continually increasing and residents of the trade area are forecast to spend about $4.18 billion on retail goods and services.
“Ipswich is growing up into a sophisticated destination embraced by arts, culture, and leisure, and leading brands are taking advantage to capitalise on this grown and unique positioning,” said Hepburn.
Further driving visitation is a bursting calendar of events for all ages and tastes with a lineup of markets, music and festivals including Tunes in Tulmur, immersive School Holiday events, pop-ups and community activations.
Delivering consistent, family and multi-generational friendly events, the school holiday calendar for Tulmur Place has seen the community attend in significant numbers with brand-name licenced stage performances from characters including Bluey, Peppa Pig and The Octonauts. Complemented by life-sized, animatronic prehistoric creatures and interactive putt putt golf, all events have been free to the community and leveraged by the precinct’s positioning to be the must-visit school holiday destination in Ipswich.
Live music and markets also continue to draw a wide audience with the monthly Handmade Market Expo, bi-annual Plant and Garden Market and new annual offering, DogDay all well supported by the community and averaging 5,000+ attendees per event.
The new urban heart of a revitalised Ipswich
Poised to become the city’s leading business, lifestyle, leisure, entertainment and cultural destination, the Nicholas Street Precinct is the new urban heart of a revitalised Ipswich CBD. The culmination of history, opportunity, culture and centuries-old character upgraded with a mix of contemporary offerings and amenities designed to bring people and business back into the heart of Ipswich.
