Ipswich’s city heart is undergoing a once-in-a-generation transformation fit for a future-focused and youthful population, starting with the Nicholas Street Precinct development and the new entertainment and leisure building, including a six-hall cinema, currently under construction.
Ipswich is Queensland’s oldest provincial city, rich with history, stunning scenery, and opportunity just a short train trip or drive from the state’s capital. Up to 1.5 million day-trippers were enticed to the region last year and a rapidly growing population of families is calling Ipswich home, with more than 250,000 people enjoying its laid-back lifestyle. It’s also a booming economy with a gross regional product that smashed through the $12 billion mark in 2023.
Connecting Ipswich’s Top of Town heritage precinct with nearby cultural icons like Ipswich Art Gallery and Ipswich Civic Centre, the award-winning Nicholas Street Precinct has been recognised for cutting-edge design and innovation that bridges the old with the new, honouring not just Ipswich’s beginnings, but also where it is headed.
The Nicholas Street Precinct opened progressively to the public from late 2020, offering Australia’s first standalone Children’s Library, a hectare of public space, activated retail frontage, and 40 new shopping, dining and entertainment tenancies. It also includes a new city square fit for large community events and features a zero-depth water-play zone with cascading water curtain and interactive jets for the enjoyment of all in the Queensland heat.
Ipswich is known traditionally in the Yagara language as Tulmur, with the new civic square named Tulmur Place in recognition of the millennia of stories, traditions and culture held by the Traditional Custodians of the lands and waterways we all now share. Tulmur Place has quickly become synonymous with excitement and events for the community, whether it’s school holiday events that draw crowds of families, the captivating St Nicholas Precinct that engulfs the precinct in twinkling lights each Christmas, or regular markets and live music activations.
Reimagining the city centre through an extensive renovation has been the bold and ambitious vision of Ipswich City Council, with many flagship projects designed to reignite the bustling city streets of bygone eras and boost the night-time economy.
The first of these flagship projects is the cinema building currently under construction in the Nicholas Street Precinct. The leisure focused building will be Ipswich’s largest entertainment hub, with 12,500m2 of multiple leisure and hospitality businesses over two levels, taking the total investment to $311 million.
The innovative cinema building is setting new design and entertainment standards, offering a revolution in community engagement and interaction for Ipswich. With anchor tenants HOYTS cinema and General Public’s ‘eatertainery’ concept confirming the cinema building as home, the new entertainment and leisure hub is poised to redefine how families gather, interact and thrive in a dynamic urban setting.
Every inch of the cinema building has been designed with innovation and community interaction in mind, as well as paying tribute to the long history of Ipswich picture theatres through its brick and art deco design themes. From communal spaces to indoor gardens and digital screens, the design encourages socialisation and engagement, bridging gaps between generations and interests.
General Public and HOYTS join other national brands that are part of the Nicholas Street Precinct, including Gelatissimo, Zambrero, Stellarossa, AusHotels and TerryWhite Chemmart, have already secured space in the precinct. These national brands join local Ipswich favourites including Trottie Becke, Austhetica Oasis, Sofia Nails & Spa, The Rusty Nail bar, social enterprise Neighbourhood, That Dumpling Place, Bun Bun Bao and Sushi Hyo – combining new offerings with outlets that have served loyal local customers for decades.
The second of two flagship projects in the Nicholas Street Precinct is Hotel Commonwealth, Ipswich’s treasured gathering place since its first grand opening in 1910.
This iconic watering hole has stood the test of time, lasting through two world wars, two global pandemics, intensifying natural disasters and the bulldozing era of the 1980s. But in 2014, it was in desperate need of attention when subsidence and significant cracking in the building’s facade had rendered the site unusable and at risk of collapse.
Architect’s Impression
Since acquisition, Hotel Commonwealth has undergone a meticulous restoration process to bring it back to its former glory. This required careful deconstruction and delicate restoration of more than 20,000 recycled bricks used in the building’s refurbishment. An expansion of the hotel is now underway to make it fit for our fast-growing city, roughly doubling its size by extending the century-old venue north towards the river, to provide indoor and outdoor dining, a feature cocktail bar, beer garden and function rooms – all while maintaining the site’s charm and identity.
Providing a link between the Ipswich of old and the city’s future, it is expected the reopening of Hotel Commonwealth in late 2024 will revitalise the night-time economy in this emerging city heart. With HOYTS and General Public also expected to open around this time in the cinema building just around the corner, anticipation is mounting for Nicholas Street Precinct to continue to transform and revitalise Ipswich.
Whether it’s taking advantage of final leasing opportunities in the new cinema and entertainment building, or finding the right tenancy in the broader Nicholas Street Precinct, now is the time to join the revolutionised Ipswich city heart and be a part of one of Queensland’s fastest growing regions before the population is expected to double in the next two decades.
This article submitted by Ipswich City Council is published in the latest edition of SCN magazine.
