Council to investigate return of Blackall Monument to rightful spot

Ipswich City Council will investigate the possibility of restoring Blackall Monument to its original location in d’Arcy Doyle Place.

A motion calling for a report on options for relocating the memorial, which is currently at Denmark Hill, was agreed to by full council last Thursday.

Erected in 1879 as a memorial to the second

Governor of Queensland, Blackall Monument originally stood on the corner of Brisbane and Nicholas streets in Ipswich Central.

In 1927 the monument, better known by locals as drinking fountain, was moved to Denmark Hill to accommodate increasing traffic flow in Ipswich Central.

Deputy Mayor Marnie Doyle said that returning Blackall Monument to its original location would mean more people would have the opportunity to enjoy this important part of Ipswich’s history.

“We’ve heard from many community members who’d like the Blackall Monument restored to its original location in the heart of the Ipswich CBD,” Cr Doyle said.

“Where the monument now sits on Denmark Hill offers very limited opportunity for appreciation of its beauty and historical significance.

“Returning the monument to d’Arcy Doyle Place, at the threshold of the redeveloped Nicholas Street Precinct, would be a significant and symbolic link between the cities past and future.”

Councillor Paul Tully said Blackall Monument is an important part of Ipswich’s history.

“Blackall Monument was originally the meeting place where people would gather to talk politics and general happenings around town,” Cr Tully said.

“Most of our historical photos of the Ipswich Central feature this amazing monument and it would be another historical moment to see it back in its original resting place after 94 long years.

“The monument was not only a water drinking foundation back in the day, it also had gas lights which would illuminate the area we now know as d’Arcy Doyle Place.

“I can just imagine Blackall Monument being a meeting place once again at the newly redeveloped Nicholas Street Precinct, as it has been known throughout history.”