Collingwood Park, Queensland

Collingwood Park is a suburb located approximately 30km from Brisbane CBD. Located within the Brisbane Statistical Division, its local government area is the City of Ipswich. At the 2011 Australian Census the suburb recorded a population of 6,622.GeographyCollingwood Park, a residential suburb, is 11km east of the Ipswich, next to the historic suburb of Redbank. Its eastern boundary is delineated by Goodna Creek and the western boundary by Six Mile Creek. Housing development began circa 1980 with the establishment of two HIA display villages. Redbank Plaza is large shopping mall, located on the northern boundary of the suburb.HistoryThroughout the 1980s, Collingwood Park was marketed as, "The Dress Circle Suburb Of Ipswich". The suburb's name implied a "leafy" residential area which differentiated it from nearby Redbank, the site of several collieries and industries: a map, c1940, showed the area as devoid of any development apart from a perimeter road.Notable events which drew attention to the area included 13th Australian Scout Jamboree, 1982–83, the annual 5km Collingwood Park fun run and the 1983 radio 4BK house giveaway and concert held on the site of the current state school.The main thoroughfare is Collingwood Drive which runs south from Redbank Plaza shopping centre. Goupong Park has a memorial to the first labour strike in Queensland (1861), when miners at Redbank went out for a fortnight. Banjo Patterson Park, along Goodna Creek, has several playground and recreation facilities.EducationCollingwood Park primary school was opened in 1986.Flora and faunaCollingwood Park and its surrounds are within the catchment area identified as the Six Mile, Woogaroo and Goodna Creek . Over 1300 species of plants, including grass trees and hoop pines, and animals including reptiles, mammals, birds, fish and insects have been recorded in the SWAG Catchment area, with approximately 90% being native species. Exotic, or introduced, species include: blue billygoat weed, groundsel, Chinese elm, salvinia, lantana, camphor laurel, cane toad, spotted turtle dove, common myna, fox and hare.