Top headlines from across the Ipswich region with QT editor Andrew Korner

After missing out last year, Ipswich is champing at the bit for the year’s biggest social event.

The top stories from across Ipswich this week.

OPINION

IT has been an awful long time coming but Ipswich Cup day is finally upon us.

This is probably the most anticipated Ipswich Cup that I can recall, at least since the record breaking 2011 event.

Missing out in 2020 has made lots of Ipswich people extra keen to have a big one this year, and it will also be the first time the upgraded Ipswich Turf Club facilities really get put through their paces.

Ipswich Turf Club general manager Tim Dunn is expecting the Ipswich Cup to be back at its best this year.

A crowd of somewhere in the vicinity of 16,000 is expected, but I would not be surprised if a few last minute walk-ins push that number a bit higher.

It is important to remember that all tickets must be pre-purchased online this year.

Tickets will not be available at the gate in the old fashioned way.

The Bundamba Racetrack has undergone some changes ahead of this year's Ipswich Cup.

We have tried to bring you as much news as we possibly can over the past few weeks on all things Ipswich Cup, including the latest on the race fields, the local jockeys and trainers, and fashions on the field.

Here is hoping new Turf Club GM Tim Dunn and his team have a successful day and everyone enjoys themselves.

Back to the drawing board

They say the poor man pays twice, and doesn’t that ring true when we look back on the past few years of back and forth with the Mt Crosby Rd-Warrego Hwy interchange.

It was common knowledge that the first plan put forward by the state government some time ago would not cut the mustard with the locals who use those troublesome intersections every day.

Here we are now, some four years after the planning started, and we are told that it is back to the drawing board in terms of what an upgraded interchange might look like.

Precious time and money appears to have been wasted debating a half-baked solution, when we should have just done the job properly from the get-go.

Judging by the figures on the numbers of cars that use that interchange every day, a proper fix is warranted.

Good news on the hospital front

There was further good news on the hospital front this week, with confirmation the state government had picked out land in Ripley for a new satellite hospital.

It follows positive news from Springfield recently regarding a new public hospital section to be added onto the Mater Private Hospital, while upgrades to Ipswich Hospital are also progressing.

A 2.7-hectare parcel of land in Ripley has been identified by the state government as the preferred site for a satellite hospital to service Ipswich.

There is no doubt that our public hospitals are bursting at the seams at the moment and that this is having a hugely detrimental effect on our doctors and nurses - the very people we depend on when our health goes pear shaped.

Ipswich’s current growth will place further strain on existing facilities in years to come without the establishment of more hospitals in places like Ripley and Springfield, which are the epicentre of our population boom.

Footy team can help us grow

Ipswich’s main hope for an NRL team in the near future has officially submitted its bid.

The Brisbane Jets would officially represent an imaginary region referred to as “The Western Corridor”, however we all know that the city of Ipswich is strongly linked to this push for a 17th team in the national competition.

Questions remain over what Ipswich’s stadium would look like if the bid was successful, and Ipswich City Council has whittled the options down to two.

Nick Livermore from Brisbane Bombers and Steve Johnson from Ipswich Jets have joined forces to bid for the NRL’s 17th licence, Picture: Richard Walker

While there are astronomical costs involved in making either plan come to fruition, I would like to think the effort will pay off for Ipswich, especially as we try to rebuild from the chaos of the past few years.

Having our own footy team would certainly help galvanise everyone I feel.

Keeping up with the QT

Our loyal subscribers will have noticed quite a bit of correspondence from us lately regarding our move across to a stand-alone section of the Courier Mail.

Our mission over the past week has been to reassure our loyal readers that we indeed are not going to be wiped off the face of the earth next Wednesday, when the move becomes official.

As a matter of fact, what this move should achieve is a news website that is easier to use, and more pleasing on the eye, while also giving readers easier access to the news in other parts of Queensland, Australia and elsewhere around the world.

We have published a number of helpful guides on how to ensure you can continue to read the Queensland Times without any dramas after we shift across.

Here’s a good one on how to download the Courier Mail app, which will help you access the stories you want in a much improved format.

Our team of six reporters will continue to proudly serve the city of Ipswich and those who call this part of the world home.