Rosewood is a rural town and locality in the City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Rosewood had a population of 2,834 people.
Rosewood is in the Bremer Valley.
Geography
The town of Rosewood is located south-west of the Brisbane CBD. Part of the town's border is marked by the Bremer River to the south, and the decommissioned Marburg branch railway line on the Little Liverpool Range to the north.
Perrys Knob is a hill (), rising above sea level. It takes its name from the Perry family who owned land containing the know and its western slopes.
The Main Line railway enters the locality from the east (Thagoona) and exits to the west (Lanefield). The locality had a number of railway stations (from west to east):
Rosewood railway station, serving the town () Yarrowlea railway station, now abandoned () There were two railway stations on the now-closed Marburg branch railway line (from north to south):
Perrys Knob railway station, now disamantled ()
North Rosewood railway station, now abandoned ()
History
The origin of the suburb name is believed to be derived from the Rosewood (Acacia fasciculifera) or the Dysoxylum (a Mahogany species, referred to locally as a rosewood despite bearing little relation) tree or shrub, both commonly found in the south-east Queensland region at the time of Rosewood's settlement.
Rosewood Provisional School opened on 17 October 1870. In 1875, it became Rosewood State School. In 1962, a secondary department was added to the school, until a separate state high school was established in 1980.
The first coal mine in the Lanefield district, west of Rosewood, commenced production in 1918. As part of these workings, two railway branches from the Brisbane to Toowoomba main line were constructed to the mines at Lanefield Colliery (1934 to 1965) and Westvale Colliery (1929 to 1960).
St. Brigid’s Church was opened on 13 February 1910 by Bishop Duhig, replacing an earlier timber building. St Brigid's Catholic Primary School was established on 30 January 1922 by the Sisters of Mercy under the leadership of Sister Mary Stephen. It had an enrolment of 125 students in its first year of opening. The Sisters of Mercy left the school in 2011, but the school continues to operate according to the values of the Sisters of Mercy.
On Saturday 27 January 1923, a new Church of Christ chapel was officially opened at 34 Albert Street (), with the former building being relocated to use as a dwelling. Since at least 2002, the building has been in private ownership.
In the late 1930s, a motor racing circuit was built in Rosewood which became the first purpose-built road racing circuit in Queensland and possibly in Australia. Due to World War II, the circuit was not open for long. The circuit was primarily used for motorcycle racing, the last of which was held in 1949. The track was dirt-surface and no trace remains. Car racing was also held briefly but did not return after the war.
Rosewood State High School opened on 29 January 1980. Secondary school had been available through Rosewood State School from 1962, an arrangement which ceased with the opening of the state high school.The New Oakleigh Mine is located to the town's north and was one of the last remaining coal mines in the area at the time of its closure in 2013.
In the , the locality of Rosewood had a population of 2,834 people.
Although St Brigid's Catholic Church had been slowly leaning for many years, by 2020 it was deemed unsafe and the church was forced to close. Repairs costing $3 million were needed to make it level again. As at February 2022, the repair work had not commenced.
Heritage listings
Rosewood has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
1 John Street (): Rosewood Courthouse
96 John Street (): Glendalough
11 Railway Street (): St Brigids Catholic Church
Education
Rosewood State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at School Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 284 students with 20 teachers (19 full-time equivalent) and 23 non-teaching staff (13 full-time equivalent).
St Brigid's Primary School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Railway Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 161 students with 14 teachers (11 full-time equivalent) and 13 non-teaching staff (6 full-time equivalent).