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Gooloowan House: 21 Amazing Facts

Gooloowan House 2
  1. Unique: Gooloowan holds one of Queensland’s oldest surviving hand operated residential lifts (circa. 1930s).
  2. Historic: Gooloowan is Queensland’s oldest surviving two-storey mansion still in residential use.
  3. Library: The cedar library contains some 3,000 of Ipswich’s oldest privately held books.
  4. One-of-a-kind: The original Italian marble mantelpiece is one of the finest surviving in any Queensland home.
  5. Quality: Built by hand-picked craftsmen, Gooloowan is a rare example of bespoke 1860s construction.
  6. Trailblazer: One of the first homes in Queensland to feature indoor bathrooms with marble and brass.
  7. Preserved: Still features rare intact 1860s cedar shutters and a functioning servants’ bell system.
  8. Thriving: Its hand-carved limestone terraces are among the oldest surviving landscape features in Ipswich.
  9. Original: The original 1860s circular carriageway remains fully intact and in daily use.
  10. Survivor: Gooloowan is the most intact surviving residential design by architect Charles Balding.
  11. Landmark: Despite subdivision, it remains one of Ipswich’s most prominent and recognizable hilltop estates.
  12. Secrets: Restoration uncovered rare 1920s wallpaper, now preserved as part of Ipswich’s design history.
  13. Treasures: Gooloowan’s conservatory features rare salvaged stained glass from a demolished 1800s church.
  14. Grounded: Two hoop pines planted in 1868 are among Ipswich’s oldest surviving estate trees.
  15. Lasting: The original brick cellar is one of few private WWII air raid shelters still documented in Ipswich.
  16. Loved: Its reconstructed front gates use original 1860s hardware found buried on site.
  17. Rare: One of Queensland’s only completely intact Victorian-era servant wings.
  18. Showcased: One original cedar sideboard is now part of the Ipswich Art Gallery collection.
  19. Remarkable: Still contains visible 1800s gas lighting pipes—rare in surviving Queensland homes.
  20. Fun: The timber billiards pavilion is a rare surviving 19th-century private games room.
  21. Lived-in: Gooloowan is one of Queensland’s only grand homes to remain a private family residence for 160 years.