Colossal Car Parks of Ipswich

Rabbit-hole Wednesday: What are the biggest carparks in Ipswich?

Turns out the answer is obvious.

The four shopping centres take the cake—Orion, Riverlink, Redbank Plaza and Booval Fair.

Those four hold 9,100 cars. The exact same as Brisbane airports combined capacity.

Now with two major hospital carparks under construction—Ipswich Hospital and Mater Springfield—the landscape is set to change.

Here’s how things stack up as of June 2025:

Largest Carparks – Ipswich (June 2025)

1. Orion Springfield Central | 3,166 bays

• Regional mall (Mirvac), Springfield Central
• Mostly undercover across several decks
• Source

2. Riverlink Shopping Centre | 2,559 bays

• Regional mall (Leda Holdings), North Ipswich
• Surface lots + multi-deck
• Source

3. Redbank Plaza | 1,955 bays

• Regional mall (Haben / YFG), Redbank
• Multi-storey deck plus ground rings
• Source

4. Booval Fair | 1,257 bays

• Sub-regional mall (Retail First), Booval
• 1,025 undercover after 2021 refurb
• Source

5. Springfield Central Station Park-and-Ride | 1,100 bays

• Five-level commuter deck (TMR Qld)
• Usually full by 8 am on weekdays
• $44.5 million build cost
• Source

6. Nicholas St / Ipswich Metro Underground | ≈1,000 bays

• CBD council carpark (Ipswich City Council)
• Plenty of weekday capacity
• Source

7. Yamanto Central | 950 bays

• Sub-regional mall (JMK Retail), Yamanto
• Basement deck + small surface lot
• Source

8. Costco Bundamba | 825 bays

• Large-format warehouse (Costco), Citiswich Estate
• All surface bays; peak weekends busy
• Source

9. Ipswich Hospital P1 & P2 Decks | ≈750 bays

• Public hospital parking (West Moreton Health)
• Two multi-storey decks on Warrell St
• Source

10. Dinmore Station Park-and-Ride | 484 bays

• Ground-level commuter lot (Queensland Rail)
• Free parking; fills early for city trains
• Source

New Carpark Capacity on the Way (2026-27)

Ipswich Hospital Roderick St Deck | +875 bays

• Seven storeys; lifts campus to ~1,625 bays
• Completion due 2027

Mater Hospital Springfield Stage 2 Deck | +590 bays

• Six storeys; campus total ~890 bays
• Opening planned 2026

Once both decks open, Ipswich Hospital jumps to 4th place; Mater Springfield slots into 9th, nudging Costco to 10th and Dinmore off the list.

Why These Numbers Matter

• Retail giants still command ≈64 % of all marked bays.
• Hospitals will add 1,400 + new bays in the next two years.
• Springfield commuter deck already strains at peak times—take the train early.
• Nicholas St underground remains the easiest CBD option.
• No private office or university deck tops 500 bays yet—white-space for developers.

State-Wide Context

Brisbane Airport carparks | ≈ 9,000 bays

• Biggest in QLD. Spread over four separate facilities but managed as one integrated system by Brisbane Airport Corporation.
• Domestic P1 & P2, International P3, plus AIRPARK & AIRPARK 2 long-stay lots.

Westfield Chermside, Brisbane | ≈7,000 bays

• Some consider this to be Qld’s largest carpark (if BNE is classed as 4 separate)—more than 2x Orion’s capacity.
• Source

Grand Central, Toowoomba | ≈4,000 bays

• Darling Downs benchmark after its 2017 expansion.
• Source

For scale, Ipswich’s biggest deck (Orion, 3,166 bays) is smaller than Toowoomba’s Grand Central and less than half Westfield Chermside. That gap shows how concentrated Ipswich parking remains in its regional malls—and why those new hospital decks will make such a noticeable difference locally.

How Counts Were Verified

• Capacity figures taken from leasing profiles, DA approvals and government releases.
• Counts cross-checked with Nearmap imagery (April 2025).
• Only marked car bays—no motorcycles, EVs or loading zones.