Ipswich is an urban region in South East Queensland, Australia. Situated on the Bremer River, it is approximately 40 kilometres west of the Brisbane central business district. A local government area, the City of Ipswich has a population of 232,000. The city is renowned for its architectural, natural and cultural heritage. Ipswich preserves and operates from many of its historical buildings, with more than 6000 heritage-listed sites and over 500 parks. Ipswich began in 1827 as a mining settlement.