The quiet charm of Walloon.
A historic railway town west of Brisbane, where heritage timber homes, family parks, and a friendly country pub sit just fifteen minutes from central Ipswich.
Take an unhurried walk through a town where the train still stops, children still play in the park, and the pub still pours a Sunday pint. Walloon is a community.
Walloon is a small, rural-residential town in the City of Ipswich, about forty kilometres west of Brisbane. Named after the French-speaking Walloon region of southern Belgium, it was settled by Europeans in the 1840s and became one of the original stations on Queensland's first railway line in 1865.
Today, Walloon blends heritage character with modern family living — a place where morning commuters catch the train to Brisbane, kids ride their bikes to the skate park, and new neighbourhoods like Highland Walloon write the next chapter.
A town worth wandering
From the heritage railway station to the Henry Lawson memorial, from family parks to country pubs — Walloon has more than you might expect.
The Babies of Walloon
In April 1891, two young sisters — Bridget and Mary Broderick, aged nine and six — drowned in a waterhole near their Walloon home. The tragedy moved the bush poet Henry Lawson to write one of his most tender verses, The Babies of Walloon.
Today, a bronze sculpture of the sisters sits in the park that bears Lawson's name, the poem carved into railway sleepers around them. It is perhaps the most quietly affecting memorial in the Ipswich region — and the place the town's heart returns to.
Oh, tell no more the tale to me, Nor let my thoughts be straying To the lonely grave by the old gum tree Where the babies now are laying. Henry Lawson — The Babies of Walloon, 1891
Recent posts from around the town
Five things to do in Walloon on a Saturday
A suggested loop around the town — from a morning coffee to an afternoon pint — perfect for visitors and a nice…
Read moreA Short History of the Walloon Railway Station
Opened in 1865 as one of the first stations on the Ipswich to Grandchester line, Walloon station has quietly watched the town…
Read moreWelcome to Walloon.com.au
A new online home for the town of Walloon — a place to share our history, our events, and the little stories…
Read moreA community site, for the community.
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