Building and pest inspections in Collingwood Park
Part of Collingwood Park sits over the old Westfalen No. 3 and New Redbank collieries, and pillar failures caused subsidence in 1988 and 2008. The Queensland Government guarantees to repair or buy properties that existed on 25 April 2008 and are damaged by mine subsidence. Ask your solicitor whether the house you want is covered.
The suburb with a State guarantee
Collingwood Park is about 9 km east of the Ipswich CBD. Part of the suburb sits over two old underground coal mines, the Westfalen No. 3 and New Redbank collieries. The Queensland Government says pillar failures inside Westfalen No. 3 caused two subsidence events, in December 1988 and April 2008, that moved the ground and damaged houses.
The Government has found that remediating the mine would be uneconomic. Instead, it guarantees to repair any Collingwood Park property that existed on 25 April 2008 and is damaged by mine subsidence, or to buy it at market value if repair is not cost-effective. The guarantee is in section 334R of the Mineral Resources Act 1989. Ground sensors monitor movement, and the Government says the data shows the ground is currently stable.
What that means for a buyer
- Ask your solicitor whether the house existed on 25 April 2008. A house built after that date is not covered by the guarantee as the Government describes it.
- Check council's planning website, which maps known mining influence areas, for the address.
- In the building inspection, ask for any cracking, out-of-level floors or sticking doors to be described in detail, so a later change can be compared against it.
Using the Queensland Government's mapping of underground mine workings, about a quarter (25.0%) of Collingwood Park lies over mapped workings, from several collieries including Redbank, Noblevale No. 2 and Bonnie Dundee No. 4.
Other checks
The mapped extent of the January 1974 flood covers about 15% of the suburb. Check council's historical flood mapping tool for the address.
In the 2021 Census, 91.7% of occupied dwellings in Collingwood Park were separate houses and only 16.4% of homes were owned outright, compared with 20.2% across the City of Ipswich.
Related services
Questions
Is a house built after April 2008 covered by the State guarantee?
The Queensland Government describes the guarantee as covering properties in Collingwood Park that existed on 25 April 2008. Ask your solicitor how it applies to the house you are buying.
Sources: Queensland Government, Collingwood Park remediation project; Queensland Government, abandoned mines: underground workings outline; Queensland Government, historic Brisbane River floods January 1974 (flood extent); City of Ipswich, historical flood mapping tool; ABS 2021 Census QuickStats, Collingwood Park (Qld); ABS 2021 Census QuickStats, Ipswich (LGA).
Last checked: 2026-10-30.