Building and pest inspections in Redbank Plains
Redbank Plains was outside the mapped 1974 flood, but about 15% of the suburb lies over mapped underground coal workings. Check the address on council's mining influence mapping, and for a newer slab house ask the inspector to focus on cracking, wet areas, the roof space and drainage, and read the termite management notice in the meter box.
A large, newer suburb over old coalfields
Redbank Plains is about 10 km east of the Ipswich CBD. It had 24,349 residents at the 2021 Census, and only 10.7% of homes there were owned outright, about half the City of Ipswich figure of 20.2%. Of occupied dwellings, 85.3% of occupied dwellings were separate houses and 13.0% were semi-detached houses or townhouses.
The suburb did not flood in 1974: the Queensland Government's mapped extent of that flood does not reach it.
Mapped mine workings
The Queensland Government's mapping of underground mine workings covers about 15% of Redbank Plains. The outlines include several collieries, among them Blackheath and Bonnie Dundee. Check the address on council's planning website, which maps known mining influence areas, before you sign.
What to inspect in a newer house
For a slab-on-ground house built in the last 20 years or so, ask the inspector to look at:
- cracking in the slab edge, brickwork and internal plaster, and its width and pattern
- doors and windows that stick or no longer latch
- wet areas for leaks and failed waterproofing
- the roof space, roof plumbing and gutters
- drainage and the fall of the ground away from the house
Termites in newer homes
The QBCC says builders must treat certain parts of a new home against termites to meet the Building Code, and must fix a durable termite management notice somewhere prominent, usually in the meter box. The notice says what system was used and how often it should be inspected. Read it before you buy, and ask whether the seller has kept up the maintenance, such as top-ups for chemical barriers. The QBCC recommends a licensed pest inspection every year, or more often in high hazard areas.
Related services
Sources: ABS 2021 Census QuickStats, Redbank Plains; ABS 2021 Census QuickStats, Ipswich (LGA); Queensland Government, historic Brisbane River floods January 1974 (flood extent); Queensland Government, abandoned mines: underground workings outline; Queensland Government, Collingwood Park remediation project; QBCC, protect against termites.
Last checked: 2026-10-30.