Rosewood
Postcode: 4340
Rosewood is a small town in the Lockyer Valley, Queensland, Australia. It is located 60km west of the Brisbane CBD in the Ipswich City Council area and is the terminus of QR CityTrain’s Rosewood Line.
Rosewood is a small straggling little centre located 60 km south-west of Brisbane, 85 km east of Toowoomba, 30 km south-west of Ipswich and 61 m above sea level.
Like so many of the small towns which lie between Brisbane and Toowoomba it is easy to pass through and yet a brief stay yields interesting treasures.
The town came into existence when the railway from Ipswich to Grandchester was built during the 1860s. Being at neither terminus Rosewood became something of a stopover point until the area surrounding the town yielded coal and agriculture developed the rich soils for dairying and mixed farming.
The town’s greatest claim to fame and definitely something worth visiting Rosewood for is the truly remarkable St Brigid’s Catholic Church in Matthews Street. It claims to be the largest wooden Catholic Church in Australia but its real appeal is that, regardless of any claim, it is a truly magnificent wooden building. The woodwork inside and the sense of care and craftsmanship which has gone into the building evokes the kind of religious commitment which is such a characteristic of the great churches of Europe. This is a building constructed out of faith.
The church was designed by Father Andrew Horan and opened on 13 February 1910. It is claimed that it was made entirely of timber with even the foundations being timber stumps set on timber bedlogs. Other features of particular interest are the pressed metal ceiling, the altar which although made of wood has been painted to look like marble and the statues of the three saints – St Brigid, St Agnes and St Philomena.