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Maryborough ~ Queensland
The lovely Heritage City of Maryborough is located 254 kilometres north of Brisbane on the Mary River. It was once Australia’s busiest port and first boomed with wool, then gold, timber, and coal. From 1859, more than 22,000 immigrants came from across the world to Maryborough to stake their claim on their own piece of Australia.
Maryborough has stunning street art, beautiful historical buildings and fantastic military Memorabilia. It is the birthplace of Mary Poppins author Pamela Lyndon Travers and is home to the quirkiest public toilets in Queensland.
On our recent visit to Maryborough, we wandered through the “Cistern Chapel”, visited the Story Bank and viewed the colourful street art. We learnt about Maryborough’s Military history along the Armistice Memorial and at the Military Museum. We explored the Portside Precinct, with wonderful heritage buildings and enjoyed coffee and cake at the Portside Cafe. On Thursday, we wandered through the Markets and watched the Mary Ann steam train in the Queens Gardens.
One of Maryborough’s newest and quirkiest attractions is the Cistern Chapel. These fancy public toilets near the City Hall are adorned with ornate Victoriana-themed decorations. The men’s toilets feature trains and steam, highlighting Maryborough’s heritage and an under-the-sea theme in the cubicles.
The ladies’ toilets are painted in a Victorian theme and also include the Crimson bottlebrush, which is the floral emblem of Maryborough; there is piped music, chandeliers, gilded mirrors, and a gold toilet. The Parents Room features a countryside scene with rainbows, farm animals, Mary Poppins and a miniature hot air balloon suspended from the ceiling.
Artists Arkos Juhasz and Gary Madden drew inspiration from Michelangelo's works, transforming the restrooms into a must-see artistic experience.
Maryborough is the birthplace of Mary Poppins author Pamela Lyndon Travers. You can learn more about the creator of the world’s most famous nanny, her life and literary works at The Story Bank. The Story Bank is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9.30 a.m.
Helen Lyndon Goff, who wrote under the pen name Travers, was born in the upstairs bedroom of this building when it was the Australian Joint Stock Bank, and her father was the Manager. The colourful and interactive displays showcase Maryborough’s unique connection with Travers and commemorate the story of her life, her family, and the influences on her writings.
The pedestrian lights near the Story Bank Building and around the CBD have images of Mary Poppins. When the lights are red, Mary Poppins has her umbrella down, and when they turn green, the umbrella goes up.
You can get the Maryborough Mural Map from the Visitor Centre and wander along the 2-kilometre trail in the CBD. Whilst admiring the murals, you can learn more about Maryborough's colourful trail as each mural has an informative plaque with information about the artist and the artwork.
Duncan Chapman, who was born in Maryborough, was the first Allied soldier to step ashore at Gallipoli. At the Gallipoli to Armistice Memorial on the edge of Queens Park, you can learn about his sacrifice and the many other Australians who followed in his footsteps through a series of interactive dedications.
The Maryborough Military Museum is housed in an 1879 heritage building on Wharf Street with over 10,000 exhibits; it is the most extensive collection of military memorabilia outside the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. It is open seven days a week from 9.30 am.
The Portside Precinct is Maryborough’s historic port area with beautiful heritage buildings, a lovely park, cafes, hotels and lovely views over the Mary River.
We wandered around looking at the stunning heritage buildings in this area, which are great examples of colonial Queensland architecture.
Custom House was built in 1899 and is a stunning building with delicate cast-iron lacework, known for its appearance in the Kylie Minogue movie "The Delinquents.”
The Portside Cafe and Restaurant is situated inside the original Customs House Residence; we sat on an outside table and enjoyed our coffee and cake.
The Maryborough Post Office was built in 1866 and is the oldest post office of its kind in Queensland. It is a Victorian Classical Revival building and reflects the town's prosperity during the Gympie gold rush.
The Maryborough courthouse was built in 1878 and has been continuously used since then, making it the longest-serving and oldest courthouse in use in Queensland.
The Maryborough Markets is held every Thursday morning, from 7.00 a.m. to 12 noon in Adelaide Street. There is a large range of stalls with farm-fresh produce, hand-made arts and crafts, jewellery, clothing, accessories, fresh-cut flowers, coffee, and food vans.
The heritage-listed Queens Park was established in the 1860s and is one of the oldest botanic gardens in Australia. It is located in the centre of Maryborough and has 5.2 hectares of gardens and grassed areas, with a lovely waterfall and a stunning historical rotunda. It also has military memorabilia and several musical instruments you can play.
On Thursdays, you can ride the Mary Ann, a B15 steam locomotive; this is a full-size replica of the first steam engine built in Queensland by Walkers Limited in Maryborough in 1873.
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