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Best known as the birthplace of P. L. Travers, author of the Mary Poppins books, Maryborough has a fascinating history as one of nineteenth-century Australia’s busiest river ports.
With its fine architectural heritage, beautifully maintained historic port precinct, thriving public art scene, lush parks and gardens, and imaginative use of the Poppins connection, this trim town in the Fraser Coast region of Queensland is just the place for a jolly holiday!
Here’s a checklist of our top ten things to do in Maryborough.
1. Discover the magic of Mary at The Story Bank
Helen Lyndon Goff, who grew up to rename herself Pamela Lyndon Travers, was born in 1899 above the Australian Joint Stock Bank on Richmond Street (where her father was the bank manager). Writers’ birthplaces often become literary museums, but what makes The Story Bank different is that it treats visitors not just as fans of a famous author, but as potential storytellers themselves. In this brilliantly curated museum you’ll encounter the unflappable, gravity-defying nanny of the beloved books and films, and learn about her strong-willed and eccentric creator. But you’ll also be encouraged to think bigger — to explore your own creativity and its place in the wider world of imaginative storytelling.
2. Follow the Mural Trail
Brightly painted scenes from the Mary Poppins books cover a brick wall across the road from The Story Bank. This is one of thirty-four murals dotted around Maryborough, each of which tells a story or celebrates a character from the town’s history. Collect a Mural Trail map from the Visitor Information Centre and head off to meet Anzacs and astronomers, a daring dog, and some energetic entrepreneurs. You’ll find tales of courage and sacrifice, and discover some surprising connections between this small Queensland town and the history of our nation.
3. Catch an exhibition at Gatakers Artspace
Named for the wine and spirit merchant whose nineteenth-century warehouse it occupies, Gatakers Artspace is a fabulous community art gallery that showcases the creative talent of the Fraser Coast region. With a changing program of solo and group exhibitions, pop-up displays linked to events such as NAIDOC week, and an array of affordable small-scale artworks for sale, the spacious gallery has something to delight all art and craft lovers.
4. Visit the Customs Precinct museums
Maryborough’s historic Customs Precinct sits by the Mary River and features two excellent and very different museums. The Military and Colonial Museum is crammed with memorabilia offering a human-scale view of how this community experienced the 20th century’s various wars. Directly opposite on Wharf Street stands the cavernous Bond Store, which cleverly uses its 1860s architecture to conjure up a vanished world of commerce, industry, and immigration. You might even score a free tipple of port — the drink that once brought great profits to the merchants of Maryborough.
5. Pay your respects to the Anzacs
Nearby in Queens Park, the multi-sensory Gallipoli to Armistice Trail is an immersive memorial to the experiences of Australians caught up in the horrors of World War I. It centres on the story of Maryborough citizen Lt. Duncan Chapman — the first man to go ashore at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915. Inscriptions, soundscapes, and statues poignantly communicate the costs of war to everyday citizens, while the park’s serene setting is a reminder of the priceless gift of living in peacetime.
6. See the South Sea Islanders memorial
Another dark chapter from the past is marked at the edge of the Mary River Parklands on Richmond Street. A stone and brass monument commemorates the Pacific Islanders who powered the establishment of Queensland’s sugar industry. ‘Blackbirded’ — that is, in many cases, lured, coerced or kidnapped — from New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, around 60,000 of these intended labourers arrived in Australia between 1863 and 1904. Many of them entered the country through the port of Maryborough, before being assigned to work in the hinterland cane fields in appalling conditions. The split boulders that form the memorial represent the Islanders’ ruptured families and communities, while the brass symbols reference their ancestral spirits and homeland memories.
7. Admire the classic ‘Queenslanders’
Keep an eye out for traditional ‘Queenslanders’: high-standing, white-painted timber houses that proudly display deep verandahs adorned with lavishly carved wooden balustrades, rails and screens. This classic form of Australian domestic architecture evolved in the 1800s to suit Queensland’s tropical climate, and you won’t find better examples than in the residential parts of Maryborough. Just head towards Anzac Park and Ululah Lagoon to admire the beautiful old homes in the heritage areas of Cheapside, Pallas, Ann, and Queen Streets.
8. Shop for antiques and bric-a-brac
Maryborough has lots of options for those who love browsing for antiques and vintage wares. Another Life Antiques and Whatnot receives new stock weekly, including furniture, vinyl records, vintage games and posters; they also carry a good range of Mary Poppins merchandise. Mrs Banks Antiques specialises in vintage glassware, while Lily’s Antiques & Old Wares is the place to find old kitchenware, fine porcelain, lace, hats, and jewellery.
9. Go on a cemetery tour
Situated on the northern side of town, the sprawling Maryborough Monumental Cemetery dates back to 1871. So, it’s had plenty of time to accumulate a good stock of notable citizens, questionable characters, and tragic tales. The fine folk at the Maryborough District Family History Society conduct regular guided tours of the cemetery — usually general in nature, but sometimes around special themes — including deaths by plague, former town mayors, unsolved murders, and the like. Tours run on the third Friday of each month and are extremely popular. If your travel dates don’t line up, drop by their office on Wharf Street and get some tips for a self-guided stroll among the headstones.
10. Do a day trip to Hervey Bay
Maryborough is located just 30 minutes’ drive from coastal holiday mecca and renowned whale watching hub Hervey Bay. So, it makes sense to do a day trip to the bay and get in some beachy pursuits or join a whale watching cruise (depending on the season). From mid-July to early November, humpback whales use the bay and tranquil waters between the mainland and nearby World Heritage-listed K’gari Fraser Island as a rest stop on their return migration from Antarctica. There are whale watching cruises to suit every budget and most depart from the Great Sandy Straits Marina.
If you prefer to explore Hervey itself, hire a bike and hit the Esplanade Trail along the beachfront. There are interpretive boards en route that provide context on points of interest.
For more travel inspiration, visit www.visitfrasercoast.com.
Browse our range of Queensland tours and experiences here.
Do you have any suggestions to add to our list of the top things to do in Maryborough? We would love to hear from you. Join the conversation on our Facebook page.
Cover image: Alamy. Additional images: Bigstock
About the writer
Roslyn Jolly is a freelance travel writer whose work has appeared in Escape (News Limited), Mindful Puzzles, Vacations and Travel, and Mindfood. In her former career as an English Literature academic, she studied and taught the work of great travel writers, such as Henry James, Herman Melville and Robert Louis Stevenson, and became fascinated by the history of travel and tourism. Two years at school in Wales and three years at university in England allowed Roslyn to travel extensively in Europe and North America, which she continues to do.
About the writer
Adam Ford is editor of Top Oz Tours & Travel Ideas, and a travel TV presenter, writer, blogger, and photographer. He has travelled extensively through Europe, Asia, North America, Africa, and the Middle East. Adam worked as a travel consultant for a number of years with Flight Centre before taking up the opportunity to travel the world himself as host of the TV series Tour the World on Network Ten. He loves to experience everything a new destination has to offer and is equally at home in a five-star Palazzo in Pisa or a home-stay in Hanoi.
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