A Glimpse of Maryborough History and Heritage

Maryborough, a city of almost 27,000 people, is located on the Mary River within the Fraser Coast region of Southeast Queensland. It is 255km north of Queensland’s capital city of Brisbane. Coupled with Hervey Bay, Maryborough forms the Fraser Coast Local Government Area. In fact, Maryborough is dominated by Hervey Bay which is twice the size. Together with Gympie, these two cities are a part of the Wide Bay Burnett Region.

Maryborough promotes itself as a heritage city and it was the heritage-listed buildings and historical focus which attracted us to the city. The Portside Precinct is at the centre of this project with the “Story Bank” located in the former Australian Joint Stock Bank (the birthplace of PL Travers - author of Mary Poppins), the mural and story trails, the “Walk of Achievers”, and the nearby Queen’s Park with its botanical focus, war memorials and restful areas. Not to forget the replica of Queensland’s first steam locomotive – The Mary Ann – which offers tourist rides along the banks of the ever-present Mary River and through Queen’s Park. Remarkably, all these attractions are close to each other and the city centre.

Maryborough experienced its strongest growth in the second half of the 19th century. It was a city with a purpose. It was a port that supported the pastoral industry of its hinterland, the gold mining of Gympie and its own fledgling timber, engineering and sugar industries. The future looked bright. However, it would take the next 100 years of the 20th century to experience the same population growth. Furthermore, during the 21st century to date, Maryborough’s population has not grown appreciably. The timber, engineering and sugar industries have remained during this time however the sugar refinery closed during 2021 placing further pressure on the city to diversify to grow.
The Mary River so vital to Maryborough’s early survival and growth has faded as its function as a port has diminished. However, its presence is announced roughly every 10 years with a major flood that inundates the city’s central business district.
Our book provides a glimpse of Maryborough’s interesting history and heritage.
At the heart of the book are contemporary photographs and descriptions of 10 general heritage-listed buildings and the six heritage-listed hotels in Maryborough. We also investigate four topics in detail:
First, a consideration of key aspects of Maryborough such as the Port of Maryborough, the Mary River, railways, war memorials, Queens Park and a statistical profile (population, employment, education).
Secondly, a discussion of how Maryborough was settled with a focus on the first 20 years and its explorers and pioneers. Our first 20 years for Maryborough extend from Andrew Petrie’s ground-breaking voyage up the Mary River in 1842 until Maryborough was proclaimed a municipality in 1861.
Thirdly, an account of the trials, tribulations and exploits of the indigenous Butchulla people. We examine the difficulties in researching the indigenous people, the population, early European contact, the frontier wars, government control and reserves, the confronting issue of our time (recognition), and recent acknowledgements in the plight of Australia’s indigenous people.
Fourthly, a brief study of the timber, sugar and engineering industries which are so important to Maryborough’s survival. These industries have been mainstays of Maryborough since the 1860s and 1870s.