Maryborough, Queensland facts for kids
| Maryborough Queensland |
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 Maryborough City Hall, built in 1908, on Kent Street. |
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| Population: | 27846 | ||||||
| Elevation: | 11.0 m (36 ft) | ||||||
| Area: | 170.7 km² (65.9 sq mi) (2011 urban) | ||||||
| Time zone: | AEST (UTC+10) | ||||||
| Location: | |||||||
| LGA: | Fraser Coast Region | ||||||
| State District: | Maryborough | ||||||
| Federal Division: | Wide Bay | ||||||
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Maryborough /ˈmɛrəbərə/ is a city located on the Mary River in Queensland, Australia, approximately 255 kilometres (160 mi) north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city is served by the Bruce Highway. It is closely tied to its neighbour city Hervey Bay which is approximately 30 kilometres (20 mi) northeast. Together they form part of the area known as the Fraser Coast. At June 2015 Maryborough had an estimated urban population of 27,846. The city was the location for the 2013 Australian Scout Jamboree.
Contents
History
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Maryborough was founded in 1847, was proclaimed a municipality in 1861, and became a city in 1905. During the second half of the 1800s, the city was a major port of entry to immigrants arriving in Queensland from all parts of the world.
The name was derived from the Mary River which was named in 1847 after Lady Mary Lennox (1790–1847) the wife of Sir Charles Augustus Fitzroy, then Governor of the colony of New South Wales. Lady Mary was killed in a coach accident very soon after, devastating Sir Charles.
The first section of what is now the North Coast Line opened on 6 August 1881, connecting the mining town of Gympie to the river port at Maryborough and followed the Mary River valley. The Queensland Government was under constant pressure to reduce expenditure, and so despite the potential for the line to be part of a future main line, the line was constructed to pioneer standards with minimal earthworks, a sinuous alignment and 17.4 kg/m (35 lb/yd) lightweight rails.
Coal had been discovered at Burrum, 25 km north of Maryborough, and a line was constructed to serve the mine, opening in 1883. The line was extended to Bundaberg in 1888 so coal could be shipped there as well. When the Burrum line was built, it junctioned from the Maryborough line at Baddow, 3 km from the station, creating a triangular junction, with platforms ultimately being provided on all three sides. Maryborough station was situated immediately adjacent to the commercial centre of the city, and converting it into a through station would have been prohibitively expensive.
When through trains commenced running from Brisbane to Bundaberg and beyond, trains ran into Maryborough, a fresh steam locomotive was attached to the other end of the train, and it then departed.
Once diesel locomotives were introduced, there was no need to replace engines, and through trains paused at Baddow on the 3rd leg of the triangular junction before proceeding north. A one carriage connecting service was provided from Maryborough to meet the through train at Baddow, and then return. As trains became longer, the platform on the 3rd leg was not of sufficient length, and the trains would stop on the platform on the line to Maryborough, having to reverse out of, or back into the platform before proceeding further, adding about 15 minutes to the journey. The situation was finally resolved with the opening of the Maryborough West bypass in 1988.
Pneumonic plague
Australia's only outbreak of pneumonic plague occurred in Maryborough in 1905. At the time Maryborough was Queensland's largest port—a reception centre for wool, meat, timber, sugar and other rural products. A freighter from Hong Kong, where plague was rampant, was in the Port of Maryborough about the time that a wharf worker named Richard O'Connell took home some sacking from the wharf, for his children to sleep on. Subsequently, five of the seven O'Connell children, two nurses, and a neighbour died from the disease. There were no more cases but the ensuing fear, panic, and hysteria totally consumed the town, and a huge crowd gathered to witness the family's house being burnt to the ground by health officials. A memorial fountain was built in the grounds of the City Hall and dedicated to the nurses, Cecelia Bauer and Rose Wiles.
War memorial
The foundation stone of Maryborough War Memorial was laid on 22 May 1921 by Lieutenant Colonel James Durrant. It was dedicated on 19 November 1922.
Heritage listings
Maryborough has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- 178-202 Adelaide Street: St Paul's Anglican Church and Hall
- 271-275 Adelaide Street: St Mary's Roman Catholic Church
- Bazaar Street: Post Office Hotel
- Gympie Road to Ferry Street, across Mary River: Lamington Bridge
- Kent Street: Maryborough Boys Grammar School
- Kent Street: Maryborough Central State School
- Kent Street: Royal Hotel
- 297 Kent Street: former Royal Bank of Queensland
- 310 Kent Street: Hotel Francis
- 327 Kent Street: former Queensland National Bank
- 331 Kent Street: Australian Joint Stock Bank
- 388 Kent Street: Maryborough City Hall
- 427 Kent Street: Maryborough School of Arts
- Lennox Street: Maryborough railway station
- 62-66 Lennox Street: Brennan & Geraghtys Store
- 335 Lennox Street: Ilfracombe (house)
- 115 March Street: Engineers' Arms Hotel
- 50 Pallas Street: Oonooraba
- 53 Pallas Street: Eskdale
- 366 Queen Street: Baddow House
- Richmond Street: Customs House
- Richmond Street: Maryborough Courthouse
- 164 Richmond Street: Maryborough Heritage Centre
- Russell Street: Original Maryborough Town Site
- Saltwater Creek Road: Second World War RAAF Buildings, Maryborough Airport
- Sussex Street: Queen's Park
- Walker Street: Maryborough Base Hospital
- Walker Street: Mortuary Chapel
- Wharf Street: Government Bond Store
- 96 Wharf Street: Maryborough Waterside Workers' Hall
- 98 Wharf Street: Criterion Hotel
- 106-108 Wharf Street & 310 Kent Street: Gataker's Warehouse Complex
- 116 Wharf Street: Customs House Hotel
- 123 Wharf Street: Maryborough Government Offices Building
- 134 Wharf Street: Wharf Street Shop
Transport
Maryborough West station is on the North Coast line. It is served by long-distance Traveltrain services: the Spirit of Queensland, Spirit of the Outback and the Bundaberg and Rockhamption Tilt Trains.
This station, on the western outskirts of the city, was built in the late 1980s as part of a seven kilometre new alignment built when the North Coast line was electrified. It replaced Maryborough station in the central business district, although the eight kilometre branch remains in use to service the Downer Rail workshops.
Maryborough is served by Greyhound Australia coach services to Brisbane, Hervey Bay, Agnes Water and Cairns, Premier Motor Services services to Brisbane and Cairns and Tory's Tours services to Brisbane and Hervey Bay.
Local bus services are provided by Wide Bay Transit as part of the QConnect network.
Ecology
Maryborough's environment supports rare and endangered terrestrial and aquatic fauna including the Mary River Turtle.
Climate
| Climate data for Maryborough | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 38.4 (101.1) |
38.8 (101.8) |
36.6 (97.9) |
34.0 (93.2) |
31.5 (88.7) |
29.4 (84.9) |
28.5 (83.3) |
33.1 (91.6) |
34.1 (93.4) |
39.4 (102.9) |
37.5 (99.5) |
40.6 (105.1) |
40.6 (105.1) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 30.7 (87.3) |
30.2 (86.4) |
29.2 (84.6) |
27.4 (81.3) |
24.6 (76.3) |
22.4 (72.3) |
22.0 (71.6) |
23.4 (74.1) |
25.6 (78.1) |
27.7 (81.9) |
29.3 (84.7) |
30.5 (86.9) |
26.9 (80.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 20.6 (69.1) |
20.6 (69.1) |
19.4 (66.9) |
16.6 (61.9) |
13.0 (55.4) |
10.3 (50.5) |
8.6 (47.5) |
9.3 (48.7) |
12.1 (53.8) |
15.4 (59.7) |
17.8 (64) |
19.7 (67.5) |
15.3 (59.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 13.3 (55.9) |
14.4 (57.9) |
11.8 (53.2) |
6.7 (44.1) |
2.2 (36) |
-0.6 (30.9) |
-1.4 (29.5) |
-0.8 (30.6) |
1.5 (34.7) |
4.6 (40.3) |
8.2 (46.8) |
12.2 (54) |
-1.4 (29.5) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 165.6 (6.52) |
174.7 (6.878) |
157.9 (6.217) |
87.4 (3.441) |
78.5 (3.091) |
67.5 (2.657) |
52.3 (2.059) |
40.6 (1.598) |
42.8 (1.685) |
73.7 (2.902) |
85.0 (3.346) |
129.4 (5.094) |
1,155.1 (45.476) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 13.1 | 13.8 | 14.5 | 11.8 | 10.6 | 8.3 | 7.1 | 6.2 | 6.4 | 7.9 | 9.0 | 10.7 | 119.4 |
Sister city
Maryborough has one sister city, according to the Australian Sister Cities Association.
Tauranga, New Zealand
Images for kids
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A new train for Brisbane's suburban network sits next to an older refurbished unit at Downer Rail's facility in Maryborough
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Maryborough's Post Office Hotel on Wharf Street, one of the city's many heritage buildings.
