Maryborough, Queensland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Maryborough Queensland
Portside Quarter Queen's Park Government Bond Store Maryborough City Hall St Stephen's Uniting Church Mortuary Chapel and cemetery
Maryborough Location in Queensland
Population	27,489 (2021 census)(Significant Urban Area) (54th) 15,287 (2021 census)(Suburb)
• Density	161.13/km2 (417.3/sq mi)
Established	1847
Postcode(s)	4650
Elevation	11.0 m (36 ft)
Area	170.6 km2 (65.9 sq mi)(Significant Urban Area)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)
Location	30.9 km (19 mi) SSW of Hervey Bay 86.6 km (54 mi) N of Gympie 262 km (163 mi) N of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Fraser Coast Region
State electorate(s)	Maryborough
Federal Division(s)	Wide Bay
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 26.9 °C 80 °F 15.3 °C 60 °F 1,155.6 mm 45.5 in
Localities around Maryborough: Aldershot St Helens Island Plantation Maryborough West Maryborough Walkers Point Tinana Bidwill Granville

Maryborough (/ˈmɛərɪbərə/ MARE-ih-BƏR-ə) is a city in Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Fraser Coast Region. In 2021, the suburb of Maryborough had about 15,287 people living there. The larger urban area had a population of 27,489.

Discover Maryborough's Location

Maryborough is on the Mary River in Queensland. It is about 255 kilometres (158 miles) north of Brisbane, the state capital. The city is connected by the Bruce Highway.

Maryborough is close to Hervey Bay, which is about 30 kilometres (19 miles) northeast. Together, these two cities are part of the Fraser Coast area.

Baddow Neighbourhood

The area called Baddow is in the western part of Maryborough, near the Mary River. Its name comes from Baddow House, a historic building there. Baddow railway station and Baddow Island in the Mary River are also named after this house.

Maryborough's Past: A Journey Through Time

Original Inhabitants and Culture

People have lived in the Maryborough region for at least 6,000 years. The Gubbi Gubbi (Kabi Kabi) and Batjala (Butchulla) people were the first inhabitants. The Gubbi Gubbi lived inland, covering a large area west of Maryborough. The Batjala lived closer to the coast, including K’gari (Fraser Island).

Both groups spoke dialects of the Dippil language. The Batjala dialect was used in the Fraser Coast area. The Gubbi Gubbi dialect was spoken in the Gympie and Sunshine Coast regions.

An escaped convict named James Davis lived with the Gubbi Gubbi people for many years. He learned their ways and their language. The Queensland lungfish was important to the Gubbi Gubbi. They had a rule against eating it. The Batjala people thought porpoises were very special.

European Arrival

British explorers Matthew Flinders (in 1802) and William Edwardson (in 1822) were the first Europeans to map the Hervey Bay coast. They noticed many local people living there.

The first British people to live in the region were escaped convicts from the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement. James Davis lived with Gubbi Gubbi clans from 1829 to 1842. In 1842, Andrew Petrie and Henry Stuart Russell explored the river, which the Gubbi Gubbi called Monoboola. This river later became known as the Mary River. They found James Davis living with the Gubbi Gubbi people near where Maryborough is today.

Early Settlement and Challenges

After these explorations, settlers began to arrive, looking for land for sheep stations. The first settler was Mynarton Joliffe in 1843. The Aboriginal people strongly resisted these new arrivals. Settlers and their animals faced many dangers, and Joliffe had to leave the area.

In 1847, Maryborough was founded by George Furber, who set up a small wool trading post. A year later, Edgar Thomas Aldridge and the Palmer brothers built some permanent buildings. By 1849, a post office, court, and police station were open. The town was officially planned in 1850. The first land was sold in 1852.

The name Maryborough comes from the Mary River. The river was named in 1847 after Mary Lennox, the wife of Charles Augustus Fitzroy, who was the Governor of New South Wales.

The Aboriginal people continued to resist the settlers. In 1850, the Native Police arrived in the area. They conducted patrols to deal with conflicts. By the late 1860s, the resistance had ended. Many surviving Aboriginal people faced hardship. Some were later moved to K'gari and then to other places.

The Sugar Industry

Early Maryborough focused on farming animals, cutting down bunya pine trees, and making tallow from animal fat. In the late 1850s, the soil along the Mary River was found to be great for growing sugarcane. In 1859, Edgar Thomas Aldridge successfully grew an experimental sugar crop.

Local landowners saw the potential for profit. In 1865, they formed the Maryborough Sugar Company. Farmers started growing cane. The first sugar refinery, the Central Mill, was built in 1867.

At this time, sugar plantations in Queensland brought in workers from islands in the South Pacific. These workers were sometimes brought against their will, a practice known as "blackbirding." The first group of 84 South Sea Islander workers arrived in Maryborough in November 1867. They worked for the Maryborough Sugar Company.

In 1869, Robert Tooth and Robert Cran bought many plantations. They started the Yengarie Sugar Refinery. This company became the main sugar producer in the area.

Growing Maryborough: Buildings and Services

An early Catholic School opened in February 1858. Maryborough became a municipality in 1861 and a city in 1905. In the late 1800s, it was a major port for immigrants coming to Queensland.

Maryborough Central State School opened in 1862. Over the years, it separated into different schools for boys, girls, and infants, then combined again.

S. S. Eagle

A Wesleyan Methodist Church opened in 1864. A new, larger brick church was built in 1883. This church later became part of the Uniting Church in Australia.

In 1870, St Joseph's Catholic School was started by Mary MacKillop and her Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. This school closed in 1879 due to a disagreement. In 1880, the Sisters of Mercy reopened the school as St Mary's School. In 1979, St Mary's School and Sacred Heart College combined to form St Mary's Primary School and St Mary's College, offering education for both boys and girls.

St Paul's Anglican Church opened in 1879. Maryborough Boys Grammar opened in 1881, and Maryborough Girls Grammar opened around 1882. These schools later became public high schools, eventually combining to form Maryborough State High School in 1974.

The first part of the North Coast Line opened in 1881. It connected the mining town of Gympie to Maryborough. Coal was found at Burrum, north of Maryborough, and a railway line was built to serve the mine in 1883.

Flooding of the Mary River, 1893

Albert State School opened in 1883. Newtown Maryborough State School opened in 1886 and was renamed Maryborough West State School. St Thomas' Anglican Church opened in 1887. Sunbury State School opened in 1891.

In 1898, the Point Lookout Croquet Club was started. It is the oldest croquet club in Queensland.

Ship building along the Mary River

In 1905, Maryborough had Australia's only outbreak of pneumonic plague. A ship from Hong Kong, where the plague was common, was in the Port of Maryborough. A wharf worker took some sacking home, and several of his children, two nurses, and a neighbour died. The family's house was burned down by health officials to stop the spread. A memorial fountain was built for the nurses.

Maryborough War Memorial, circa 1922

The Maryborough War Memorial was dedicated in 1922. The Café Mimosa, a popular Greek café, opened in the 1920s.

Maryborough Special School opened in 1969. Aldridge State High School opened in 1973, named after Edgar Thomas Aldridge. The Maryborough Library opened in 1977.

Maryborough hosted the Australian Scout Jamboree in 2013 and will host it again in 2025.

Population in Maryborough

In 2016, the suburb of Maryborough had a population of 15,406 people. By 2021, the suburb's population was 15,287. The larger urban area of Maryborough had 27,489 people in 2021.

Historic Places in Maryborough

Maryborough has many places listed for their historical importance. These include:

• St Paul's Anglican Church and Hall, 178–202 Adelaide Street
• St Mary's Roman Catholic Church, 271–275 Adelaide Street
• Albert State School, 210–220 Albert Street
• Post Office Hotel, Bazaar Street
• Maryborough Post Office, 227 Bazaar Street
• Lamington Bridge, Gympie Road to Ferry Street, across Mary River
• Maryborough Boys Grammar School Building, Kent Street
• Maryborough Central State School, Kent Street
• Royal Hotel, Kent Street
• Former Royal Bank of Queensland, 297 Kent Street
• Hotel Francis, 310 Kent Street
• Former Queensland National Bank, 327 Kent Street
• Australian Joint Stock Bank, 331 Kent Street
• Maryborough City Hall, 388 Kent Street
• Maryborough School of Arts, 427 Kent Street
• Maryborough Baby Clinic, 445 Kent Street
• Maryborough railway station, Lennox Street
• Brennan & Geraghtys Store, 62–66 Lennox Street
• Ilfracombe (house), 335 Lennox Street
• Engineers' Arms Hotel, 115 March Street
• Oonooraba, 50 Pallas Street
• Eskdale, 53 Pallas Street
• Baddow House, 366 Queen Street
• Customs House, Richmond Street
• Maryborough Courthouse, Richmond Street
• Maryborough Heritage Centre, 164 Richmond Street
• Original Maryborough Town Site, Russell Street
• Second World War RAAF Buildings, Maryborough Airport, Frank Lawrence Circuit
• Queen's Park, Sussex Street
• Maryborough Base Hospital, Walker Street
• Maryborough West: Mortuary Chapel, Walker Street
• Government Bond Store, Wharf Street
• Maryborough Waterside Workers' Hall, 96 Wharf Street
• Criterion Hotel, 98 Wharf Street
• Gataker's Warehouse Complex, 106–108 Wharf Street & 310 Kent Street
• Customs House Hotel, 116 Wharf Street
• Maryborough Government Offices Building, 123 Wharf Street
• Wharf Street Shop, 134 Wharf Street

Maryborough's Economy and Industries

A new train for Brisbane's suburban network sits next to an older refurbished unit at Downer Rail's facility in Maryborough

Tourism is a big part of Maryborough's economy today. The city is known as the Heritage City of Queensland. It has many old buildings from the 1800s and 1900s, like the General Post Office.

A major company in the city is Downer Rail, which used to be called Walkers Limited. This company builds trains and locomotives for Queensland Rail. They also used to build ships.

The Maryborough Sugar Factory opened in 1956. There were also smaller sugar mills along the Mary River. Dundathu, an old settlement, had the first timber mill in the 1800s.

Maryborough also earns money from farming and fishing. The city has a long history with the timber industry. Hyne & Son is one of Australia's largest timber producers and is based here.

Getting Around Maryborough

Maryborough West station in July 2012

Maryborough West station is on the North Coast line. Long-distance trains like the Spirit of Queensland and Spirit of the Outback stop here.

This station was built in the late 1980s. It replaced the old Maryborough station in the city centre. The old branch line is still used for train workshops.

Maryborough also has coach services from companies like Greyhound Australia and Premier Transport Group. These connect Maryborough to cities like Brisbane and Cairns. Local bus services are provided by Wide Bay Transit.

Schools in Maryborough

Maryborough has several schools for different age groups:

• Maryborough Central State School is a government primary school (Prep-6) at 471 Kent Street.
• Maryborough West State School is a government primary school (Early Childhood-6) at 149 North Street.
• Albert State School is a government primary school (Prep-6) at 210-220 Albert Street.
• Sunbury State School is a government primary school (Prep-6) at 545 Alice Street.
• St Mary's Primary School is a Catholic primary school (Prep-6) at 167 John Street.
• Maryborough State High School is a government secondary school (7-12) at 526 Kent Street.

Aldridge State High School, 2022

Aldridge State High School, 2022

• Aldridge State High School is a government secondary school (7-12) at 47 Boys Avenue.
• St Mary's College is a Catholic secondary school (7-12) at 51 Lennox Street.
• Maryborough Special School is a special primary and secondary school (Prep-12) at 164 Woodstock Street.
• Maryborough TAFE Campus offers vocational training at 89 Adelaide Street.

Community Facilities

The Fraser Coast Regional Council runs the John Anderson Library at 127-129 Bazaar Street. LifeChurch Maryborough is a church located at 68 Gayndah Road in Maryborough West.

Sports in Maryborough

Rugby league is very popular in Maryborough. The main club is the Maryborough Wallaroos. They play in the Bundaberg Rugby League competition.

Soccer is also popular. There are five clubs in Maryborough: Doon Villa, Granville, Maryborough West, Sunbury, and Tinana. They offer soccer for all ages. Federation Park is the main soccer complex with 11 fields.

The Maryborough Bears Australian rules football club plays in the AFL Wide Bay competition. Maryborough Cricket Club is part of the Maryborough & District Cricket Association.

Maryborough Speedway, off Gympie Road, hosts car and motorcycle races. The Point Lookout Croquet Club is at 23 North Street.

Local Media

Maryborough has several local FM radio stations, including Breeze 102.5, Triple M 103.5, Hit 101.9, and Rebel 106.7. The local newspaper, the Maryborough Herald, stopped printing in June 2020.

Nature and Wildlife

Maryborough's natural environment is home to rare and endangered animals. This includes the Mary River Turtle.

Maryborough's Climate

Maryborough has a warm, wet climate with humid summers. Winters are short, mild, and relatively dry, but nights can be cool. The city gets about 107 clear days each year. August is usually the sunniest month.

Famous People from Maryborough

Many notable people have connections to Maryborough:

• Barbara J. Bain, a famous blood doctor, was born here.
• Maurice Blair and Joe Kilroy, rugby league players, were born here.
• Tom Burns, a former Deputy Premier of Queensland, was born here.
• Arthur Cusack (Olympic swimming coach) and his student Robert Cusack (Olympic swimming medallist) are from Maryborough.
• Jamie Charman, a premiership rugby player, was born here.
• Paul de Jersey, a former Governor of Queensland, grew up in Maryborough.
• Quentin Dempster, a journalist, was born here.
• Brendan Hansen, a politician, represented Maryborough.
• Mary Hansen of the band Stereolab was born here.
• Wilfred Hastings (Arch) Harrington, a naval officer, was born here.
• Grant Kenny, an ironman, was born here.
• Margo Kingston, an author and journalist, was born here.
• Arthur Lambourn, a New Zealand rugby player, was born here.
• Hockey players Clover Maitland, John McBryde, Don McWatters, and Jenn Morris are from Maryborough.
• Larry Sengstock, a former basketball player, was born here.
• David Theile, an Olympic swimming medallist, was born here.
• P. L. Travers, the author of the Mary Poppins books, was born in Maryborough. Her father managed a bank where she was born. Today, this building is a museum called The Story Bank. A statue of Mary Poppins stands outside the old bank.
• Alan Wilkie, a weather presenter, was born here.

In 2017, the Fraser Coast Regional Council started Maryborough's Walk of Achievers. This project places plaques on the streets to celebrate the achievements of local residents.

Sister City

Maryborough has one sister city:

• Tauranga, New Zealand

Images for kids

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  Portside Quarter

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  Queen's Park

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  Government Bond Store

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  Maryborough City Hall

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  St Stephen's Uniting Church

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  Mortuary Chapel and cemetery

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  S. S. Eagle

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  Wesleyan Church, built 1864

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  Wesleyan Church, built 1883

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  St Thomas' Church of England

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  Flooding of the Mary River, 1893

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  Ship building along the Mary River

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  Maryborough War Memorial, circa 1922

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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 West station in July 2012

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  Aldridge State High School, 2022

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  Aldridge State High School, 2022

See also

In Spanish: Maryborough (Queensland) para niños