Maryborough is a city located on the
Mary RiverThe Mary River is a river system in South East Queensland, Australia. The river rises at Booroobin in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, west of Landsborough...
in South East
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, approximately 255 kilometres (158.5 mi) north of the state capital,
BrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. The city is serviced by the
Bruce HighwayThe Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is a part of the Australian National Highway and also part of Highway 1...
, and has a population of approximately 22,000 (2004). It is closely tied to its neighbour city Hervey Bay which is approximately 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) north-east. Together they form part of the area known as the Fraser Coast.
History
Maryborough was founded in 1847, was proclaimed a municipality in 1861, and became a city in 1905. During the 1800s, the city was a major port of entry to immigrants arriving in Queensland from all parts of the world. Over time the town has been a service town for many industries including gold mining, wool, timber, and sugar.
The town and river were named in 1847 after Lady Mary Lennox (1790–1847) the beloved wife of Sir
Charles Augustus FitzroySir Charles Augustus FitzRoy, KCH, KCB was a British military officer, politician and member of the aristocracy, who held governorships in several British colonies during the 19th century.-Family and peerage:...
, then Governor of the colony of New South Wales. Lady Mary was killed in a coach accident very soon after, devastating Sir Charles.
Pneumonic Plague
Australia's only outbreak of
pneumonic plaguePneumonic plague, a severe type of lung infection, is one of three main forms of plague, all of which are caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. It is more virulent and rare than bubonic plague...
occurred in Maryborough in 1905. At the time Maryborough was Queensland's largest port — a reception centre for wool, meat, timber and other rural products. A freighter from
Hong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, 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. Fortunately, 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.
Economy and industry
Tourism plays a significant part in the economy of the city today. Maryborough is the self-styled Heritage City of Queensland and holds heritage markets each Thursday. The city has many preserved 19th and 20th century buildings including the General Post Office and Customs House.
The main industrial company in the city today is
EDI RailDowner Rail is a rail company based in Australia. Formed by a merger of Walkers and Clyde Engineering, it is currently a division of Downer EDi...
, formerly Walkers Limited, a heavy engineering business which has built much of the rolling stock and locomotives for
Queensland RailQueensland Rail, also known as QR, is a government-owned railway operator in the state of Queensland. Under the control of the Queensland Government, Queensland Rail operates the inner-city and long-distance passenger services, as well as some freight operations and gives railway access to other...
and in past years was involved in shipbuilding. EDI, together with
Bombardier TransportationBombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
, built and tested
TransperthTransperth is the brand name of the public transport system in Perth, Western Australia. It is operated by the Public Transport Authority.-History:...
's relatively modern
B-Series trainsThe Transperth B-series trains are the newest model of electric trains that run on the Transperth metropolitan transit system in Perth, Western Australia.The new trains run in configurations of 3 or 6 carriages...
in Maryborough, which were launched in
PerthPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
in late 2004.
Maryborough's income also comes from numerous farming and station prospects in and around the city and has a healthy fishing industry. The city also has had traditional ties to the timber industry and is home to Hyne & Son one of the largest producers of natural timber products in Australia which has diverse operations along the eastern coastline.
Maryborough was once a prominent centre of railway and tramway operations, including a branch to the wharf on the Mary River.
See Maryborough West railway station for information on both railway stations in Maryborough.
Primary
There are numerous primary schools in Maryborough. Some include:
State
- Albert State School
- Maryborough Central State School
- Maryborough West State School
- Parke State School
- Sunbury State School
- Tinana State School
Tinana State School is a public primary school located in Maryborough, Queensland, in the suburb of Tinana. The school is run by the Queensland State Government and was one of the first public schools to be established in Queensland. The school colours are red and black...
- Granville State School
- St Helens State School
Private
- Riverside Christian College
- St Mary's Primary School
Secondary
State High
- Aldridge State High School
- Maryborough State High School
Maryborough State High School is a public high school located in Maryborough, Queensland. The school is run by the Queensland State Government, and is split on either side of Kent Street. The school colors are blue and brown...
Private
- Riverside Christian College
- St Mary's College
St Mary's College Maryborough is a co-educational secondary school in Maryborough, Queensland, Australia.- History :Originally called the Christian Brothers College, Maryborough, Saint Mary's College is a parish school which comprises the amalgamated schools of the Christian Brothers College,...
Ecology
Maryborough's environment supports rare and endangered terrestrial and aquatic fauna including the
Mary River TurtleThe Mary River turtle, Elusor macrurus, is an endangered short-necked turtle that inhabits the Mary River in South-East Queensland, Australia. In the 1960s and 1970s, they were popular as pets in Australia, with about 15,000 sent to shops every year during a ten-year period. They were originally...
.
Notable people
Maryborough is the birthplace of P.L.Travers, author of the
Mary PoppinsMary Poppins is a series of children's books written by P. L. Travers and originally illustrated by Mary Shepard. The books centre on a magical English nanny, Mary Poppins. She is blown by the East wind to Number Seventeen Cherry Tree Lane, London and into the Banks' household to care for their...
books. Her father managed a bank in the building where she was born. This is in the centre of town and still in use, no longer as a bank but as a sales office for a shed company. A life-size bronze statue of Mary Poppins, as P.L. Travers described her, complete with umbrella was erected outside the old bank premises in 2005. It is now one of Maryborough's most famous and photographed icons.
Maryborough is also the birthplace of the late
Mary HansenMary Hansen was a guitarist and singer with Stereolab.Born in Maryborough north of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia, Hansen moved to London in the late 1980s and became a backing singer with the Essex-based indie band, The Wolfhounds.She met Stereolab founder Tim Gane when the Wolfhounds played...
of Stereolab, whose father
Brendan HansenBrendan Joseph Hansen is an American breaststroke swimmer and four-time Olympic medalist...
represented Maryborough on the Maryborough City Council, Queensland State Parliament, and Federal Parliament.
Rugby league player
Maurice BlairMaurice Blair is an Indigenous Australian professional rugby league player for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League ....
was born in Maryborough.
Former NBL player and now Basketball Australia CEO
Larry SengstockLarry Sengstock is a retired Australian basketball player and the current CEO of Basketball Australia and NBL....
was also born here.
Former Ironman
Grant KennyGrant Hayden Kenny OAM is an Australian former Ironman, surf lifesaver and canoer.- Career :Kenny made headlines in 1980 when he won both the Australian Junior and Open Iron Man Championship on the same day as a 16 year old. Kenny then won the Australian Open Ironman Title for the following three...
was born in Maryborough in 1963.
It is also the birthplace of
Brisbane LionsThe Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
premiership ruckman
Jamie CharmanJamie Charman is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League.-Overview:He was recruited as the number 29 draft pick in the 2000 AFL Draft from Northern Eagles in Queensland...
.
Queensland Chief Justice
Paul de JerseyPaul de Jersey, AC, QC was appointed Chief Justice on 17 February 1998 of the Supreme Court of Queensland, which is the highest ranking court in the Australian State of Queensland.-Education:...
grew up in Maryborough, where his father was the headmaster of Albert State School.
Maryborough is the birthplace also of Olympic swimming medalists
David TheileDavid Egmont Theile , was an Australian backstroke swimmer of the 1950s and 1960s, who won consecutive gold medals in the 100 m backstroke at the 1956 and 1960 Summer Olympics, the only Australian to do so...
and
Robert CusackRobert Cusack was an Australian butterfly and freestyle swimmer of the 1960s and 1970s, who won a bronze medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics....
, both of whom were coached by another Maryborough Olympian,
Arthur CusackArthur Cusack was an Australian Olympic swimming coach in the 1950s and 1960s.-Early career:...
.
A number of Australian hockey representatives have come from Maryborough including
Jenny Morris, John McBryde, Don McWatters, Mark Hagar, and
Clover MaitlandClover Maitland represents Australia in women's field hockey. The goalie was part of the double winning Olympic team in 1996 and 2000 along with the gold medal winning team in the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.-References:*...
.
Sister city
Maryborough has one
sister cityTwin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
, according to the
Australian Sister Cities Association.
TaurangaTauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North Island of New Zealand.It was settled by Europeans in the early 19th century and was constituted as a city in 1963...
,
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
External links