9 ways to experience history from Maryborough

Few towns in Queensland come close to the age and experience of Maryborough, nestled quietly on the banks of the Mary River on the Fraser Coast.

Crowned the “heritage city”, Maryborough predates Queensland’s other historic towns by a number of decades, having once been one of only two ports in Australia that processed tens of thousands of immigrants, alongside Sydney Harbour. But that's just part of the story. 

Turn back the pages with this guide to the best Maryborough history and attractions - you're sure to discover a little unexpected magic along the way. 

1. Admire its architecture

You don’t need to be an architecture-fiend to admire the beauty of the heritage buildings that line the banks of the Mary River in Maryborough.

The remaining sandstone buildings, slate tile roofs, arched windows and column facades stand as a reminder of a time when a construction was not rewarded for speed, but rather its size and scale. Many of the buildings date back to the early 1800s, pointing to a time when Maryborough was a bustling port city.

Like any historic buildings, the walls do talk, and with the free Heritage Walk through Maryborough, you’ll discover their former uses - from opium dens, prohibition bars and immigrant check points. 

Note: Free guided walk tours leave Maryborough City Hall Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9am (weather permitting). No tours run on public holidays.

2. Meet magical Mary

The world’s favourite Nanny, Mary Poppins, was born in the streets of Maryborough. Or more accurately, born in the creative mind of her author, Pamela Travers.

Enter P.L. Travers’ world of Mary Poppins at interactive museum The Story Bank, as well as the Magical Mary Trail, an interactive walk that follows the sites around town that reportedly inspired her magical world.

Take for instance the fictional character, Admiral Boom, who fires a cannon every day to mark the time, and Maryborough’s former practice to fire its cannon at 1pm to mark the hour. Pure coincidence or is this a case of Maryborough playing muse? We’ll let you decide.  

Keep your camera handy, this self-guided walk winds through the public art trail that takes Mary off the pages of books and into the streets of Maryborough – perfect for photo opportunities with Maryborough’s most famous export.

Visit for Maryborough's annual Mary Poppins Festival, when the streetscapes really come to life in storybook wonder and plenty of fun and games. 

3. Discover your roots

Interested in ancestry tracking? Head to the Maryborough District Family History Society. This volunteer association holds the passenger lists for all 22,000 immigrants who took their first steps on Australian soil at Maryborough during its port heyday, along with the passenger lists for the other States of Australia.

Considering immigrants in the 1800s had a 50/50 chance to disembark in Maryborough, chances are good your family history may have started here.

To help make your search easier, The Society has been busy digitalising immigration paper records, so you can visit them to find out if your family members disembarked here. 

4. Drink from ancient rum barrels

You know a building is old when it has earthen floors rather than timber or concrete foundations, and the Bond Store in the Wharf Precinct has no solid floor to speak of.

Instead, beneath the building, you’ll find fascinating local history - discover a time when opium was legal, and rum was almost certainly a currency of choice.

Tour the building and enjoy a tipple, as you explore evidence of Maryborough’s portside past, including the Bond Store’s original barrel rails for transporting rum.

5. Do the locomotion

All aboard the B15 steam locomotive - a full-sized replica of the Mary Ann steam train, which was the first train built in Queensland, in 1873.

From the Maryborough City Whistle Stop, you can turn back to a time where the only way to get around was to ride the rails.

Showing how far we’ve come to get to the ‘tap and go’ means of public transport of today, you can stand at the Station Master’s desk to see where tickets were hand written and track communication was issued via Morse code.

If you want to ride the replica, you’ll need to time your visit for a Thursday or the last Sunday of the month when the train leaves the station.

6. Wander through a heritage listed park

Not all parks are heritage-listed but Queens’s Park in Maryborough is; protecting its foliage, most of which dates pre-dates the 1900s.

Wander Queens Park’s 5.2 hectares, taking notice of the fern gardens, waterfall and lace-trimmed rotunda, which was built in the 1890s. If you happen to explore Queens Park on a Mary Poppins tour, you’ll hear how this park once included a zoo – the very kind that may have become the inspiration for Bert’s dancing penguins.  

Be sure to wander to the water to see the three retired cannons, which now stand guard over the Mary River.

7. Hear the stories of immigrants

It's not just the colonial architecture that makes Customs House worth a visit when soaking up Maryborough history. From inside its stone walls you’ll hear the stories of Australia’s first immigrants, the ones who pioneered the way for Queensland’s settlement.

Open seven days a week, you can package your Customs House access with entry with the Bond Store and Military Museum for a cheaper rate.

8. Tour military history

Maryborough is full of surprises and the Maryborough Military and Colonial Museum, which houses the most extensive collection of military memorabilia outside Canberra, is one of them.

Inside there are over 10,000 pieces of memorabilia which make up this portside museum. With everything from the Boer War to Iraq/Afghanistan, this museum covers every major Australian conflict comprehensively.

9. Walk the Mural Trail

Learn more about Maryborough’s colourful past on the 2km self-guided Mural Trail, which dives into the city’s quirky and serious stories.

Collect a trail map at the Maryborough Visitor Information Centre in City Hall and follow the route past large scale murals and installations adorning the CBD’s buildings.

Along the way, be inspired by Maryborough history, from the time when it was Queensland’s major industrial city, building naval ships, sugar mills and railway rolling stock.

Looking for more ideas to explore the Fraser Coast?

• The ultimate Fraser Coast travel planner
• Fraser Coast Road trips
• 30 things to do on the Fraser Coast