QHA_April_Mag

COMPASS
MAJESTIC
MARYBOROUGH
MARYBOROUGH MARKS THE GATEWAY TO THE
TOURIST HIVES OF HERVEY BAY AND FRASER ISLAND
AS YOU HANG A RIGHT OFF THE BRUCE HIGHWAY
TWO HOURS’ DRIVE FROM BRISBANE.
IT’S BEEN THERE A WHILE TOO.
Maryborough Court House Queensland ca. - 1878
QHA REVIEW | 46
One of Queensland’s oldest towns, Maryborough was
founded on the banks of the Mary River in 1847 when
it was established as a port to support rapidly growing
wool and timber industries.
The surrounding area was known variously as Booie,
Numabulla, Mooraboocoola or Moonaboola to the
original Badtjala inhabitants who lived in harmony
with the seasons and the land and sea, maintaining
a balance between spiritual, social and family
connections.
What we now know as the Mary River, took its name
from the wife of Governor Sir Charles Augustus
Fitzroy who named it in her honour. The river was
a busy waterway that provided a vital link for the
transportation of goods and labour upstream and
primary products destined for the Maryborough port
downstream.
Any trace of the houses, blacksmiths, stores, pubs
and a gaol that stood on the original site of the town
(before it was relocated a couple of klicks downstream
in 1854) is long gone, but their sites are marked by
plaques for historical interest. You can walk a heritage
trail connecting them and get an idea of the extent of
its bustle at a time before larger settlements such as
Cairns and Townsville even existed.
The “newer” version of the town still contains its fair
share of heritage architecture. The Post Office building
dates back to 1866 and its brash, ornate clock tower