Maryborough, Queensland
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Maryborough is a city and Local Government Area located on the Mary River in South East Queensland, Australia, approximately 300 kilometres north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city is serviced by the Bruce Highway, and has a population of approximately 26,000 (2004).
Maryborough was founded in the 1840's, was proclaimed a municipality in 1861, and became a city in 1905. During the 1800's, the city was a major port of entry to immigrants arriving in Queensland from all parts of the world. The town has over time, been a service town for many industries, including wool, timber, and sugar.
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 preserved a large number of 19th and 20th century buildings.
The main industrial company in the city today is EDI Rail, formerly Walkers Limited, a heavy engineering business, which has built much of the rolling stock and locomotives for Queensland Rail, and in past years, was involved in shipbuilding.
Maryborough is also the birthplace of P.L.Travers, author of the Mary Poppins books. Her father managed a bank in the building where she was born. This is in the centre of town, still in use, but no longer as a bank.
Maryborough's income also comes from numerous farming and station prospects in and around the city, and has a healthy fishing industry.
The Mary River has such a wide mouth that at one stage Maryborough was nominated as possible capital city status before Brisbane.
The Mary River is home to an array of water animals, from freshwater crocodiles, Dugongs, to Lung Fish. The Lung Fish, once thought to be extinct throughout Queensland, was accidentally discovered by a professional fishman during the late '70s, Mr. John Greenhalgh. Since this discovery, other breeding spots have been found further north.
Maryborough's wildlife has been known to support rare fauna on land and water, another being the Red Crested Black Cockatoo.