A RIVERFRONT RAMBLE - MARYBOROUGH - PART 2 (SOME MARYBOROUGH PORT HISTORY AND MORE) (15 - 18 OCTOBER 2019)

One of the things I was most surprised to learn when we spent some time in Maryborough was that this had once been Queensland's major port, and for quite some time. To qualify the comment about my surprise, I have enlisted 'Google Earth' come to my aid.

As is clearly demonstrated in this view, Maryborough is anything but close to the coast, and the Mary River is anything but a broad and welcoming expanse of water. 

Admittedly its entrance is sheltered in the lee of Fraser Island (green arrow) and some of the shoals and shallows which can be seen from the satellite are not quite as challenging as would appear, but from this perspective it hardly seems a waterway conducive to access by large sailing ships (I've indicated the location of Hervey Bay with the red arrow because this location assumed relevance later in Maryborough's maritime history).

But, I have to concede, what would I know? 

The first Port of Maryborough was opened in 1847, but by 1856 it was recognised that the river was too shallow at this point for safe and consistent navigation by larger vessels and it was moved some distance downstream to a deeper location. The town we know today rose around it, and as we were to discover, many of Maryborough's grand and beautiful old buildings are clustered around this area (more of these later).

This is the area (encircled in red), again courtesy of 'Google Earth'  which was to be the focus of today's ramble. The yellow dart shows the centre of Queens Park whilst the very wobbly looking green arrow shows the location of the now derelict Walkers Shipyards.




Before we begin our Mary riverbank ramble, a quick word about its name, one which was born out of a tragic event.

In 1842 the first European explorers through this area named it the Wide Bay River. Indeed this region of Queensland which includes Maryborough, Gympie, Hervey Bay and Fraser Island is still officially known as the 'Wide Bay Burnett'. 

The river's original name prevailed until the end of 1847, when in December of that year Lady Mary Fitzroy, the wife of the Governor of colonial NSW, was killed when thrown from a carriage being driven by her husband. 

Sir Charles Augustus Fitzroy honoured the memory of his wife by renaming the Wide Bay River the Mary River, and as the fledgling town grew up along its banks it adopted the name as well.

I must confess I was initially a little puzzled by the fact that the Governor of colonial New South Wales would (and could) name a Queensland river, until, that is, I remembered that what we now know as the 'Sunshine State' was initially a part of the colony of New South Wales, formally separating from it and gaining its independent status on 10 December 1859.

So, in 1847-8 good old Sir Charles Augustus was entirely within his rights.

Initially wool, tallow, hides and timber were loaded for shipment out of this busy port and small vessels plied the coast bringing supplies to the settlers.

At one time the wharves stretched from the far end of Queens Park to beyond the Granville Bridge, as can be seen here in this old photo courtesy of 'pinterest'.

Believe it or not this is the same section of the river, as we saw it on the day of our tramp through the old wharf area (that's the Granville Bridge centre shot).












Now, instead of the large square riggers such as the 'Eastminster', which hove to at the Maryborough docks  during the late 1800's, (thanks to the State Library of SA for this photo) 







the old wharves are gone and this section of the Mary River provides shelter and moorings for craft of a very different stamp.

In 1867, the discovery of gold at nearby Gympie (a find which saved the fledgling colony of Queensland from bankruptcy) had real significance for the town and the port.

The Gympie gold was brought down to Maryborough and stored in the vaults of the Bank of New South Wales before being shipped out. And there was plenty of it. At one stage, in little over two years, nearly nine tons (yep...tons) of the stuff moved through this port. The old bank buidling now houses the Maryborough Heritage Centre.



Aside from the movement of goods and gold, the port of Maryborough soon had movement of another sort entirely....people.....immigration, good and bad.

Between 1859 (when Maryborough was declared an official Port of Entry) and 1901, more than 22,000 immigrants from Great Britain and Europe entered Australia through the port. Believe it or not, for quite some time Maryborough ranked second only to Sydney as the entry port on the eastern seaboard for those coming to settle in Australia from other countries.

The first migrant ship to call direct at Maryborough was the 600 ton barque 'Ariadne'. She arrived on 9 October 1862. This was the turning point for the Maryborough and surrounding region. At that time the disembarking passengers from the 'Ariadne' increased the population of Maryborough by one third.






A plaque in the river front gardens overlooking the old wharf area now records this event.









But there was a very dark (no pun intended here) side to the immigration story here. The local sugar cane industry had begun to thrive during the latter part of the 1800's. Cane farmers were discontent with the wages they had to pay to the immigrant European labourers (all of whom had responded to advertisements to come to Australia I might add!).



To the abiding shame of our country, the demand for indentured cheap labour resulted in the infamous system where Kanakas (as they came to known) from various South Sea Islands were brought to Australia to work the cane plantations. 



Many were induced with the promise of good wages (which never materialized) but large numbers were also seized against their will (thanks to the State Library of Qld for this photo).

Until 1903, when this practice was declared illegal, the unscrupulous ship owners who became known as 'blackbirders', had brought over 12,000 souls to this area (many, many more were landed in other parts of the country). Some thirty vessels were involved in the trade, and it as only the fact that these unfortunates were paid a pittance of a wage for their labour that this trade could distinguished from that of outright slavery.








We were reminded of this blot on our history as we wandered around the old wharf area with the discovery of a large information board (part shown)










which stood near this extraordinary collection of standing stones, complete with shining gold coloured symbols which initially meant absolutely nothing to us, until, that is,














we looked about us and came across another series of information boards. These told us that each of the symbols we could see represented an aspect of the culture and mythology of the various islands from which the indentured labourers had come. I found it more than ironic that the dove included in this symbol from the Solomon Islands 'Represents peace'!









On a more positive note, the port area was also home to a thriving ship building industry for many years. On a previous shopping visit to the town whilst we were staying at nearby Poona Point, we had driven past a decidedly run down series of large sheds and other industrial looking stuff on the bank of the river. At the time, other than thinking what an eyesore this was, we took no additional notice.

On this occasion, however, our further interest was piqued when we came to this Navy Memorial on a section of the river bank walkway.











Included prominently in the series of plaques on the low walls behind the pole and yard arm was this one.

From this is it was clear that Walkers shipyards played a significant role in the economic stability of Maryborough for many years. Over these years navy frigates, corvettes, and patrol boats all slipped from the construction yards into the Mary River. During WW2 this shipyard went into overdrive, building two River-class frigates, a Bay-class frigate and seven Bathurst-class corvettes.

These were not small ships by any means as this photo of 'HMAS Diamantina' (a River-class frigate) alongside a Melbourne dock at the end of WW2, shows.












The rusting roof of the shipyard which can be seen overlooking the Mary River marina is something of a sad reminder of the glory days of Maryborough shipbuilding.

As a quick footnote I should add that Walkers Limited did more than build ships. Literally hundreds of steam and diesel railway locomotives have rolled off the company production lines over the years, engines which have been sold to Governments and private companies all over Australia. Induction into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame in 2017 demonstrated the regard in which this engineering company is held.

All this or course leads to the inevitable question......what has happened to the port and the docks? 

To cut a rather long and detailed story short, the increasing size of shipping and the need to cope with coal exports from the not too distant Burrum coal mines (the first in Queensland and only some 30 kms from Maryborough) began to raise questions about the the viability of the port of Maryborough. Constant dredging to retain depth in the Mary River was necessary and by 1911 the need for a deep water port in the region was gaining traction.

Eventually this resulted in the construction of the long wharf at Urangan in nearby Hervey Bay and a railway connection to Maryborough, and although limited shipping did continue to ply the Mary River for some time, by 1963 all commercial shipping favoured Urangan.

But, despite its length, necessary to reach deep water in the shandy shallows of Hervey Bay (very akin to the jetty at Port Germein in South Australia), this wharf too had its shortcomings.(?!) Only one ship could dock at a time, and in 1958 the Port of Bundaberg at nearby Burnett Heads became the commercial port for local shipping.

So when in 1985 the MV 'Leonard'  became the last ship to dock at the Urangan Pier, the 'Port of Maryborough' came to an official close.

There was another factor which had a significant influence on the demise of Maryborough town docks......flooding.....a not uncommon phenomenon along the Mary River, and one which has plagued the town since settlement.

As this photo, courtesy of the 'Fraser Coast Chronical'  so amply shows, when the mighty Mary is up the town goes under,

such as happened to Ann Street in 1955, for example.

This height marker we spied during our walk on the now green and peaceful banks of the river was a telling reminder of just what the Mary could do when the rains came. 

This section of the riverside park is not all about history. A low waterfall feeds a delightful small lake 

near which these pieces of public art have a significance which now completely escapes me! 

A 'tourist train',

drawn by the oddest of little steam engines from Walkers,

snorts and bellows its way around an extensive riverside rail system, part of which is pictured here

from the upper precinct walkway which took us from the old wharf area back into Queens Park itself.

This same pathway brought us another local history lesson in the form of this group of old guns pointing out across the river.

Before the Australian colonies came together as a Federation at the turn of the 20th Century, each was responsible for its own defence, among many other things. Queensland was no exception, and the three guns now 'protecting' the riverfront walkway were all, at one stage, mounted on craft of various kinds. 

I was tickled to learn that the big one of the group, the 50 pound breach loading gun, was actually set up on a hopper barge, and I have since read that these were aimed by actually turning the craft to point at the target. Now that's basic!

The last of the interesting odd and sods we found in this most fascinating of river fronts came from a most unexpected quarter in the form of the rubbish bins dotted along the path.

As my resident model is demonstrating, these rather ornate bins come equipped with a small, but very heavy lid. Odd, we thought. 

One glance at the words cast into the metal solved the mystery. No wonder the crows of Maryborough are so skinny!

As I mentioned at the outset of this missive, it is around the old wharf area of Maryborough that the real majority of its grand and beautiful old buildings can be found. A few of these, some of the incredible collection of the town murals, and the town's connection with a famous author who was born in Maryborough in 1899, will be the subject of my next offering.

But I should comment that this will not be forthcoming for a few days at the earliest. In real time it is now the early morning of 30 April, and in a few hours we move to our new home at Goolwa North. 

I shall be somewhat pre-occupied in the immediate future!!

BACK TO QUEENSLAND - MARYBOROUGH - PART 1 (A WALK IN THE PARK) (15 - 18 OCTOBER 2019)

With all that has been happening in the real world of late, it seems almost surreal to be returning to our Queensland adventures of the latter part of 2019 when Australia was such a different place, but here we go!

Over the years we had both by-passed and briefly visited the historic town of Maryborough on many occasions. Impressions had been both good and bad. 

Given that we had not, on any of these occasions, visited the centre of town nor the river area, we had nevertheless seem glimpses of several really gracious old buildings and homes. We had also seen several parts of town for which the description 'shabby' would be generous.

This year, as we made our way south from Kurrimine Beach to Caloundra for my upcoming reunion, we decided that it was high time to stop tinkering around Maryborough's edges and spend a few days getting to know much more about this rural city on the Mary River.

'Aussie Towns' notes that although Maryborough is known as the 'Heritage City', and shares this title with both Rockhampton and Charters Towers, "it isn't as grand" (as either of them). This is a view I would heartily endorse, but it does have the distinction, for what it may be worth, of predating its two 'historical competitors' by many years.

I'll have more to say about Maryborough's history in a later blog. Today we are going for a walk through the park. Queens Park has been a town feature for many years, but it has now been joined by another feature which was only completed in 2018 and has become a major attraction in the town.

The Anzac Memorial Walk is the result of a local community initiative prompted by the fact that it was a lad from Maryborough who is widely recognized as the first Aussie digger to hit the beaches of Gallipoli on that fateful day in April 1915. 

This incredible memorial takes the form of a walkway......'From Gallipoli to Armistice' ........and apart from honouring the short life of Duncan Chapman it features the stories of many of the local lads who trooped off to The Great War at the beginning of the 20th Century.

An open area at the northern end of the park, with replica  beach landing craft ablaze with flowers and a magnificent stand of jacaranda trees in full bloom behind it, features a bronze, full size statue of Chapman, 

who embarked as a young Lieutenant in the 9th Battalion, survived the danger and privation of Gallipoli and was promoted to Major, only to be killed by an exploding shell on a ridge during the bloodbath which was the attack on Pozieres in August 1916.

The next feature of this extraordinary memorial comes in the form of these weathered steel columns, designed to represent the cliffs above Anzac Cove,

many of which carry stories and photos of various aspects of that campaign.

Beyond the 'cliffs', the pathway to 'The Armistice' parallels Sussex Street under the spread of another stand of the marvellous jacaranda trees which are a real highlight of Maryborough (and one of my favourites when in bloom like this!).

Off to our left was the sweeping expanse of the the Queens Park lawns and trees 

whilst on the path itself we came across a series of strips such as this which denoted the significant battles of WW1 in chronological order.

Looking back from this point along the path presented yet another view of the 'cliffs' and gardens of this end of the walk.

As we continued to stroll along this extraordinary memorial, we next came to a reminder of the suffering and sacrifice of those who waited at home in the form of a woman sitting reading 'a letter from the front'.

At first I struggled to understand the significance of the old typewriter so prominently displayed by the edge of the walkway. It soon became clear.....this was a tribute to the famous war correspondent of the time Charles Bean, and this was not the only time he was recognized as I was to learn shortly.

This life-sized 'digger' represented another local lad, as was explained on the pathway strip at his feet.

Private Hunter, from Pialba, a suburb of nearby Hervey Bay, would have much preferred to have his fishing rod in his hand rather than his Lee Enfield 303 rifle, and who could blame him?

As well as all the static displays to be found along the path, the touch of a button on a number of electronic screen towers such as this brought us the recollections and thoughts of a number of the of the soldiers from the district, taken from letters and personal diaries written during the conflict. 

I mentioned earlier that Charles Bean featured more than once along this walk. Here at its end we came to this most poignant of reminder of the conflict, and, as it transpired, one of the most significant in terms of what followed. 

The empty boots, helmet and binoculars represent a young digger who had been mortally wounded. Bean is remembered by the pipe atop a journal. What is the connection? 

The inscription below these items tells of the outcome.

And what an outcome it became.

This marvellously conceived Maryborough memorial has been described as 'Australia's most interactive and educational memorial outside Canberra'. 

Having previously wandered at length through the Anzac Memorial building high on Mount Clarence overlooking King George Sound in Albany, I would have to challenge this statement, but not the comment made by Brendan Nelson, the recently retired curator of the Canberra Australian War Memorial, who said, "Every single Australian that is able to should at some stage now make their way to Maryborough to get a sense of who we are, from where we came, who gave us what we have and made us who we are." 

"Hear, hear", Dr Nelson.






From the Anzac Memorial walkway we continued our ramble on past the original town War Memorial into the grounds of Queens Park itself.









Even here we were not yet done with history. This modest little drinking fountain attracted my attention as we entered the park (note the magnificent building off to the right...more later). I later discovered that the redoubtable Richard Sheridan Esq. probably deserved something a bit more than this.


This Irish immigrant who arrived in Maryborough in 1859, initially took up the position as the sub-collector of customs, an important role given the level of activity in what was, at that time, colonial Queensland's premier port (believe it or not....and more of this later as well!)

Sheridan, who was noted for his integrity, fairness and humanity, went on to hold many public and private positions of significance in the district, culminating in his election to the Queensland Legislative Assembly in 1883. 

Aside from his 'day jobs', this remarkable man initiated the Botanic Gardens, was involved in the foundation of the School of Arts and the hospital and was first chairman of the building society. He was active in the establishment of public (non-state) schools. 

In 1866 he became a partner in the Tinana Creek Sugar Plantation and as if he did not have enough on his plate, he was also an active member of the Queensland Volunteer Force rising to the rank of Lieut-Colonel. 

Sheridan's concern for his fellow man was never more evidenced than in his efforts to reform the cruel and oppressive lives led by the many Polynesian labourers who had been brought to Queensland under that most infamous of schemes, 'blackbirding', efforts which won him high praise from the Governor at the time (and I suspect, played a significant part in the reforms which soon followed).  We were to be given another reminder of this awful trade as we later strolled along the riverfront area.

As I said earlier, this chap really does deserve a more impressive memorial than exists today.







The Sheridan drinking fountain was not the only quaint little historical memorial to be found in Queens Park.








And again, once I had read the plaques explaining the significance of this odd little cast statue of what looked like a small terrier,

I initially could not help but wonder just on what on earth a son of Maryborough had to achieve to be recognized with a more significant memorial. 

A bit more digging taught me that although 'Tubby' Clayton was born in Maryborough, it was to English parents who returned with him to the Old Dart when he was but a babe of two. He is much more grandly recognized in both London and Belgium. So to the good burghers of Maryborough, I must doff my hat apologetically!

But enough of all this history stuff...on with the ramble (of the physical kind!).

One significant natural feature of Queens Park are its banyan trees, one stand of which shaded a collection of public art which I'm embarrassed to now admit I did not explore further.

Nearby, one of these trees provided its own piece of artwork. How these two trunks actually grew together to form this arch is anyone's guess, 

but it is certainly eye-catching even minus the model!

Almost on cue in a park of the age of this one (it was established quite early in the town's development) a cast metal fountain came into view, spurting and bubbling into a circular pond whilst off to the right we could see the band rotunda, and, to the left, our first glimpse of the Mary River in this part of town.








We spent the next half an hour or so wandering back north through the open grounds 












until we came to its northern boundary at Lennox Street where a tranquil pond  provided a home for ducks and water lilies.











Bitumen paths, clearly the subject of some serious water cracking judging by all the daubed repair lines, took us on towards our starting point, but not before my roving companion decided it was time for a quick blow on this odd looking path side seat.








The 'cliffs of Anzac Cove' again came into view as we neared Sussex Street













and yet again I was delighted by another magnificent display of more of the town jacarandas as our planned walk for today came to an end.









We drove back to our camp now more than satisfied with our decision to tarry a while in Maryborough, a town we were quickly learning has much to offer travellers such as we.