Well, dear readers, I did forecast a break, but frankly I did not plan that it would be as long as it has been before I would be back at the keyboard again.
But we are now in our new house, sitting amidst what I would describe as 'organized chaos' which, believe me, is a far cry from the absolute bedlam which immediately followed the arrival of all our our worldly goods from the storage shed in which they have been languishing for the past 10 years or so. Our removalist laid on his largest truck (and it is a biggie)....it only just held it all!
Notwithstanding the never-ending stream of crates, chests, boxes and furniture items which poured out of the 'furniture tardis' in the driveway, our 'stuff' did not include beds and white goods (all previously sold or dumped), so needless to say, once we at least had the remainder of our furniture and chattels in some sort of order, we then spent many ensuing days prowling around various stores acquiring all else which was needed to resume a reasonably practical domestic existence.
Decisions, decisions, decisions.....size, style, colour, efficiency, cost......I had forgotten just how much fun all this could be. It was bloody exhausting.
But we are now 'in' so to speak. Fifteen large boxes still stand unopened in the shed (an adult lucky dip for the coming rainy days!), additional necessary built in cupboards are on the drawing board, bedroom furniture is on order, and our minds are constantly spinning around plans for additional new furniture and assorted odds and ends to make this 'our home', but at least we are now functional and it is high time to get back 'on the road' and finalize our 2019 adventures.
So, back to the last of Maryborough, that Queensland town of real history and contrasts.
Today's Maryborough is something of a service hub for the surrounding sugar, grazing and timber industries which thrive throughout the district. It is also a major stop-over point for many tourists making their way up to tropical far north Queensland and back again. At last we had joined that throng rather than merely scooting through.
Despite some of the grand and impressive buildings which are a reflection of Maryborough's rich and important place in Queensland's history, much of the town has sadly fallen on hard times.
It was obvious to us that the same could be said for many of its current inhabitants, and after roaming the streets for a few days we were not as surprised as we may have otherwise been to later hear nicknames like 'Scaryborough' and 'Marry-me-brother' bandied about by Queenslanders who lived elsewhere (and took obvious delight in looking down their 'postcode snouts').
But notwithstanding the fact that observations which have driven such derogatory scorn are not hard to find, we were firmly focused on the best of what this town has to offer, and it is plenty.
There is no doubt that some of Maryborough's best buildings are on a par with anything to be found in Queensland. For obvious reasons many of these are located in the old port precinct. Let me share a few examples with you.
The courthouse, circa 1877, is a standout. Facing onto Richmond Street,
the side of this magnificent building extends along part of the southern boundary of Queens Park. Its style, cost and grandeur remain a real reminder of the wealth of this town once gold had been discovered at nearby Gympie. As we had learnt earlier, Maryborough and Charters Towers have a lot in common when it comes to a public 'flouting' of gold driven wealth.
Almost opposite the grand courthouse a building of a completely different style and construction played an equally if not more important part in the development of this town. The Maryborough Customs House,
with its imposing 'crest of authority' still glaring down on Richmond Street,
rose on this site in 1889 and became the model for similar facilities in other Queensland ports. It replaced the original building which was severely damaged by the massive flood of 1893. The rambling red brick offices and the associated residence occupy a large area on the corner of Richmond and Wharf Streets.
Integral to the collection of customs and excise is another critical piece of infrastructure.....the bond store, and that which served Maryborough for may years can, logically enough, be found on nearby Wharf Street within spitting distance of the Customs House.
Now I don't know if there happened to be a 'special' on red bricks at the time these two important public buildings were erected, or whether this was considered a material which exuded authority, but the red brick walls of both these buildings are unique in the area.
I have already mentioned another significant building in this precinct, one which housed the Bank of New South Wales, the vaults of which held the staggering amounts of gold from the Gympie fields in the late 1800's prior to its shipment out of the nearby port.
Now home to the Maryborough Heritage Centre (and thanks to the 'Fraser Coast' website for this photo) this gracious old building forms a significant part of the port precinct history trail.
This leads me to another mea culpa.
The Maryborough tourist authorities have developed a series of 'themed walks' around the town. One of these documents a trail which takes one past fifty one historical or important buildings. Another identifies buildings and museums associated with the area's quite rich military history. And a third, my favourite (surprise!), unashamedly invites visitors to embark on a pub crawl of the many interesting watering holes to be found here.
Knowing that we were about to take up a house sitting job for a fortnight in nearby Howard, we were a little cavalier in our approach to absorbing all that Maryborough had to offer. "We'll save some of this for day trips later".......that was Plan 'A'. I suspect I need not comment that this did not eventuate, for a number of reasons I'll explain later.
The upshot is that I can bring you but a sample of what is to be found here.....but that may be just as well.....my personal history bug is sitting on my shoulder whispering away!
The port area does not have grand old buildings all to itself. The Maryborough Town Hall, with its lovely surrounding gardens,
and the nearby Post Office building both speak to the former wealth and glory of this town.
As I completed the preview of this missive, I saw that at this point the left margin had, for some reason which is utterly beyond either my comprehension as to why, or, more importantly, my ability to easily fix it, had altered. After some time spent on reparation, clearly unsuccessful, I have decided to let it be (apart from this proffered explanation and apology that is).
For those in need of some spiritual comfort, there is no shortage of places of worship, and like a number of the commercial and public authority buildings of Maryborough, many of its churches reflect the glory days.
We did see a number of these in passing, but because of the failed Plan A I have had to rely on others to bring you a few examples.
I find myself indebted to the improbable sounding 'Organ Historical Trust of Australia' for this shot of one of Maryborough's Anglican churches,
and yet another of the same denomination, an even more imposing edifice.
St Mary's Catholic church (thanks to 'Wikipedia') is unusually modest by comparison.
I include that comment in the light of what we have seen in so many Australian country towns, where those faithful to the Church of Rome invariably seem to lead the field as far as the size and prominent location of their places of worship are concerned.
Churches and hotels....'Saints and Sinners'....a recurring theme of early Australian development, particularly where ports and/or the wealth of gold finds were town features, and here in Maryborough we have both.
This place is alive with wonderful pubs, old and new. The failure of the second part of Plan 'A', to have Liz drop me off and pick me up some hours later (whilst we were at Howard) after I had tramped my way in and out of several of them, remains a real regret.
But at least I can share a few of them pictorially.
Built in 1889, the Post Office Hotel can, oddly enough, be found directly opposite its namesake building on the corner of Bazaar and Wharf Streets.
For any wandering along Adelaide Street, the obviously redecorated Australian Hotel, 'The Aussie', offers a thirst quenching ale,
as does the Criterion, to be found down near the old docks.
1889 was a good year for Maryborough pub construction. Sadly the Engineers Arms, which rose here in March Street at the same time as its much larger competitor, The Post Office, has not survived commercially.
But the same cannot be said of the one Maryborough pub which we adopted as our 'local'.
The Lamington Hotel, a mere stone's throw from our caravan park, was well and truly open for business, as this website photo shows.
Whilst it did not ooze antiquity and heritage like many of its town counterparts, the good old Lamington was close by and pouring a good drop from its taps. We treated ourselves to pre-dinner drinks with the locals on two occasions whilst here and thoroughly enjoyed both the beers and the chats.
Heaps of historical buildings, groups of grand churches, a plethora of pubs....what more could this town possibly offer a visitor.....masses of murals, that's what!
The Fraser Coast website exhorts visitors thus:
"Be inspired by Maryborough's growing tourist attraction and walk the Mural Trail, telling the quirky and serious stories of the city's colourful past from the time when it was Queensland's major industrial city building naval ships, sugar mills and railway rolling stock.
Launched in 2015, the trail now has 37 large scale murals and installations adorning buildings in the city's Central Business District"
I'm not too sure just how 'inspired' we were, but this was one 'town walk' we did manage to complete, assiduously following the trail through the city streets and lanes provided by the relevant tourist brochure, and whilst 'inspiration' may have been in somewhat short supply, avid interest certainly was not. Here is but a sample of what we saw.
The first we came to was a relatively small offering on the rather forbidding looking cream brick walls of the town Fire Station.
In the shot above, it is almost hidden (beneath the large tower) and although many of the murals are right in one's face, the discovery of some, like this, requires some perseverance.
More than merely satisfying the artistic passions of local brush-folk, each of these murals has a real tale to tell, all of which are reproduced on the associated plaques and in the relevant trail brochure. This has made my lot as a scribe much easier!
"This mural, placed poignantly on the wall of Maryborough Fire Station, recognises the bravery of 12-year-old Lex Casperson, who with his dog “Foxie” saved his two brothers and a sister from a house fire on 28 July 1927. “Foxie” was given a new collar and his young master awarded the bronze medal for bravery by the Royal Humane Society."
Whilst some of the paintings are a little tricky to find, others are far more prominent, as indeed was the subject of this one in both local and Australian history.
"A founding member of the Labor Party in Queensland, Andrew Fisher held
the seat of Wide Bay from 1901 to 1915. He served as Australia’s Prime
Minister and Treasurer for three terms from 1908 until 1915 and
committed troops to fight in World War I."
"Be inspired by Maryborough's growing tourist attraction and walk the Mural Trail, telling the quirky and serious stories of the city's colourful past from the time when it was Queensland's major industrial city building naval ships, sugar mills and railway rolling stock.
Launched in 2015, the trail now has 37 large scale murals and installations adorning buildings in the city's Central Business District"
I'm not too sure just how 'inspired' we were, but this was one 'town walk' we did manage to complete, assiduously following the trail through the city streets and lanes provided by the relevant tourist brochure, and whilst 'inspiration' may have been in somewhat short supply, avid interest certainly was not. Here is but a sample of what we saw.
The first we came to was a relatively small offering on the rather forbidding looking cream brick walls of the town Fire Station.
In the shot above, it is almost hidden (beneath the large tower) and although many of the murals are right in one's face, the discovery of some, like this, requires some perseverance.
More than merely satisfying the artistic passions of local brush-folk, each of these murals has a real tale to tell, all of which are reproduced on the associated plaques and in the relevant trail brochure. This has made my lot as a scribe much easier!
"This mural, placed poignantly on the wall of Maryborough Fire Station, recognises the bravery of 12-year-old Lex Casperson, who with his dog “Foxie” saved his two brothers and a sister from a house fire on 28 July 1927. “Foxie” was given a new collar and his young master awarded the bronze medal for bravery by the Royal Humane Society."
Whilst some of the paintings are a little tricky to find, others are far more prominent, as indeed was the subject of this one in both local and Australian history.
Still on an historical note, this scene adoring the wall of an industrial business shows a group picnicking on the banks of the Mary River at the site of the original ferry crossing which preceded the Granville Bridge.
The theme of some of the murals is self-evident, such as the row of women staffing an old telephone switchboard seen here on the side wall of the Telstra building.
The same could not be said for its painted neighbour, one of the largest murals in the town, but our brochure provided the answer.
"In September 1847, Governor Sir Charles FitzRoy named the Mary River in honour of his wife, Lady Mary Lennox, who was killed in a carriage accident three months later. Still saddened by her death, Sir Charles changed the name of Wide Bay Village to Maryborough a little over a year later in 1849. The mural symbolises the link between Lady Mary and the naming of the river and city."
We already knew of this tragedy and its upshot, but I have to concede I was a little hard pressed to connect it with what I was looking at here........nothing like a touch of artistic licence!
But back to the more practical (and more obvious) in this painting atop the local brew shop where the connection is immediately obvious......or is it?
"This mural tells the story of Polish migrant Louis Emmanuel Steindl, who
arrived in Australia in 1871 and opened the Bavarian Brewery in
Granville seven years later in 1878. At its peak the business produced
120 hogsheads of beer a week (one hogshead is about 242 litres). Lois
died in 1913 with a considerable fortune."
Local business and industry is recognized in different ways along the mural trail such as this, celebrating the importance of dairying.....this and the brew shop are but two examples.
Following the mural trail is a fascinating way to discover a city we decided. Coloured splashes pop up everywhere, on main streets and in back laneways. And each has a story which is relevant to the city (even when this is not immediately apparent).
When we came across this offering in a back lane, I initially thought the artist was having a bit of fun at the expense of what appeared to be a turtle, with no other purpose. This was far from he truth.
"An endangered species, the Mary River Turtle, was illegally collected and sold throughout the 1960s as pet “penny turtles”. One of the largest in Australia, this turtle frequents the Mary River from Gympie to the tidal reaches just upstream from Maryborough. The population is considered a critical priority for conservation."
No wonder the turtle on the wall is looking somewhat alarmed.......and here was me thinking that this was merely something of a local cartoon!
The next we came to created the same impression initially, but by now I had learnt not to pre-judge, and to read the story!
"A photograph taken at the turn of the century of a girl sitting on a
four metre crocodile was the inspiration for this street art project.
It’s believed the image was taken after a crocodile was shot in the Mary
River by Walter McIndoe and displayed by the Cran family at their
Iindah Sugar Plantation in 1903."
I'll warrant neither was as perky looking (as has been depicted here) at the time of said photo, particularly the crocodile!
These marvellous reflections on local life, industry, history and development, just go on and on. Let me finish this section with two 'colourful local identities'.........neither of whom was associated with horse racing!!
Firstly we have good old Arnie,
who actually warranted having his story inscribed in paint alongside his image.
And then we came to my favourite, by streets (!)....and this has nothing to do with my personal penchant for pigs (a long story...well know to family and close friends!). Hidden away on this side wall of a shop in Kent Street we have 'The Inspector of Nuisances'....seriously!
Read on, all ye of little faith in your scribe!
This chap does not have a name and is merely a representation of all who undertook this oddest of municipal functions. I just loved the way he was dressed up to resemble Conan Doyle's super hero of fictional detectives.
Wharf Street is home to a series of murals which link into the military history of Maryborough, including one of someone we met before when earlier roaming around Queens Park,
none other than the Reverend Philip Thomas Byard 'Tubby" Clayton, the co-founder of Toc H.
I could go on and on with these, but enough is enough. We have come across 'mural towns' frequently in our travels (Bowen and Mendooran come immediately to mind), but for us, this was far and away the most comprehensive, well organized and finely described series of town murals we had ever seen. It provides a wonderfully entertaining way to see the city and learn so much about it and its inhabitants. Well done Maryborough!
And to finish.....well, it seems every country town strives to impress visitors with at least one of its 'born and bred' who has achieved prominence on the country or world stage. Maryborough is no exception, and its Civic Fathers have gone to great lengths to ensure that it is brought to the attention of all and sundry.
In 1899, one Helen Lyndon Goff was born in the building which then housed the Australian Joint Stock Bank where her father was, at the time, the manager (but not for long.....he was a chronic alcoholic who was soon demoted and subsequently died of the effects of the demon drink at the age or 43).
So? Well, does the name Pamela Lyndon Travers ring a louder bell? Still struggling?
Here's another clue, one which can be found throughout the city, on the traffic light poles
and the pedestrian lights themselves. Oh, come on....who's the most famous brolly toting nanny in the world?
Helen Lyndon Goff @ Pamela Lyndon Travers, a good old Maryborough girl (although she really didn't spend too much of her life here) is the author of the famous Mary Poppins series, and the town celebrates this link in spades, not only at the pedestrian crossings
but also with this life size bronze stature of the redoubtable Ms Poppins in front of the old bank building of her creator's birth in Richmond Street.
What a fascinating town this had turned out to be. Let me conclude this somewhat overly long final Maryborough offering almost in the manner in which I began (weeks ago!), when I mentioned my sorrow that much of the city is now showing signs of significant housing disrepair. I also commented on the contrasts to be seen here.
Despite its obvious decline, Maryborough remains home to some magnificent private abodes. It is worth winkling them out........here are a few examples which I have to admit I filched from the 'Real Estate' website because as we drove past several of them I was unable to stop to take my own photos.
These are but three, of quite contrasting styles,
which still grace Maryborough Streets in all their splendour
to remind those who visit this town that it was once a place of real wealth and grandeur, a thriving rural port city which played such an important part in not only the development of the local distinct, but of Queensland itself.
We were so glad we took the time to finally see all this for ourselves, even if I missed my proposed pub crawl!
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