In Maryborough, it's all about Mary.
Its leading obsession is with Mary Poppins. There's a Mary Poppins statue, a Mary Poppins Festival, a Mary Poppins Market, Mary Poppins murals, and a quirky Magical Mary Discovery Trail
It is all in honour of the creator of Mary Poppins author P.L Travers. She was born in the city in 1899 in a bank building where her father was the bank manager- just like Mr Banks, the father in the movie that made Mary Poppins famous.
Last summer, her story was brought to life with Saving Mr Banks, a movie based on the life of Travers, her childhood in Queensland and her negotiations in 1961 with Walt Disney for movie rights to her famous stories.
No-one is sure if Travers named her famous character after her birthplace but it is just one of many curious little similarities between Maryborough and the Mary Poppins stories.
Maryborough has also created its own Mary character – Mary Heritage. This city ambassador is employed to dress in full period costume and entertain visitors as she shares stories about the city's impressive heritage.
When not playing Mary Heritage, ambassador Carmel Murdoch takes on a number of different Mary personas: Mary Christmas at Christmas events; the Mary Widow on the city's famous ghost tour, Mary Rivers on a Portside By Night tour… and or course Mary Poppins.
Another famous Mary in Maryborough is the Mary Ann – a working replica of the first steam engine made in Queensland, which was built the city in the late 1800s, and chugs along taking passengers on rides though the city's heritage-listed park .
As you would expect in a place so obsessed with Mary, the city has its own Proud Marys Club that is open to people all over the world called Mary or a derivative.
Maryborough takes its name from its river, which was named in honour of Lady Mary Fitzroy in 1847 who was the wife of the governor at the time.
And believe it or not, the river is home to two quirky Marys. The most unusual is the Mary River Turtle, which actually breathes through its backside and is one of the world's most endangered turtles.
The other is a rogue saltwater crocodile, nicknamed Mary Crocins. Mary Crocins is still managing to elude rangers, although another croc, believed to be her mate, was recently caught in the river. The territory for saltwater crocodiles typically only reaches only as far south as the Boyne River near Gladstone, about 300km north of Maryborough.
www.visitfrasercoast.com.au
www.visitfrasercoast.com.au
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