Maryborough is one of the oldest cities in Queensland, home to just over 15,000 people and most famously the birthplace and childhood home of P. L. Travers, the beloved author of the Mary Poppins series.
We're currently living full-time in our campervan, a 2018 Mercedes Sprinter, and exploring Australia, with a plan of "driving the lap" (completing the entire perimeter of the country). I first visited Australia in 2019, following the classic backpacker route, mostly visiting big cities, staying in hostels and traveling by public transport. This time, with the freedom of our campervan, we're trying to hit the lesser known spots and go slower.
For thousands of years, the Butchulla people have lived on this land, long before any Europeans arrived.
The first Europeans arrived in the 1840s establishing one of Queensland's oldest cities, located on the Mary River which feeds into the Coral Sea. It was home to the Maryborough Customs House which processed all immigrants and goods in and out of Queensland from 1859 until 1890 including alcohol, sugar, tobacco and opium. As a port city, Maryborough also produced naval ships and trains. It was a truly thriving, rich place.
And it was in the bank of Maryborough where P. L. Travers (born Helen Lyndon Goff) was born in 1899.
Here is my guide on how to spend a day visiting the highlights of Maryborough:
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Below is some useful information for preparing for your trip to Maryborough. In all cases, please be sure to check with the relevant local authorities for the latest and accurate information.
Language: The official language of Australia is English. In Maryborough, the traditional language of the Butchalla people is Butchalla.
→ Learn more about the language of the Butchalla people.
Currency: The currency used in Australia is the Australian dollar, denoted as AUD $. I use a Wise account when I travel which allows me to have a single, free account with multiple currencies. I only have to pay once to convert my money in the app and then I can pay in AUD $!
→ Check the latest currency conversion between AUD $ and your local currency.
Data/WiFi: Before you arrive, I recommend purchasing an eSim on your phone so that you can access data the moment you land. eSims are much more convenient as it means you don't have to put a separate physical Sim into your phone. AirAlo offers great deals for eSims of various data sizes and time lengths with Optus.
→ Load an international eSim on your phone with AirAlo.
If you are visiting Australia long term, you might wish to put a physical Sim in your phone as AirAlo is geared more towards short term visitors on holiday. This way you can access a local phone plan. There are three main mobile phone network providers in Australia: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Telstra has the best coverage across the country whereas Optus and Vodafone are good within cities. I recommend Telstra as it means you have the best coverage while you travel around the country, especially in rural areas.
Maryborough offers free WiFi at the Town Hall and in a number of entertainment places, libraries and restaurants.
→ Find free WiFi in Maryborough.
Visa: All passport holders except New Zealand require a visa to visit Australia. All arrivals must fill out an Australian arrival card before landing.
→ Check which visa you need for Australia.
Time of year to visit: Australia can be visited all year-round, including Maryborough, north of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, since the main activity is indoors in an air-conditioned museum. You might wish to time your visit around the annual Mary Poppins Festival every July!
Length of stay: One day is plenty to visit all the main highlights of Maryborough, just make sure to plan your visit for when the museum is open.
By flight: The closest major international airport to Maryborough is in Brisbane, just under three hours south by car.
There is also a smaller airport in Hervey Bay, which is the primary airport to access the Fraser Coast and K'Gari/Fraser Island, connecting domestically with Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. From Hervey Bay Airport, it's just a half-hour drive to Maryborough.
By car: If you're driving around the country as we are in our campervan, then the easiest way to get to Maryborough is with your own wheels. The most popular way of exploring Australia is by camping - whether with a motorhome, campervan, caravan or a roof tent on top of a car. This gives you the ultimate freedom of going as fast or as slow as you like.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Brisbane or the Sunshine Coast.
By coach: You can catch a Greyhound or a Flixbus to Maryborough from 19 different cities along the east coast.
The main area of Maryborough is quite compact and so visiting all the main highlights can easily be done on foot. As you're walking around, be sure to spot the green and red traffic lights in the shape of Mary Poppins!
By walking tour: There is a popular free heritage walk available which guides you through the historical highlights of Maryborough. The tour runs every day except Sundays at 9:00am departing from City Hall, no pre-booking required.
By car: If you have your own wheels, of course you can drive yourself around. Most available parking in Maryborough is free street parking; we parked right out front of the Story Bank museum and walked from there.
By bus: Wide Bay Transit runs a number of local buses around Maryborough helping you get where you need to go.
By Uber: Uber is readily available in Maryborough and can be a convenient way of getting around the city.
The Mary Poppins street lights!
Most people will visit Maryborough as a day trip as the main highlights can all be seen in a day. However, if you want to spend more time exploring the area or need a place to stay as you travel through, here are my tips.
Hotel: Not traveling by campervan? Driving in a car? Whatever your reason for needing a place to stay, there are some great accommodation options in Maryborough to suit any budget.
→ Check out all the accommodation options in Maryborough.
Camping: We are driving "the lap" around Australia, exploring the country in our campervan. As with the rest of Australia, Queensland permits freedom camping on designated sites. These sites can vary greatly; some offer a variety of facilities such as toilets, trash bins, picnic tables, outdoor cooking stations and others have none of this and might simply be a pull-out on the side of the road.
The best way to find legal freedom camping spots is to use an app. We use Wikicamps Australia, a cheap app that has every single amenity listed (both free and paid) that you might need on the road. This includes things like where to fill up fresh water, where to dump grey water, where to empty toilets, where to stay, gas stations, information points and also has suggestions for things to do as you go.
→ Download the Wikicamps Australia app.
There is no free camping in Maryborough; the closest one we found was Tiaro Memorial Park just a 20-minute drive south. It happens to be one of the best free campsites we've stayed at! Located right in the heart of Tiaro, there are a number of spots to park in a paved parking lot. They also offer a playground, toilets, free hot showers and BBQs. Everything you could ask for!
The main reason most tourists come to Maryborough is because it is the birthplace and childhood home of P. L. Travers, the beloved author of the Mary Poppins series, one of the best-loved characters of all time.
The whole town celebrates the author and her stories even though, ironically, the name Maryborough has no connection to the character's name!
There is even an annual Mary Poppins Festival held every July in Maryborough, so you might wish to time your visit for this fantastic free event.
Here are all the best things to do when visiting Maryborough:
Say hello to the statue of Mary Poppins
Located outside the Story Bank Museum is a delightful statue of Mary herself, complete with her iconic flower hat, carpet bag and umbrella. It's the perfect spot to take a cute photo before you head inside the museum.
Spot the Mary Poppins-themed traffic lights
Many of the crossing lights in Maryborough have replaced standard green and red walking people with adorable icons of Mary Poppins instead. Keep an eye out for them as you cross the street; pictured below are the ones on the intersection right outside the Story Bank Museum.
Visit the Story Bank Museum
The highlight of any visit to Maryborough is time spent exploring the fantastic Story Bank Museum. Dedicated to the life of P. L. Travers, the museum is located in the former bank in which her father worked. She was born Helen Lyndon Goff in the upstairs bedroom of the bank, rooms which you can now walk through and explore for yourself.
Having visited many museums around the world, I must say that this is one of the very best, filled with delightful artwork, beautiful displays, lots of interactive activities and homages to the many films and music which the books inspired. Most famously of course is the film featuring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, the latter of which just turned 100 on 13 December 2025, just a month before we visited!
The museum is open every day except Mondays and some public holidays; be sure to check their website for the current opening hours. There is no need to pre-book tickets, you can purchase them on site in the gift shop. At the time of writing, we paid AUD $15 per person.
The room where P. L. Travers was born!
Mary Poppins in film and on stage
Step inside the world's coolest toilets
Hear me out, while you're in Maryborough you simply MUST visit the Cistern Chapel. I'm not joking, they are some of the most stunning toilets I have ever been to and I absolutely love the name, too. Eager volunteers out front will willingly share the stories of the murals painted on these walls which tell the history of Maryborough in their own way. Be sure to find the gold toilet!
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
