Maryborough
Streets of gold
Set in the heart of the Victorian goldfields, Maryborough offers a rich blend of history, charm and natural beauty. Once a bustling hub during the 1850s rush when people arrived to find their future, the town still showcases its golden past through 19th-century architecture, including the Maryborough Railway Station. Built in 1890, this grand, red-brick affair has 25 rooms and a clocktower. Mark Twain once unkindly said it was “a railway station with a town attached”.
There are more elegant heritage buildings at McLandress Square, including one of the largest courthouses in Victoria outside of Melbourne.
Check into your accommodation – the refurbished Edwardian baroque Bull and Mouth Hotel has 12 smart, comfortable rooms. Or you could stay in either Gilbert or Ruby, two character-filled, three-bedroom houses – then take a walk around the town and discover some of the heritage sites like Worsley Cottage and the Bristol Hill Pioneer Memorial Tower.
What to do in Maryborough
The Dja Dja Wurrung people have been caretakers of the land of which Maryborough now sits for tens of thousands of years. After you’ve admired the work at Central Goldfields Art Gallery, explore the adjacent garingilang gatjin wii. This interpretive garden is home to Indigenous artworks and significant plantings.
There’s more culture at the restored Paramount Theatre, built in 1926 and these days showing blockbuster and art house films. At Maryborough Railway Station, drop into the Central Goldfields Visitor Centre. You can collect information on what to do in the region, as well as check out the immersive digital animation that explores local history. Every Saturday afternoon, there’s also a guided tour of the historical station.
One of the most popular areas near Maryborough is Lake Victoria. A walking trail goes right around the lake, where you can feed the flocks of ducks and swans. Bring your fishing gear if you fancy trying your luck hooking a trout.
Just south of town, nature lovers can explore the tranquil beauty of Paddys Ranges State Park. Here, box ironbark forests provide a peaceful retreat where bushwalkers might spot a flash of colour from a rare swift parrot. In spring, the forest floor bursts to life with wildflowers in full bloom, creating a colourful natural spectacle that’s not to be missed.
Eat and drink
Within the historical surrounds of one of the railway’s finest buildings, find The Station, a Maryborough restaurant, cafe and bar that serves a range of crowd-pleasing dishes. Sit in the main dining room beneath the glass ceiling or at tables on the platform.
Updated pub classics, as well as smaller meals, are on offer at the Bull and Mouth Hotel, which is also an open for breakfasts of waffles, pancakes and different varieties of eggs.
Pipes Bistro at Maryborough Highland Society is a popular local spot, with a menu influenced by modern Australian cuisine and traditional pub fare. Another locals favourite is the Maryborough Golf Club, which offers meals daily within Fairways Bistro. Looking for something lighter? Try Storm Cafe, Rustorations or Daily Dose Cafe.
Capturing the Wild – A series of photographs and paintings by Milton Moss
Capturing the Wild is a series of photographs and paintings by Milton Moss' at the Central…
Emergent 2026
Emergent 2026 is an exhibition at the Central Goldfields Art Gallery in Maryborough. In this…
From The Fish Shop and Beyond − Sculptures by Robert Liston
From The Fish Shop and Beyond is an exhibition of sculptures by Robert Liston at Central…
HONK! Untitled Goose Exhibition
Honk! Untitled Goose Exhibition is an exhibition at Central Goldfields Art Gallery,…
Mapping Truth − A collection of woven works by Jayne Newgreen
Mapping Truth is a collection of woven works by Jayne Newgreen at the Central Goldfields Art…
Maryborough Energy Breakthrough -Powered by HONDA
The Maryborough Energy Breakthrough is Australia's largest school-based STEM and…
Pretty Much – Portraits and stories from real people by Andy Ferg
Pretty Much – Portraits and stories from real people by Andy Ferg is an exhibition at Central…
Ragged & Tagged & Flagged
Ragged & Tagged & Flagged - Caroline Chisholm, Domesticity and the Victorian…
The Art of Gold - Treasures from the National Gallery of Australia
The Art of Gold - Treasures from the National Gallery of Australia is an exhibition at Central…
Words in Winter Central Goldfields: Events to Inspire Festival
Set in the heart of Victoria's historic goldfields, Words in Winter Central Goldfields is a…
The best Maryborough events
Many Scottish immigrants came to the goldfields to seek their fortune and, in 1857, the Maryborough Highland Society was formed to continue their traditions. Now, every New Year’s Day sees pipe bands, highland dancing, traditional strongman events and a street parade form the basis of the Maryborough Highland Gathering. The day’s highlight is the Girl on the Drum, a highland dancer atop a bass drum held aloft by three burly Scots.
Every November, students and teachers from around Victoria flock to Maryborough for Energy Breakthrough, where they compete against each other, designing and constructing a vehicle, a machine or an innovation in technology.
Getting to Maryborough
There are several daily V/Line train services between Melbourne and Maryborough, via Ballarat. The journey generally takes about two hours and 15 minutes. It’s about a two-hour drive from Melbourne. V/Line Coach services also operate between Maryborough and Castlemaine.
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