City of Maryborough (Queensland)

Wharves were established at Maryborough in 1847–1848 to provide transport for wool from sheep stations on the Burnett River. The town was initially located further south on the Mary River, but moved to its present location in 1852. It was declared a port in 1859.

On 10 March 1861, the Municipal Borough of Maryborough, governed under the Municipalities Act 1858 which had been inherited from New South Wales upon the separation of Queensland in 1859, was proclaimed, becoming the sixth municipal government in Queensland. Henry Palmer was appointed as its first Mayor. On 15 September 1883, the Granville Division was established under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 to serve the surrounding district.

With the passing of the Local Authorities Act 1902, on 31 March 1903 the Borough of Maryborough became the Town of Maryborough and Granville Division became the Shire of Granville. On 7 January 1905 Maryborough achieved City status, and a Town Hall was built on the corner of Kent and Adelaide Streets and became the administrative centre of the City. On 17 February 1917, as part of a restructuring of local government in the Wide Bay–Burnett area, the Shire of Granville was abolished and split between the Shire of Tiaro and City of Maryborough.

At the local government elections of 27 March 1976, with the neighbouring Shire of Burrum being renamed Hervey Bay and retreating to the coast, Maryborough changed from being an urban municipality of 26 km² (10 sq mi) to one of 1,115 km² (431 sq mi) with a considerable rural area. The City grew by an estimated 1,119 people in the transfer.

The Local Government (Maryborough and Woocoo) Regulation 1993, which took effect on 31 March 1994, effected the City's annexation of about 700 km² (270 sq mi) of the Shire of Woocoo. At this time, Maryborough was re-subdivided into eight divisions each with one councillor, plus an elected mayor.

On 15 March 2008, under the Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by the Parliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, Maryborough merged with the City of Hervey Bay, Shire of Woocoo and part of Tiaro to form the Fraser Coast Region.

The City of Maryborough included the following settlements:

• Maryborough
  • Maryborough West
  • Granville
  • Island Plantation
• Aldershot
• Beaver Rock
• Boonooroo
• Boonooroo Plains
• Duckinwilla[2]
• Eurong (Fraser Island)
• Ferney
• Glenorchy
• Great Sandy Strait
• Maaroom
• Poona
• Poona National Park
• St Helens
• Teddington
• The Dimonds
• Tinana
• Tuan
• Tuan Forest
• Walkers Point

Mayors of Maryborough include:[3]

• 1861–1861: Henry Palmer[4][5][6]
• 1861: John Purser[7]
• 1861: John Eaton[8][6]
• 1862: James Dowzer [9]
• 1865: Henry Palmer[10]
• 1883: Charles Thomas Powers[6]
• 1865: Henry Palmer[11]
• 1866: George Nightingale[12]
• 1877: John Thomas Annear[13][6]
• 1878: Richard Matthews Hyne[14][6]
• William Pettigrew[6]
• 1880: Nicholas Edward Nelson Tooth[6][15]
• 1890: George Stupart[16]
• 1894: J. Batholomew[17][18]
• 1895: Fritz Kinne[19][6]
• 1901: John Norman[20]
• 1903: Andrew Dunn[21]
• 1906: William Dawson [22]
• 1909: Charles Rabaa
• 1914: Andrew Dunn[21]
• 1915 John Blackley
• 1913–1918: Henry James Hyne[6]
• 1927: Charles Adam[23]
• 1933-1939: William Halliway (Billy) Domaine[24][25][26][6]
• 1939 - 1950 Robert McDowall[27][28]
• 1950-1955: Cyril Tanner[29]
• 1955-1956: Herbert Leslie Jones
• 1956–1965: Robert Alexander Hunter[30]
• 1964-1970: Ralph Stafford
• 1970-1988:John Anderson
• (number of years) R. J. Hyne [31]
• 1988-1991: Ronald James Peters
• N. A. Reed [32]
• 1991–2004: Alan Brown
• 2004–2008: Barbara Hovard

In addition to the mayors listed above, other notable people associated with the local government include:

• Walter Adams, an alderman of Maryborough and a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly