Full Itinerary

Arrive in Maryborough to begin your itinerary in the Portside Heritage area centred around Wharf Street. Visit the wonderfully presented heritage sites that tell the story of Maryborough's past as a port and point of immigration into Australia for thousands of immigrants.

Customs House and the Bond Store offer a glimpse into the history of Maryborough and tell stories about life in the early times. The Military and Colonial Museum is said to be the best in Australia outside of Canberra to connect with the nation's military past. It covers all conflicts involving Australian personnel, from the Boer War to Afghanistan. The museum's focus is on personal stories, sacrifice and memorabilia from war, rather than weaponry or battles.

Nearby Queens Park is just a short walk away. Here you will find the Gallipoli to Armistice Memorial, which is a major installation along the edge of the park. Your experience begins with the statue of Duncan Chapman, a Maryborough local known as the first Allied soldier to set foot on the beach at Gallipoli in 1915. From this statue, the story of the ANZACS unfolds with written and spoken words blending with the sound of marching soldiers and images putting a raw personal perspective into the historical frame. Visitors may download the QR code app and link to illuminating vignettes for an enriched experience.

Take a brief walk to see Mary Poppins standing outside the Story Bank housed in the building where the author of Mary Poppins was born. "As you cross the threshold, you will enter a world where fantasy and fact intertwine. Tales and yarns, myths and legends, memories and stories – share in their retelling and their creation."

Take a drive around Maryborough to see some of the stately old Queenslander homes or drop into Brennan and Geraghty's Store Museum run by the National Trust. Brennan and Geraghty's Store was an 1870s store that was left largely intact when the owners retired.

Drive the short distance to Hervey Bay for dinner and overnight.

Enjoy breakfast overlooking the beach at one of the cafes along the esplanade.

Check out the amazing Hervey Bay Historical Village and museum (open Friday to Sunday, plus QLD school holidays) for a glimpse into Hervey Bay's past. The village setting is easy to get around and comes with a schoolhouse, fire station, corner store, railway station, slab hut, church and a host of other buildings housing all sorts of historical items. Talk to the volunteers who give hours of their time to maintain and to record historical documents to house in a climate-controlled building. Check out the room full of memorabilia from the Maheno shipwreck on Fraser Island (Kgari).

Visit some of the Fraser Coast Military trail sites in Hervey Bay such as the wonderful statue of the Lighthorseman on his Waler in Freedom Park on Main Street or the Krait Memorial in Dayman Park in Urangan overlooking Fraser Island. The MV Krait commemorates the lives of the men who formed Australia's Z Special Unit and their daring raids behind Japanese lines in World War 2. The crew of the Krait did much of their training from a base on Fraser Island.

Take the Indigenous walk – learn about the local Butchulla people's heritage from the area. The Butchulla were largely a coastal group inhabiting Fraser Island in large numbers and sharing a language set with other nearby groups.

Dine at one of Hervey Bay's great restaurants, cafes or pubs.

Breakfast at one of Hervey Bays great seaside cafes.

Go for a walk along the 800 metre Urangan Pier, previously over one kilometre and servicing shipping of coal and other goods via a rail line from Maryborough.

Nowadays the pier is a popular fishing and viewing platform and is a great place for a stroll to see both sunrise and sunset.