A pleasant, well planned city which services an district which produces wheat, oats, barley and timber, and supports numerous manufacturing industries. Maryborough is noted for its gracious Victorian architecture, its railway station building being so impressive, Mark Twain referred to Maryborough as "a railway station with a town attached". Gold was first found at White Hills and Flour Mill Flat in 1854. In that year the population swelled to 40,000. When news that a 32kg nugget had been dug up in 1855, another 10,000 diggers descended on the town. A Highland Gathering has been held on New Year's Day every year since 1857. The 16-day Golden Wattle Festival is celebrated every September.
Location: 166 km north west of Melbourne on the Pyrenees Highway. 70 km to Ballarat, 90 km to Bendigo
Points of Interest: Lake Victoria; Anderson's Mill; Turraloop Dam (1959); Pioneer Memorial Tower; Simpson memorial cairn; historic buildings - Worsley cottage (1894); Civic Square Conservation Area (Post Office; original Court House, 1887; later Court House, 1897; Town Hall, 1877); Bell tower, Fire Station; Band Rotunda, Prince's Park (1904); Bucknall Family Memorial Church, Rodborough (1882); Norwood homestead, Wareek (c.1863-67)