"A railway station with a town attached" Mark Twain 1895
The above quote is attributed to the famous American novelist Mark Twain, he was said to have made it soon after he visited Maryborough, in country Victoria, back in 1895. Sadly as good a quote as it is, it's apparently not very accurate. What he actually said was "'You can put the whole population of Maryborough into it with a sofa apiece and have room for more.' But you get the drift, this is a grand station that appears to be too grand for such a small town.
When you see the station you will completely understand why he said it and just how true it is. Maryborough is a lovely sleepy little town with a population of around 7,600, not exactly the population size that you would normally expect to have this size of a train station. It did reflect however the importance of Maryborough as a junction in the early Victorian rail system.
There is also a myth that there was a mix up and the wrong station ended up in the wrong Maryborough. With this grand station meant to have been for the larger Maryborough in Queensland. Whatever the reasons it's a pretty awesome structure and we got to visit it last weekend and snap some photos, unfortunately it was locked up so we couldn't get inside. Next time for sure and hopefully the restaurant/dining room which is currently being restored will have reopened by then, maybe some cucumber sandwiches and a G n T by the platform?! It would seem fitting.
When you see the station you will completely understand why he said it and just how true it is. Maryborough is a lovely sleepy little town with a population of around 7,600, not exactly the population size that you would normally expect to have this size of a train station. It did reflect however the importance of Maryborough as a junction in the early Victorian rail system.
There is also a myth that there was a mix up and the wrong station ended up in the wrong Maryborough. With this grand station meant to have been for the larger Maryborough in Queensland. Whatever the reasons it's a pretty awesome structure and we got to visit it last weekend and snap some photos, unfortunately it was locked up so we couldn't get inside. Next time for sure and hopefully the restaurant/dining room which is currently being restored will have reopened by then, maybe some cucumber sandwiches and a G n T by the platform?! It would seem fitting.
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