Why the Maryborough CBD floods

Maryborough barber, Alan Madsen, proprietor of the shop ‘Barber Al’, is positioned where the original Gardens Creek once flowed under a shop on Kent Street. The street now runs on top of the built-up embankment at the rear. Photo Lindsay Titmarsh.

LINDSAY TITMARSH

SOMETIMES mistakes are made that cannot be remedied - decisions are made by people who have not thoroughly investigated a situation.

This was the case when the residents of Wide Bay Village, built beside Wide Bay River, decided to relocate.

The little settlement had been established in 1847 when Queensland was still part of New South Wales, with Governor Sir Charles FitzRoy at the helm.

A tragic accident with a carriage at Parramatta, Sydney, resulted in the death of his wife Lady Mary FitzRoy.

In memory of her, the governor renamed the village Maryborough, and changed the name of the river to the Mary River.

The small fledgling port was situated on a high flood free riverbank at what we now know as Baddow, a western suburb of Maryborough.

Problems arose with large sailing ships negotiating upriver to service the new port, which was many miles from the river mouth.

It was suggested that all non-marine infrastructure be moved downstream to a more ship friendly location.

A new site where Maryborough’s CBD and Portside now stands, was suggested.

However, a submission was drawn up by many of the village landowners, to relocate to a site way downriver on the northern bank near Brothers Islands.

This area was not far upstream from the river mouth and was flood free.

A detailed description of both sites was sent to Governor FitzRoy in Sydney – it was his decision.

Back at that time, it was desirable for most settlements to have crops and vegetables grown almost on site, to alleviate the need to transport the produce a distance.

The future Maryborough site had excellent soils nearby at The Pocket and Island Plantation.

The Brothers Islands site was surrounded by infertile soil.

We now know of the governor’s decision - the little settlement was relocated to Maryborough’s present position on the Mary River.

Large tidal Gardens Creek, flowed from the river, through what is now Queen’s Park, (Botanical Gardens), into where the new settlement was being established.

It followed the corridor where the current railway line is.

The creek forked just past where Woolworths’ car park is now, with one branch extending into the Alan and June Brown Carpark, which was filled in as a rubbish dump.

The other fork flowed past the future site of the original ‘Tarrants Ford’, (the oldest Ford dealership in Australia), crossed Kent Street, then finished as a dry watercourse in Richmond Street.

The present-day low-level carpark behind the Kent -Bazaar Streets corner was a large freshwater lagoon.

Here is where a problem

arises. Gardens Creek was tidal almost as far as where it crossed Kent Street.

MARYBOROUGH’S CBD WAS BUILT ON THE FLOOD PLAIN OF A TIDAL CREEK.

The shops on Kent Street between Adelaide and the Bazaar Street intersection appear to be built at ground level, however this is not the case.

They are built on top of a basement, which itself was constructed at ground level.

Kent Street has been built up to its present level.

Originally a bridge spanned the creek at that location.

So that shops on Kent Street could be built above Gardens Creek, a large wooden archway was constructed to span the waterway. Unbelievable!

Back at that time, it would be expected that anyone with only ‘half a brain’ should have realised that to build the Central Business District of what would be a future city, on the lowest land in that area, was asking for trouble – and they got it.

It was 40 years later that the 1893 flood put water up to the awning of the Queen’s Hotel on the Kent–Adelaide Streets corner.

Unlike most cities that begin with a few shanties beside a creek, the planners of our great city had a unique opportunity to get it right.

With flood free land close by, it would have made more sense to have had the botanical gardens on the flat, and shops on the high ground. Anyway, we cannot turn back time.