Queen’s Park rail tracks and their unique steam locos

Maryborough loves trains and steam. In Queen’s Park you can see why when you find tiny tracks or hear a merry whistle blow, signalling that the Mary Ann is on the main line.

In the lower section of the park near Sussex Street, a railway line runs through to the big industrial Downer complex in Bowen Street. Modern trains move slowly to the workshops about twice a week but on Sunday mornings and on special occasions one of the world’s most marvellous replica steam engines appears.

Mary Ann is a masterpiece of engineering, a full-size replica of the first loco built in Queensland. The first Mary Ann was produced in the engineering works in Bowen Street in 1873, designed with a vertical boiler and short wheelbase so she could wind around narrow tracks to fetch timber in Tin Can Bay.

The little loco disappeared after the 1893 flood. A full-size replica built in 1999 runs in the park. A little station can be seen near the Sussex Street crossing; the main station is below the park in Portside.

Riding the miracle of the Mary Ann through the park to and from the cute ‘Maryborough station’ and along the river back to Portside is a super experience for any visitor to Maryborough but just admiring the unique loco in action is a treat in itself.

Intriguing little 5-inch tracks between the banyan tree and the rotunda lead to an old bomb shelter beside the post office. It is the home of something special in terms of steam and trains.

On the last Sunday of the month and on other special days celebrated scale model locomotives, each a marvel of craftsmanship, steam out to take passengers around the park from a cute little train station beside the rotunda.

Both the Mary Ann and the little models are treasures that add a unique element to Maryborough’s heritage-listed park, a photographers’ paradise where an unexpected appearance of a unique steam engine – replica or model – can create a colourful fun scene well worth snapping.