Maryborough Railway Station and Air Raid Shelters

Buildings constructed between 1878 through to 1930's, including a concrete air raid shelter built in 1942, make up the railway complex on Lennox Street in Maryborough. These buildings are found on the Queensland Heritage Register. The Maryborough Railway Station was part of a "railway network that radiated from Maryborough, transporting timber, coal, sugar and other agricultural products to the wharves on the Mary River. Maryborough was also a busy rail terminal for passenger traffic" Queensland Heritage Register.

Railway Line in the Botanic Gardens Queensland Heritage Register 

"A short branch line was built through the Botanic Gardens (Queensland Heritage Register ) to the wharf area in 1880, and in 1883 this was extended eastwards alongside the river north of Kent Street to the Walkers Limited foundry and shipyards. It was later extended to the Maryborough Sugar Factory (established 1894)"Queensland Heritage Register. 

Between 1878 to 1886 construction at the site included a station master's residence, engineer's office (non-extant), store and blacksmith's workshop, a goods' shed, passenger station, closets and urinals, 30 foot turntable, loading banks, station gates and fences and a semaphore signal, a foreman's cottage, a locomotive shed, a gatehouse and new offices for the traffic manager and engineers, a coal depot and a forkline Queensland Heritage Register. 

One of the most interesting buildings is an Air Raid Shelter. Two were built in the 1940's. It is thought this was linked to increase wartime traffic and the industrial activities that were undertaken at the site.

Air Raid Shelter Maryborough Railway Station Source: Travel Guide

Government regulations regarding the safety of the population also prompted the building of shelters.See Maryborough Chronicle regarding copies of  the Protection of Persons and Property Order No.1, gazetted 23 December 1941 being sent to Maryborough. Queensland Heritage Register states "Queensland's Premier William Forgan Smith ordered the Brisbane City Council to construct 200 public surface shelters in the city area. Another 24 local governments in Queensland's coastal areas were ordered to produce surface or trench shelters for the public. A large number of businesses also had to build air raid shelters. Owners of any building in the coastal areas where over 30 people would normally be present at any one time were required to build shelters either within the building, or adjacent to it." The railway built a total of  five air raid shelters for use of their employees according the the Maryborough Chronicle. One shelter remains at the Old Maryborough railway station despite a large demolition program after the war. Maryborough Chronicle details the permission to keep these shelters here.

References:
Maryborough Chronicle 30th December 1941 from Trove 
Maryborough Chronicle 6th January 1942 from Trove
Maryborough Chronicle 14th August 1945 from Trove
Queensland Heritage Register retrieved on 12.12.2018 from https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/heritage-register/detail/?id=600702#
Queensland Heritage Register retrieved on 12.12.2018 from https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/heritage-register/detail/?id=600702#

Tags #WW2 #Railway #airraid #shelters #Maryborough #frasercoast #station