Grab your umbrella – it’s time for the 2021 Maryborough Open Gardens and 2021 Poppins Festival.
Umbrellas will keep the sun off you as you meander through the beautiful gardens and they are an essential item for the Nanny race and other events at the Poppins festival.
This year avid green thumbs can view 15 gardens across Maryborough and surrounds on the weekend of August 28 and 29, Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said.
Visitors and locals are also encouraged to visit our wonderful public spaces including Queens Park, Elizabeth Park Rose Gardens and the new installations at Mary’s Garden at the Storybank.
“Visiting the gardens is a fantastic opportunity,” he said.
“We are very grateful to the many gardeners who open their gardens so we can enjoy, be inspired and share the love of gardening.
“The gardens are so varied there will be something to please seasoned and aspiring gardeners and those that just simply appreciate gardens.
“Gardening has so many benefits. The simple pleasure of being immersed in nature is very soothing and invigorating.”
The Maryborough Open Gardens are a collaborative partnership between Fraser Coast Regional Council and the community, with Council the major sponsor. Fraser Coast Tourism and Events have also been a great support this year.
More information on opening times and a map of the open gardens is available on the group’s website https://maryboroughopengarGardens and dens.net/
Cr Daniel Sanderson said he was also looking forward to the iconic Mary Poppins Festival which had been rescheduled from July and was now being held from Thursday, August 26 to Sunday, August 29 with events in the Maryborough Parklands, Wharf Street and the Brolga Theatre.
“The Mary Poppins Festival is a celebration of the stories of Maryborough and our many wonderful storytellers and is much loved by both residents and visitors alike,” he said.
“The festival presents a four-day program of storytelling for all ages through all art forms including music concerts (backstage and onstage) at the Brolga Theatre to pop up performances in the Bond Store Basement.
“The signature event is the Mary Poppins Festival Day in the Park (Sunday, August 29) where Maryborough’s glorious heritage streetscapes are transformed into scenes from the Poppins novels.
“Nannies race each other pushing prams in the great Nanny Challenge, chimney sweeps compete in the Chimney Sweep Dash while Mary Poppins characters come to life from the pages of books and mingle with the crowd.”
The festival honours the author of the Mary Poppins books, Pamela Lyndon Travers, who was born Helen Lyndon Goff in an upstairs bedroom of the former Australian Joint Stock Bank building in Maryborough on 9 August 1899.
The bank is now an interactive museum called the Story Bank of Maryborough, which will feature prominently in the festival.
The Story Bank, Gatakers Artspace and the Bond Store will be hosting workshops/activities during this time – https://storybank.ourfrasercoast.com.au/homepage/10/mary-poppins-festival-2021
The full program is available at https://www.marypoppinsfestival.com.au/program
Article & photo supplied by Fraser Coast Regional Council
