About Marborough's Mary Poppins Festival

The author of Mary Poppins, Pamela Travers, was born in the Queensland city of Maryborough and we celebrate our unique link to the iconic nanny with the world’s only Mary Poppins festival – a week long explosion of colour, art, culture and “practically perfect” fun for everyone.

The festival has grown from a morning of entertainment and games to an annual signature event for the Fraser Coast. 

Click here for more information about the 2010 Program.

More about the Proud Marys

The Proud Marys is an association for women all over the world whose name contains the name Mary or any derivative of Mary.

The group was launched in Maryborough in 1999 after it was found that the author of "Mary Poppins" was born in Maryborough.

Group founder Anne Miller said the aim of the Proud Marys is to collect, document and display notable Marys from throughout history and the present day, with a special focus on Mary Poppins.

In 2005, the Proud Marys co-ordinated a public campaign to raise money for a statue to honour the literary success of Maryborough born Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers - after many frustrating and unsuccessful attempts to secure a grant for the artwork. In only a few short months, the Maryborough community raised the $55,000 for the statue.

Today the statue stands proudly on the corner of Kent and Richmond Streets in Maryborough outside the heritage listed former bank building where Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers was born in 1899.

The group's annual Mary Morning Tea was the catalyst for the Mary Poppins Festival week, believed to be the world’s only Mary Poppins Festival.  It is now a highlight of the program each year.