And the clock! Everybody will show you the clock. There isn't a station in Europe that's got such a clock. It doesn't strike--and that's one mercy. It hasn't any bell; and as you'll have cause to remember, if you keep your reason, all Australia is simply bedamned with bells. So said American Humorist and Author Mark Twain in his 1895 lecture tour of Australia.

Indeed, as this photo shows, Maryborough Station, although completed in 1890-1, did not receive its clocks until 1914. It took a further 3 years for the clocks to be illuminated.

Myths surround Maryborough Railway Station, built as part of the vision of a rail-connected Victoria in the pre-motor era. Locals still hear that the station was a mistake, but its grandeur reflects the position Maryborough was to hold as a junction in Victorian rail routes.

The 1890-1 building is Queen Anne style red brick that displays hallmarks of the Anglo-Dutch style. The outside roof consists of different types of Dutch gables with faceted chimneys. Cement renderings decorate the building and echo the style of the wooden details of the windows and doors. Tuscan order columns support a wide but similarly profiled lintel and large bluestone steps form the entrance to the base.

The long platform is covered by a spectacular veranda. It has a hipped roof, part of which is glass. The veranda cast-iron columns also act as down pipes for storm water, which is stored in large underground tanks. The foyer’s tessellated floor was laid by Cawkwell's of Malvern, whose work can also be seen at Parliament House in Melbourne. The Station’s interior features carved ticket box windows and an elaborate English Oak or Australian Mountain Ash ceiling.

(Information courtesy Glenda James)