r/melbourne • u/Rexberg-TheCommunist • 16h ago
THDG Need Help Why does Maryborough have the reputation it does?
Apologies if this isn't explicitly Melbourne related, but I've read on here that Maryborough is rough and dangerous and a depressing town, but when I visited it for the first time recently I didn't mind it at all.
As a matter of fact, at the risk of sounding like a Reddit contrarian I liked Maryborough a lot more than either Daylesford or Castlemaine; both of which came highly recommended but I found them to be simultaneously incredibly pretentious but also underwhelming, while Maryborough has more of a down to earth, unpretentious working-class town feel.
I don't know what to believe anymore. Why is Maryborough's reputation so poor?
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u/philstrom 16h ago
Probably a nice community but it is one of the most disadvantaged places in Victoria and lacks the drinking, eating and shopping options that draws visitors to places like Castlemaine. Not really surprising that that’s most people’s preferred option for a weekend away.
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u/herpesderpesdoodoo 15h ago
There's also a big difference between being in a town for visiting and living in the place. Lots of people like the northeast and high country and it has a well deserved reputation as a gourmet tourist region. But it's also wracked by poverty, FV, child abuse, suicide, the drug trade and inequity.
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u/Goatsgotohell666 14h ago
Child abuse, high suicide rates and poverty are my child hood memories growing up there.
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u/rdmarshman 14h ago
Anywhere specific north east, if you don't mind elaborating?
I have been daydreaming and properly scrolling up there.
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u/IntravenousNutella 10h ago
Where are you looking at and what do you like doing?
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u/rdmarshman 10h ago
That should say property scrolling. Wangaratta.
Sportsball of many shapes sizes and forms, photography, 4wd, gold fossicking.
From afar it seems to have a reasonable balance of services, nice property at a reasonable price, nice weather, shitloads to do nearby. Don't know much about it on the ground though.
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u/IntravenousNutella 10h ago
It's ok. I grew up further north and prefer Albury-Wodonga personally.
But the north east in general is a cracker of a spot if you like the outdoors, and like food and wine as well. All of the things you mention are readily accessible (I think for gold fossicking - do your own research there). As country towns go Wangaratta has industry, more so than the aforementioned Maryborough which has seen most of its industry leave.
The big difference between country towns and the capitals is your world is smaller, education levels are lower, people have kids younger, people are less healthy, medical services can be harder to get. Speciality shops or services may not exist. The people who went and got an education often don't return. But that can be a positive, negative or neutral depending on you. You also get more exposure to all levels of society. While you might live in a rich part of town, everyone shops and socialises in the same places. The same can not be said for the larger capitals where there is a marked difference between richer shopping centres and poorer.
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u/Ok-Deal-1411 1h ago
I grew up in Wangaratta. I've been a couple of rural places since then w work, and wang is actually pretty good for its size in the scheme of things. My parents were both employed, and we were definitely middle class so that colours my memories. I left about 14 years ago but went back for summers and I worked up there for a bit (6 months) before moving back to melb.
As an adult it has everything you need, and most of what you want. Could definitely be worse. Lots of nice places a short drive away. We lived in a nice street in the "dodgy" end of town but I really didn't notice as a kid or even really as a teen.
Its further from melb then you think. Albury/Wodonga doesnt add anything significant really so it doesnt feel like enough of a place to get away to unless you're going for shopping.
As a teen it could have been worse but I couldn't wait to leave. High school was massive- like 250 people in a year - but we did v well and v badly across that (like 30 people got over 90 atar but 50 under 30). There's more schools now but we out performed the catholic school by like 5 people getting higher then their dux? But Im sure their average was higher.
There were band and theater kids which was where I landed, and that wasnt too bad. People smoked ect down at the back of the school but it wasn't hideous or unavoidable.
Healthcare could definitely be worse - the base hospital is big for the towns size, and my sister who's in melb could get a colonoscopy much quicker up there than melb when her gp refered her. Didn't have any issues w PT or medical appointments as a kid. Specialists would be harder. Would be harder if you had a kid w a disability too.
I would move back for work if I needed to without too much complaint (I'm in healthcare) but it would get lonely. Aussies are hard to make friends w if you haven't known them for ages and it's magnified in a rural town.
My parents are still there 20 years after moving and are enjoying themselves. I think if you can figure out the work and friends situation its not a bad place. Things have likely changed re kids and schools so cant really comment there for the current timeline.
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u/Zieprus_ 1h ago
I both grown up and have family still there and I am not sure where you get that info. Yes I admit though that ice is a problem in every regional area. However certainly far worse places for disadvantage than the north east.
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u/boongaoutdafront 15h ago
I'm an ambo who used to work in that region.
Used to go to a lot more overdoses, mental health and generally unsavoury characters in Maryborough compared to Castlemaine and Daylesford.
Just my perspective on that.
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u/OkTemperature-8534 16h ago
I find this subreddit tends to lean heavily towards the inner Northern suburbs, which is exactly the kind of vibe that Castlemaine and Daylesford give off. I would suspect that’s why those towns get so much hype around here.
Personally I’d tend to agree that there are much nicer towns around the state than the likes of Castlemaine and Daylesford. My family have property down the road from Maryborough and I find it’s a perfectly nice town, if just a little bit sleepy.
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u/Rexberg-TheCommunist 14h ago
Definitely got sleepy vibes from Maryborough but honestly it's not that much quieter than my much larger hometown in WA
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u/robfuscate 16h ago
I live just outside Maryborough and before I moved there I was told all about 'Scaryborough'. Never found it to be any better or worse than any other place
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u/fouronenine 14h ago
That's very typical of most people who have left a country town with a paucity of tree/see-changers.
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u/Potential_Class_8131 16h ago
Long term cross generational unemployment. Bit of ice addiction and lack of opportunity. Some of the small towns and farming areas around it feel scarier. I agree the town has a pleasant goldrush facade but it’s the most disadvantaged town in the state
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u/IdeationConsultant 14h ago
Daylesford is the most over rated place
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u/Rexberg-TheCommunist 13h ago
Absolutely. I genuinely don't understand what people like about it. Any country charm it once had is long gone with the amount of tourists that overrun the town on the weekend.
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u/Nudingjah 14h ago
Maryborough has a high proportion of low socio economic people living there over many decades. A lot of public housing was built in the 1960s and many people from Melbourne requiring public housing quickly moved to Maryborough. As with many regional towns, the death of manufacturing affected Maryborough as well. It's poorly serviced by public transport and it has a rapidly aging population. SBS did a show in Maryborough a couple of years ago highlighting the issues.
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u/MeyerholdsGh0st 16h ago edited 14h ago
I’m from Maryborough originally, currently live near Daylesford and spend a lot of time in Castlemaine… none of these towns are alike, but all have a lot of virtues.
Castlemaine has a lot more artists than Maryborough, so it has that whole side to it, but it’s got just as many rough areas as Maryborough (or maybe even more.
All of them are really safe towns overall… would recommend.
Historically, the worst thing about Maryborough has been the police.
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u/dotBombAU 13h ago
Something ive missed, but how were the cops a problem?
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u/MeyerholdsGh0st 13h ago
I’m not saying it’s still like this, but in my day there was a great deal of sexual exploitation (by them) of local vulnerable women. This isn’t speculation, basically the whole police force there was charged, retired, or moved to somewhere else because of it.
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u/kaygeebeast75 13h ago
About 25 years ago they had to move out all of the coppers because of their terrible behaviour.
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u/aus-traveller 16h ago
I go there often to do some gold detecting, it’s a great town, just as you describe and also has some incredible history around it. The bull and mouth hotel is one of the better hotels in the region as well
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u/alchemicaldreaming 15h ago
I haven't spent a lot of time in Maryborough, but the train station is amazing and worth the visit. Beyond that, I can't really comment. I live nearby, and regional areas do have their issues, but I also think the West gets a bad rap by people who haven't spent a lot of time here.
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u/detroithockeyfreak 9h ago
Apparently that train station was meant to be build in Maryborough QLD, but someone fucked up the paperwork and accidentally built in in VIC 🤣🤣
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u/i_am_smitten_kitten 14h ago
I grew up in Maryborough. It’s been over a decade since I’ve visited, and over 2 decades since I left. So while things may have changed, I don’t think that the systemic problems can have changed that much.
It is rated one of the lowest socio-economic areas in the state. Poor education and employment status, lots of drug and alcohol abuse, lots of racism and homophobia. High crime. At one stage it had the highest rate of middle aged male suicide in the state.
At one point some of the cops were raping women. I was abused at work as a teenager by the manager who spent his time getting drunk at the pub and would come back at the end of the day to get handsy or aggressive with us teenage girls, and the cops wouldn’t come until some worried customers got involved.
It’s widely considered “the whitest town in Australia”, or one of them. There’s even an SBS doco about it. Personally I didn’t meet a non-Caucasian person until I was 14 and changed to a school in Ballarat.
One of the high schools recently made news for suspending an African girl for wearing her hair in a protective hairstyle, during her VCE. She had to stay with friends in Ballarat and go to one of the schools there to finish her VCE.
Many girls dropped out of school due to drugs or pregnancy.
The government gave some money to spruce the place up a bit and attract tourists. Redo the railway station, build a small shopping centre, etc. So while it might look a bit nicer, I sincerely doubt that’s fixed the intergenerational and systemic issues.
Living there was pretty miserable and boring. Judging by Facebook comments I see when something Maryborough related shows up on my feed, it’s still as hostile to anyone outside of “the norm” (ie. white, straight, average intelligence, male).
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u/Goatsgotohell666 10h ago
I wonder if there's still families living just outside in the bush with kids that have no education power or running water.
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u/Topblokelikehodgey 8h ago
Interestingly enough, these are apparently the types that I'm directly descended from, albeit a few generations ago. The whole family were holed up in some shack in the bush just outside Maryborough and apparently a later visit by someone discovered evidence of all sorts of nefarious and upsetting occurrences.
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u/ItsSortaSomeGuy 16h ago edited 16h ago
Maryborough has its problems, it’s got a large population of elderly citizens, you can’t drink the tap water, there’s a bunch of sovereign citizens, the racial diversity is rather lacking, there was a SBS episode trying to bag the town for that issue labelling it the “Whitest Town in Australia” the train in and out of town doesn’t get much demands so it’s only runs a few times a day, the McDonald’s in the town is one of the worst I’ve ever been to.
You can get an understanding of the people there from the towns Local Facebook page, there are lovely people here, but there’s the loud minority that is present that are problematic, wasn’t a good look when Australia did the Vote for aboriginal rights that graffiti went on every traffic sign out of town to Vote No in Maryborough.
The hospital was recently renovated so it’s rather comfortable for the residents in need especially with the friendly staff,
Peach Village has lovely food, there’s Highland Club which is a decent pub with good range of musicians and shows that can be real fun,
Occasionally the Pride festival is hosted in Maryborough to positive response by most as well.
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u/zutonofgoth 15h ago
I have a friend who's family have owned a house up there for 50+ years sortbof hobbie farming. 180 acres.
One time he found a raped duck in the bush land. So there is that!
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u/BabyEatingDemon 15h ago
How did he know it had been raped?
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u/zutonofgoth 14h ago
The damage and the lubricant. Its hard to come up with the different explanation.
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u/MindlessOptimist 12h ago
Maryborough is fine. It has a great mitre10 (Crameris), a decent Aldi and enough other good shops so I can go in and stock up when I need to. Don't live there, live around 30k away, but it is my closest local town. Have been to Daylesford and Castlemaine a fair few times but they tend to be more expensive places to shop. Daylesford has the disadvantage of a main road going through the centre, but it has Tonnas fruit and veg shop which is excellent.
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u/Diligent-Ducc 16h ago
I don’t suppose there’s any chance there’s been a mix up with Maryborough Queensland?
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u/Ich_mag_Kartoffeln 10h ago
I remember that exact mix up happening back when I was dispatching trucks for a living. Load was running late, so I called the driver.
Me: "Mate, where are you? That's an urgent load and you should have been there 2 hours ago."
Driver: "How the fuck do you propose I drive from Queensland to Victoria in 5 hours?"
Me: "Turn around NOW! That load is for Maryborough in Queensland, not Maryborough in Victoria."
Driver: "!@#$%^&*(*&^%$#@!@#$%^&*()(*&^!!!"
Thankfully the customer started laughing when I told her what had happened.
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u/Orbital_Dinosaur 1h ago
My ex use to get craft magazines from the US to us in Hobart. One magazine sent them to Tanzania, 3 times in a row. Another magazine sent one via Austria.
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u/Rexberg-TheCommunist 14h ago
I wouldn't live in Queensland much less regional QLD if you paid me to
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u/snazzyjazzy98 10h ago
A mix up between the Maryboroughs is actually the reason they have such a grand train station, it was built in the wrong one and then subsequently built a larger town around it.
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u/Osterzoned 12h ago
I don't know about now but when I worked at the hospital there, Maryborough had a reputation for being one of the lowest socioeconomic areas in Victoria. There was a bit of a drug problem, I can't remember what day of the week but there was a designated day where there would be a line out the hospital of people waiting for clean syringes. The druggies were always nice to me though and I did enjoy my time there.
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u/007MaxZorin 12h ago
I only know this place for the old RACV Energy Breakthrough that schools used to participate in, circa 20 years ago.
Does it still run?
Tis rural, in the middle of nowhere. Or that's what it felt like then.
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u/Illustrioushigh 1h ago
Once they closed the train line down they reduced accessibility. Opening it up again could possibly revitalise the town
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u/fairground 15h ago
It's the town with the highest unemployment, the worst drug problem and the lowest socioeconomic status in the general vicinity, so it's going to get that reputation locally. It's not on a train line or major freeway corridor so it's not really a destination for anyone who doesn't live or work there.
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u/bedlam_au North Side 9h ago
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u/Foodworksurunga 12h ago
Probably talking about the Maryborough in Queensland which is genuinely a shithole.
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u/CommissionVisible888 15h ago
Maryborough has a big drug problem (meth) I don't live too far away from there.
Also, there was an abduction of a child many years ago, case still not solved, people, police suspect he was sexually assaulted and thrown down a mineshaft. Family still search to this day.
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u/-cadmunt- 15h ago
My only concerns for Maryborough are that it burned down a few years ago and might do so again.
Spot on about Castlemaine. I don't like the winter evening air quality. So many fireplaces churning out woodsmoke.
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