Mary Poppins
The historic city of Maryborough in Queensland, Australia,
has a unique connection to the world’s most famous nanny that no other place can claim, and is about to celebrate it’s annual Mary Poppins Festival beginning June 26th to July 3rd.
Fun and games for the whole week!
Mary Poppins’ author P.L. Travers was born in the historic town of Maryborough, Queensland, Australia, in 1899. Pamela Travers was born Helen Lyndon Goff in the residence above a bank, where her father was the bank manager.
In 1924 she moved to England seeking literary fame and fortune, using the name Pamela Travers for her writing, and it was in 1934 that the first ‘Mary Poppins’ novel about the magical nanny was published.
The city of Maryborough is very proud of it’s link with Mary, and so honors her annually with a spectacular week long festival in the streets. One of the local ladies plays the part of Mary in appropriate attire and walks around the streets talking to enthralled children who gaze at her with wide open eyes! Of course, she carries the obligatory umbrella and bag!
Bagpipes, parades & Mary with her bag and umbrella dressed for the occasion!
Lots of fun!
There are games, competitions, food stalls, music, pipe bands, horses and carriages, chimney sweep competitions, pram races (locals dressed up as nannies pushing their charges down the street, and the highlight would be sharing ’high tea’ with Mary on the last day of the festival!
These are some photographs I took at last year’s festival.
My hubby entered the chimney sweep competition and won a prize for his dancing efforts whilst pretending to sweep a chimney – I didn’t know he could dance!
My 'chimney sweep' hub with Mary
Best View. The whole town turned out!
We are looking forward to this years event which starts this Saturday with free rides on a miniature steam train round the park for children (big kids too!), school bands competing, dog shows, art shows – and of course food stalls everywhere you look!
Click here if you would like to see more photographs and information.
