Maryborough Heritage Centre

This building began life in 1877 as the Bank of New South Wales. Tenders were called for its construction in January 1877 by the Manager George Ranken. No architect was mentioned in the tender, reflecting the bank’s preference for using its Sydney architect George Allan Mansfield. The bank appears to be similar in design to many others designed by Mansfield and it is likely that Brisbane architect James Cowlishaw supervised the construction in Maryborough. This building served the bank until 1956, when a new building was erected on the corner of Kent and Bazaar Streets. The Post Master General’s Department, (restructured and renamed Australia Post and Telecom from 1975), occupied the building until 1981, when the Queensland Government used it as a regional office of the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Since 1995, the building has been home to two local history research centres.