Maryborough Waterside Workers' Hall

The Maryborough Waterside Workers Hall in Wharf Street was built by its members in 1918. The land was donated by Paddy Ryan who operated the adjacent ‘Criterion Hotel’, known as the ‘Riverview Hotel’ at the time. The hall was funded by a levy of two pounds on all members. The official opening was a smoke-concert held on the evening of 17 August 1918. The hall was the site from which the shipping companies procured labour. The Waterside Workers Union monitored the employment process, ensuring that all workers got work on a rotational basis. After the 1917 construction of the deep-water Urangan jetty, it became the port for the area. The hall became the pick-up point for workers who were transported to Urangan. From the 1960s, the hall was privately owned with no further links to the union.