Maryborough is preparing for another spoonful of magic as the Mary Poppins Festival floats back into town this July, bringing nannies, chimney sweeps, umbrellas and perhaps more people saying Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious in one day than anywhere else in Australia.
There is more to the story than a flying nanny with a carpet bag. Mary Poppins may be one of the most recognisably English creations in popular culture — complete with London rooftops, chimney sweeps and Edwardian charm — but the woman behind her story had connections stretching far beyond England.
P. L. Travers, born Helen Lyndon Goff, first entered the world not in London, but in Maryborough, Queensland, in 1899. She had strong Irish connections through both sides of her family. Her father, Travers Goff, was of Irish descent, and her mother also had Irish ancestry through the Morehead family.
In the 1920s, Travers spent time in Ireland where she moved in prominent literary circles and met figures such as W. B. Yeats and George William Russell, experiences that deepened her interest in Irish cultural and intellectual life. Through these connections she became increasingly drawn to Celtic mythology, folklore and mysticism, and scholars have suggested that the strange, magical and otherworldly qualities in Mary Poppins reflect elements of traditional Irish storytelling.
Later in life, she also maintained a personal link to Ireland by adopting a child from there. Taken together, her background adds a striking Queensland twist to the story: the creator of one of the most famous “English” literary characters was in fact a Queensland-born writer from Maryborough with deep Irish connections.
This year’s festival arrives on Sunday, 5 July 2026, transforming Maryborough’s Portside Precinct and Queens Park into a world of imagination, music and family fun. What started as a celebration of P. L. Travers’ 100th birthday in 1999 grew into the official Mary Poppins Festival in 2007, meaning the event has now been delighting visitors for almost two decades in its current form. It is also believed to be the first festival in the world dedicated specifically to Mary Poppins and her creator.
Among the highlights this year will be an ambitious attempt to create an Australian record for the largest gathering of people dressed as Mary Poppins-themed characters, with organisers hoping to beat the current tally of 182 participants. Expect entire families appearing as nannies, chimney sweeps, Bert-like characters and umbrella-carrying Poppins lookalikes.
Festival favourites are also returning, including the wonderfully chaotic Great Nanny Race, where competitors push prams to the finish line, and the Chimney Sweep Challenge, where speed rather than soot will determine the winners. Creative visitors can join umbrella decorating workshops, costume competitions and the crowd-favourite Grand Parade, where everyone is encouraged to show off their finest Poppins-inspired creations.
There will also be roving entertainment throughout the day, the Noah Simpson Trio performing folk-inspired music, the interactive Poppins Musical Trail, children’s rides including the Chair O’Plane, dance performances and singalong finales.
For one day, Maryborough becomes a place where English rooftops meet Irish storytelling and Queensland history. Not many towns can claim they gave the world Mary Poppins — and fewer still can say they turned it into a festival.
For more details visit:
Irish Queenslander 