Introduction

Abstract

Queensland's heritage city of Maryborough was the focus of the Australian Garden History Society's 32nd Annual Conference, held from 19–21 August 2011. The Society is again delighted to collaborate with Queensland Review to bring the papers from this conference to publication, just as it did with those of the 2003 conference. Maryborough was selected for this event because the city centre is remarkably intact and coherent, and because of the appeal of its numerous charming ‘Queenslander’ houses to Southern delegates. The topics of the conference and the tours organised by the conference committee confirmed Garden History Society chair John Dwyer's opening description of Maryborough, quoted from the Australian National Trust's 1982 Historic Places publication, as ‘one of the four most charming places in Australia’.