Guide to Marlborough Queensland Australia

Marlborough is a small town just off the Bruce Highway, 106 kilometres north of Rockhampton. It is the last settlement before the longest empty stretch of the highway, the 150 kilometres or so to St Lawrence and beyond.

Known For

• The last town before a long, empty stretch of highway
• Chrysoprase, the apple-green gemstone
• A classic country pub

About 150 people live here. The town sits a kilometre off the highway and is easily missed, with a pub, a store, a small museum, a pool and a caravan park. Cattle properties surround it.

Things To Do in Marlborough

Chrysoprase

The hills near Marlborough hold one of the world’s main deposits of chrysoprase, a translucent apple-green stone sometimes called Australian jade. The mines are not open to visitors, but pieces are displayed and sold in town.

Marlborough Museum

The volunteer museum covers the pastoral history of the district and opens by arrangement; ask at the store.

Rest and refuel

Fill the tank, check the tyres and have a meal. The next fuel to the north can be a long way off, and fatigue is the main danger on this road.

Where To Stay

The hotel has rooms, and there is a motel and caravan park on the highway nearby.

Eat & Drink

The Marlborough Hotel serves counter meals, and the highway roadhouse does takeaway.

History

This is Darumbal country. The town was surveyed in the 1850s on the track north and served the big cattle runs of the district. The modern highway bypassed it in the 1980s.

Getting to Marlborough

Marlborough is a little over an hour north of Rockhampton. The turn-off to Stanage Bay leaves the highway south of the town.