Fraser CoastNursery

On Ferry Street in Maryborough, this family-run garden centre has built its reputation on tracking down the plants other nurseries don't bother with. Four and a half decades in the trade shows in the way stock is chosen — not just the reliable natives and ornamentals, but genuine curiosities: blue java ice cream banana palms, chocolate pudding trees, black mulberries, Florida sweet cherries. It's this appetite for the unusual that draws collectors and hobby farmers from across the Fraser Coast, from Hervey Bay and Toogoom through to Burrum Heads and Howard, and further afield to Gympie and the Sunshine Coast via delivery. Alongside the fruiting rarities there's a solid everyday range — indoor plants, ornamental trees, potted colour, health-supporting varieties, pots and fertilisers, with Katek potting mix now on the shelves too. The staff's grounding in botany means plants arrive home in good health, with practical advice on keeping them that way. It's a business woven into the local community, lending support to school groups and clubs around town. For anyone chasing a fruit tree variety they've struggled to find elsewhere, or simply wanting a nursery that still knows its stock by name, this is a worthwhile detour off the highway.