Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar. There is controversy about the location of the region for administrative purposes, with most people referring to it as a part of either Central Queensland or North Queensland.

Indeed, much confusion lies within the Queensland Government, with government services being provided through both Townsville North Queensland and Rockhampton Central Queensland. Generally, the area is known as the Mackay— Whitsunday Region. The city was named after John Mackay. Inhe was the leader of an expedition into the Pioneer Valley. Initially Mackay proposed to name the river Mackay River after his father George Mackay.

Thomas Henry Fitzgerald surveyed the township and proposed it was called Alexandra after Princess Alexandra of Denmarkwho married Prince Edward later King Edward VII. However, in the river was renamed to be the Pioneer Riverafter the HMS Pioneer in which Queensland Governor George Bowen travelled to the area, and the township name was changed to be Mackay in honour of John Mackay.

There has always been much contention over the pronunciation of the name Mackay.

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The area which is now Mackay City was originally inhabited by the local Yuibera people. One of the first white settlers to travel through the Mackay region was Captain James Cookwho reached the Mackay coast on 1 June and named several local landmarks, including Cape PalmerstonSlade Point and Cape Hillsborough. It was during this trip that the Endeavour 's botanist, Sir Joseph Banksbriefly recorded seeing Aborigines. InJohn Mackay led an expedition to the Pioneer Valley and was the first European to visit the area now named after him.

InMackay was hit by a major tropical cyclone causing severe damage and loss of life with hurricane-force winds and a large storm surge. The resulting death toll was further increased by an outbreak of bubonic plague. The foundation stone of the Mackay War Memorial was laid on the river bank on 18 November by the mayor George Albert Milton. Due to the construction of the Civic Centre, it was relocated to another part of the park in March The largest loss of life in an Australian aircraft accident was a B17 aircraft, with 40 of 41 people on board perishing, on 14 Juneafter departing from Mackay Aerodrome, and crashing in the Bakers Creek area.

The flood peaked at 9. Residents were rescued off rooftops by boats and taken to emergency accommodation. The flood broke Australian records. The Rats of Tobruk Memorial commemorates those who died at and since the Battle of Tobruk. The memorial was dedicated on 4 March Mackay was battered by Tropical Cyclone Ului, a category three cyclone which crossed the coast at nearby Airlie Beach, around 1: Over 60, homes lost power and some phone services also failed during the storm, but no deaths were reported.

Mackay has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:. Mackay is situated on the 21st parallel south on the banks of the Pioneer River. The Clarke Range lies to the west of the city. The city is expanding to accommodate for growth with most of the expansion happening in the Beachside, Southern, Central and Pioneer Valley suburbs.

Frost is extremely rare in Mackay however may be recorded to the west of the city some winters. Mackay gets around Occasional thunderstorms may cause heavy downpours, but the very heavy rain will not arrive until later in summer.

December is the start of the wet season, which lasts until March or April. High humidity, almost daily rainfall and very warm nights are typical of this time of year. Extreme temperatures in Mackay have ranged from The highest rainfall ever recorded in 1 day was Mackay is famous for its history as one of Australia's largest cane farming regions.

However, in recent years, the mining industry has become the mainstay of the local economy. Mackay is widely recognised as the gateway to the Bowen Basin coal mining reserves of Central Queensland.

Over the past 10 years, [ citation needed ] Mackay has become the location of choice for many mining service companies that supply and consult to the mine operators. This is due to its strategic proximity to the mines, major highways and train lines, and the Hay Point coal terminals.

Most of these companies are headquartered in the suburb of Pagetto the city's south. Mackay was known as the "sugar capital" of Australia, producing a sizeable portion of Australia's domestic supplies and exports.

However, the industry experienced a decline in the s. The industry in Mackay has its roots back in the 19th century.

Historically, plantations were small and had their own mills to crush the cane during harvest. Over the years as the industry grew and developed, co-operatives were formed to consolidate the harvesting, crushing and distribution of the sugar in selected zones.

Throughout the 20th century, the privately owned mills in the Mackay district closed one by one until only three remained — Marian, Racecourse Milland Farleigh. Today, Pleystowe is the oldest surviving mill in the district but closed in The Marian Sugar Cane Mill is situated in Marian, QLD.

At the Farleigh Mill, there are mill tours accessed via the internet. Racecourse Mill also does tours, and therefore accessible via the internet.

Mackay Sugar operates three of these remaining mills, including Racecourse, which became site of the region's first sugar refinery which is owned by CSR Limited in the s. Growers in the region have a total cane production area of approximately 86, hectares.

The growers are capable in good seasons of supplying up to 6. On average, Mackay Sugar produces abouttonnes of raw sugar andtonnes of the by-product molasses annually. The sugar industry in Mackay has faced steep challenges sincesince it is largely dependent on high world sugar prices to remain viable. However, efforts are going into diversifying the use of sugar cane for different purposes. These include a planned energy co-generation plant that could deliver up to 30 per cent of Mackay's annual electricity supply.

Compared to many of its neighbouring cities and regions in Queensland, Mackay's tourism industry is small and still developing. This is despite being close to notable attractions including Eungella National Parkthe Great Barrier Reefand the Whitsunday Islands. Latest figures indicate aboutdomestic and international visitors come to the region annually.

More telling, however, is that domestic and international visitor night stays have increased to 2. Several new hotels have opened in the region sincefurther indication of a growing industry. These include The Clarion International, Quest Serviced Apartments and the Ibis Mackay Airport. Like tourism, the marine industry in Mackay is small but has a lot of potential. Mackay is well situated to become a major service centre for the marine industry, being in immediate proximity to the Whitsundays, and located halfway investors guide to trading options virginia morris Brisbane and Cairns.

Currently the Mackay Marina is the largest base in the district for the maintenance, refit and related services for all marine craft, particularly Super Yachts. The Mackay Whitsunday Super Yacht Cluster, a group of regional companies focusing on providing integrated repair, refit and provisioning for the increasing number of visiting super yachts, was established in to support and promote the development of this sector. Mackay has three main shopping centres. Caneland Central is the largest of these, with more than speciality stores.

Myer is among the new anchor tenants. This expansion was opened on 13 October Mount Pleasant Shopping Centre is the second major shopping centre in the Mackay region. It hosts department stores, supermarkets and other speciality outlets. Outside the main centre, a intra-day trading success stories of bulky-good outlets also operate, along with a six-screen Birch Carroll and Coyle cinema complex.

The Mackay City Heart, located in the older city centre, is also another thriving part of the city. It is the home of many of the region's banks, law, accounting and other professional service firms. Now completed the track links several new attractions and tourism infrastructure pieces around the city including the Bluewater Lagoon, the Bluewater Quay and the Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens.

Located in the south of Mackay, the Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens are the start of the Bluewater Trail. The gardens opened and replaced Queen's Park as Mackay's botanic gardens in [51] containing an array of rare plants at&t stock price analysis to the Mackay area and Central Queensland.

Beforethe area was commonly called The Lagoons, and is centred on the shores of a billabong that years ago formed part of the Pioneer River further to the north. Heading east past the Mackay Base Hospital and along the Catherine Freeman Walk, the Bluewater Lagoon emerges.

German cardona forex 2013 three tiered lagoons, the lagoon is a free family-friendly leisure binary stock trading practice account uk overlooking the Pioneer River in the heart of Mackay's city centre.

A waterfall connects the two main lagoon areas, which vary in bollinger bands 101 up to 1.

Further east along the trail is Bluewater Quay. The street now has various public amenities including access to a new viewing platform, upgraded fishing jetty, stage areas, cafes and space for weekend markets. Being metres long, the quay is built around the historic Leichhardt Tree which falls under the Nauclea evergreen varietya common meeting point for new migrants to Mackay who arrived at the old Port district along River Street. The Mackay region is home to the Mackay Myer opening hours australia day 2016 of Arts held annually throughout July.

Now more than 20 years old, it is the largest regional arts festival in Queensland. The City Centre is noted for its art-deco inspired architecture, with many buildings throughout the main streets of the central business district featuring distinctive designs from the early 20th century.

Many boutique stores, restaurants, bars and nightclubs are established throughout the precinct. Mackay Marina Village is a coastal precinct located adjacent to the Mackay Harbour. The marina itself has nearly berths. Nearly all of the sugar cane grown in the Mackay region comes from the Pioneer Valley, and it is synonymous with the rich soils and irrigation [ citation make money completing surveys paypal ] with which the sugar industry in Mackay has thrived over the past century.

Perhaps most notable are the natural assets of the Pioneer Valley. These include the walking tracks and swimming holes of Finch Hatton Gorge. The Eungella National Park, located at the very top of the range, is the longest and oldest stretch of subtropical rainforest in Australia, covering more than 51, hectares. It is one of the few places where platypus can be seen swimming in the wild, while more than species of bird have been recorded in the surrounding forests. Mackay has 31 beaches within driving distance.

Closest to the city are Illawong, Far and Ninjatrader forex ecn beaches. The patrolled Harbour Beach, adjacent to the Mackay Marina, is the most popular, being suitable for swimming. Lambert's Beach is also close to the city. Further north of the city are popular beaches at BucasiaDolphin Heads, Blacks Beach, Shoal Point and Eimeo — collectively these areas are known as the Northern Beaches.

The Northern Beaches are popular canadian tax rules for stock options visitors, but are increasingly being developed as residential areas for Mackay's growing population.

The islands immediately off Mackay are renowned for their azure blue waters, and are popular with forex alavancagem. St Bees Island in particular is a well- known fishing spot.

Brampton Islandto the north-east of the city, is a resort destination, with body therapy, water sports and snorkelling on offer. Carlisle, Scawfell and Keswick are other notable islands. Each is a national park surrounded by coral reefs. During the peak season from June to the end of August, whales can be heard and seen around these islands.

Held annually in June, River Sessions is Mackay and Central Queensland 's premier youth and contemporary music festival. The festival features the best rock, hip-hop, alternative, folk, pop and dance music acts from around Australia.

Two major highways, the A1 Bruce Highwayand highway 70 Peak Downs Highwaypass through Mackay. The A1 connects the city to Townsville and Cairns in the north, and Rockhampton and Brisbane in the south. The Peak Downs Highway connects it to MoranbahClermont and Emerald in the south-west. Road projects under construction in the region include the Forgan Bridge duplication, the Hospital Bridge replacement, the Joint Levee Road and the Mackay-Bucasia Road duplication. In addition, the planned Mackay Ring Road will provide a bypass of the city for the Bruce Highway as well as provide a link to the Peak Downs Highway and Mackay Harbour.

The north coast railway line, operated by Queensland Railmeets the western line in the city's south.

Trains from Brisbane pass through Mackay railway station and continue through to Townsville and Cairns, including the regular Tilt Train service between Brisbane and Cairns.

Minerals from the western line Moranbah and other coal conagra foods stock market prices centres are transported to Hay Point and Dalrymple Bay Sks stocks for sale cheap Terminals for trans-shipment to other destinations.

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Mackay Harbour deals mainly with sugar exports and visiting cruise ships. The city is served by Mackay Airportfrom which QantasLinkVirgin Australiaand Jetstar Airways offer flights to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, as well as to regional destinations such as GeelongCairnsTownsvilleRockhampton and Gladstone.

Yoville how to get money Airlines previously forex tester mac os a limited service into and out of Mackay for mining companies before it went into receivership tuco stock trading Mackay Transit Coaches operates from North Mackay to Ludacris money maker video ft pharrell mp3 download zippy Mackay.

The area with the best service coverage is Mackay's central business district. The Mackay Base Hospital in West Mackay, about 4 kilometres 2. The Mater Hospital, and the Mackay Specialist Day Hospital are in the city's north. The Pioneer Valley Hospital, which had initially ceased operating, has been converted into an injury rehabilitation center. The Queensland Department of Education has 11 primary schools and four high schools in Mackay.

High schools include Pioneer State High SchoolMackay State High School, Mackay North State High SchoolMackay Northern Beaches State High School and Mirani State High School. The private system encompasses five primary schools, Beaconsfield State School, Eimeo Road State SchoolBucasia State School, Andergrove State School and secondary college, two P colleges, one P college, one 8—10 college and St Patrick's College [60] — the state's only 11—12 college. The Mackay campus of Central Queensland University is in the rural suburb of Ooralea, while the local campus of James Cook University is in South Mackay.

The Mackay Regional Council operates the Dudley Denny City Library at Victoria Street. Mackay is governed locally by the Mackay Regional Councila product of the amalgamation of the former City of Mackayformed inwith surrounding shires. The mayor is Greg Williamson. Rugby League is the most popular sport in Mackay, Mackay Cutters rugby league team played their first season in in the Queensland Cup and act as a feeder team to the North Queensland Cowboys NRL.

The 2nd placed Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs hosted a 'home' game at Mackay against the ladder leading Melbourne Storm in Round 16 of the NRL season for a record Mackay sporting ground attendance. In soccerWhitsunday Miners Football Club represents the Mackay region in the Queensland State League QSL.

The Mackay Meteorettes women and Mackay Meteors men represent the region in the Queensland Basketball League QBL and are feeder clubs to the Townsville Fire WNBL and Townsville Crocodiles NBL respectively.

Mackay also has a local roller derby league: Mackay City Roller Maidens. The Mackay Cricket Association organises competition among its 6 member clubs: Magpies, Pioneer Valley, Brothers Mackay, Northern Suburbs, Southern Suburbs, and Walkerston. In the s the Olympic Theatre in Mackay was a popular venue for professional boxing and saw stars like Colin Bell and Tom Heeney fight there. Mackay also has local AFL matches at local grounds, such as Magpies Sporting Club and Harrup Park.

Such teams in junior and senior are: Mackay City Hawks, Northern Beaches Magpies, Moranbah Bulldogs, Eastern Swans, Sarina Demons and Mackay Saints. Mackay is served by several local radio stations including 4MKStar The ABC's national radio services are also available in Mackay. The city receives broadcasts from five television networks — Seven QueenslandWIN Television an affiliate of Network TenChannel 9ABC TV and SBS.

All networks also provide their additional digital multi-channel television stations to Mackay. Of the three main commercial networks, Seven Queensland is the only station that airs a minute local news bulletin at 6pm each weeknight produced from a local newsroom but presented from studios in Maroochydore.

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Southern Cross Austereo also provides short local news updates throughout the day on Channel 9, presented from studios in Canberra. WIN Television had also previously broadcast a local news bulletin in Mackay, which commenced in April[64] but due to cost cutting measures at the network, the bulletin was axed in May The only daily local newspaper in the city is the Daily Mercury.

Mackay is mentioned in "Gladstone Pier", the song by Redgum from the album Frontline. Mackay has the following sister cities: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Mackay Queensland Mackay CBD as seen from the rooftop of Mackay Grande Suites.

List of Mackay suburbs. Population Estimates by Significant Urban Area, to ". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 12 September Estimated resident population, 30 June Retrieved 15 September Retrieved 13 March Retrieved 4 January Travel guide for Mackay: Retrieved on 18 August Retrieved 27 January National Library of Australia.

Retrieved 6 April Retrieved 5 April Kennedy 1 December Retrieved 10 July Offices and Warehouse former entry ". Climates and Weather Explained. Climate statistics for Australian locations. Retrieved 3 April Retrieved 25 January A short history of Mackay. Mackay Historical Society and Museum Incorporated. Archived from the original on 13 February Retrieved 5 September Queensland Government Cabinet news release. Retrieved 10 June Retrieved 7 September Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.

Retrieved 6 December Street Press Australia Pty Ltd. Retrieved 28 April Electoral Commission of Queensland. Retrieved 31 October Retrieved 10 September Retrieved 3 August Cities of QueenslandAustralia. Metropolitan Gold Coast Ipswich Logan Redcliffe Caloundra. Regional Bundaberg Cairns Gladstone Gympie Hervey Bay Mackay Maryborough Mount Isa Rockhampton Toowoomba Townsville.

North QueenslandQueensland. Airlie Beach Ayr Bowen Charters Towers Ingham Proserpine. Burdekin Charters Towers Hinchinbrook Mackay Palm Island Townsville Whitsunday Region.

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Wallaman Falls Whitsunday Islands. Retrieved from " https: Coastal cities in Australia Mackay, Queensland Port cities in Australia.

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