Mackay (suburb), Queensland

This article is about the central suburb of the City of Mackay. For the city as a whole, see Mackay, Queensland.

Mackay
Mackay, Queensland
Cane Fire sculpture in front of the former Queensland National Bank, 2023
Mackay is located in Queensland
Mackay
Mackay
Map
Coordinates21°08′41″S 149°10′55″E / 21.1447°S 149.1819°E / -21.1447; 149.1819 (Mackay (centre of suburb))
Population4,026 (2021 census)[1]
 • Density915/km2 (2,370/sq mi)
Postcode(s)4740
Area4.4 km2 (1.7 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
LGA(s)Mackay Region
State electorate(s)Mackay
Federal division(s)Dawson
Suburbs around Mackay:
Mount Pleasant North Mackay Cremorne
West Mackay Mackay East Mackay
West Mackay South Mackay East Mackay
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Mackay is the central suburb and the central business district of the City of Mackay in the Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia.[2] In the 2021 census, the suburb of Mackay had a population of 4,026 people.[1]

Geography

Kemmis is a neighbourhood at the southern edge of the suburb (21°09′00″S 149°11′00″E / 21.15°S 149.1833°E / -21.15; 149.1833 (Kemmis)). It was the location of the former Kemmis railway station (21°09′02″S 149°10′44″E / 21.1506°S 149.1788°E / -21.1506; 149.1788 (Kemmis railway station (former))) on the North Coast railway line until the line was diverted to avoid the city centre.[3]

History

The suburb takes its name from the town, which in turn was named after explorer John Mackay, who led an 1860 expedition into the Pioneer Valley.[2]

The name Kemmis refers to Arthur Kemmis, a member of William Landsborough's 1861 expedition from the Gulf of Carpentaria to Melbourne in search of the Burke and Wills expedition. Kemmis was a partner in the lease of Fort Cooper pastoral run.[3]

Mackay Primary School opened on 12 December 1871. Between 1872 and 1877, it was known as Port Mackay Primary School before becoming Mackay Primary School again. On 28 September 1885, the school was separated into Mackay Boys State School and Mackay Girls and Infants State School. The two schools were amalgamated again on 11 July 1932 to form Mackay Central State School.[4]

The original Mackay station opened in 1885 in Tennyson Street. In 1924, it was relocated to Boddington Street (21°08′56″S 149°10′56″E / 21.1488°S 149.1821°E / -21.1488; 149.1821 (Old Mackay railway station)).[5] In the 1990s, the rail bridge over the Pioneer River needed to be replaced, which presented an opportunity for re-alignment of the railway line to bypass the Mackay CBD. In 1994, the new alignment opened with the new Mackay railway station in the outer suburb of Paget.[6][7][8]

St Patrick's College opened on 22 September 1929.[4]

The State Conference of the Queensland Country Womens Association held in Mackay in 1954 at the Mackay Branch of the QCWA Rooms at 43 Gordon Street, Mackay.

Although Maltese immigrants came to the Mackay area as early as 1883, it was not until in 1944 when Australia's immigration policy was changed to recognise Maltese people as "white British subjects" (and hence acceptable as immigrants under the White Australia policy) that significant numbers of Maltese immigrated to Australia.[9] Many of the Maltese immigrants to Queensland came to Mackay to work in the sugarcane fields and later purchased sugarcane plantations of their own. In 2021, the Mackay Regional Council gave approval for the Maltese community to erect bronze statues of 3 Maltese men sitting on the corner of Victoria and Wood Streets (a popular meeting place for the Maltese community).[10][11] The statues will be based on a 1994 photo, which is currently in a plaque at the site. The statues are expected to be completed by April 2024.[12]

Mackay Opportunity School opened in 1960.[where?] On 29 August 1981, it was renamed Mackay Special School. It closed on 7 May 1997.[4][13]

Kutta Mulla Gorinna Special Assistance School opened in 2018.[14]

Demographics

In the 2016 census, the suburb of Mackay had a population of 3,659 people.[15]

In the 2021 census, the suburb of Mackay had a population of 4,026 people.[1]

Education

Mackay Central State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 251 Alfred Street (21°08′43″S 149°10′53″E / 21.1454°S 149.1815°E / -21.1454; 149.1815 (Mackay Central State School)).[16][17] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 177 students with 11 teachers and 9 non-teaching staff (5 full-time equivalent).[18]

St Patrick's College is a Catholic secondary (11-12) school for boys and girls at Gregory Street (21°08′21″S 149°11′05″E / 21.1392°S 149.1847°E / -21.1392; 149.1847 (St Patrick's College)).[16][19] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 442 students with 37 teachers (36 full-time equivalent) and 24 non-teaching staff (19 full-time equivalent).[18]

Kutta Mulla Gorinna Special Assistance School is a private secondary school for students who are vulnerable and disengaged from the conventional school system. It is open to all such students, but has particular emphasis on support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.[14]

There is no government secondary school in the central suburb of Mackay. The nearest is Mackay State High School in neighbouring South Mackay to the south.[20]

References

  1. ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Mackay (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ a b "Mackay – suburb in Mackay Region (entry 46802)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Kemmis – locality unbounded in Mackay Regional (entry 17913)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN 978-1-921171-26-0
  5. ^ "Railway stations and sidings - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 2 October 2020. Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Mackay". When there were stations. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  7. ^ "Rail Transport". Mackay Historical Society & Museum. Archived from the original on 16 June 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Mackay for Sale" Railway Digest November 1995 page 16
  9. ^ "Malta-born: Community Information Summary" (PDF). Australian Government. 2018. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Mackay's historic Maltese meeting corner set to turn bronze". ABC News. 16 May 2021. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  11. ^ Loftus, Tobi; Philpott, Tegan (June 2021). "Mackay's historic Maltese meeting corner set to see statues commemorating community constructed" (PDF). MALTESE E-NEWSLETTER. No. 375. pp. 3–4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 February 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  12. ^ "HISTORY IMMORTALIZED IN CITY CENTRE". Mackay and Whitsunday life. 24 August 2023. Archived from the original on 10 February 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Queensland state school - centre closures" (PDF). Queensland Government. 20 August 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Kutta Mulla Gorinna Special Assistance School". Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  15. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Mackay (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018. Edit this at Wikidata
  16. ^ a b "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  17. ^ "Mackay Central State School". Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  18. ^ a b "ACARA School Profile 2018". Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  19. ^ "St Patrick's College". Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  20. ^ "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 28 February 2021.