Holidaymakers at Mackay Harbour

Mackay (including Walkerston)
Large and prosperous coastal city.
Located 975 km north of Brisbane, Mackay is one of Queensland's major coastal cities. A large and prosperous centre it has everything from a large, modern and sophisticated central business district to good beaches, major port facilities, a huge range of motels and hotels, good restaurants, excellent boating facilities and plenty of interesting trips into the historical hinterland.

The first European to pass by the Mackay area was Captain James Cook as he sailed up the eastern coast of Australia in 1770. He named Cape Palmerston, failed to recognise the mouth of the Pioneer River and, quite sensibly, was more concerned about running aground on the reef than about the potential of the land to the west.

The area remained isolated for over 70 years after the settlement of Port Jackson. The first European explorer in the area was Captain John Mackay, after whom the town is named. In May 1860, after travelling overland from northern New South Wales, searching for good grazing land, Mackay led a group of people into the area via Bells Creek and the Pioneer River. On 28 May the group started marking runs after drawing straws for the best lots.

In 1861 Mackay brought cattle and horses overland from Armidale in New South Wales. The following year the tiny settlement of Mackay was established on the banks of the Pioneer River. The area around Mackay remained predominantly cattle until 1865 when John Spiller planted the first sugar.

Sugar mills were built in the area around Mackay in 1867 and the first sugar was exported that year. It was around this time that the South Sea island labourers known as Kanakas were brought to the area to work, as virtual slave labour, on the sugar plantations. At the time there was a notion that the tropics were not a suitable work environment for white people and that only blacks were able to handle the debilitating conditions. Kanakas continued to work on the plantations until 1906.

It was sugar that really gave Mackay its boost. Even today it is hard not to be overwhelmed by the magnitude of sugar production in the area. Once outside the city it seems that every road is flanked by endless fields of sugar cane. It has been estimated that the area around Mackay produces over 25 per cent of all Australia's sugar.

Certainly by the 1870s the growth of Mackay and the Pioneer Valley could be accounted for by the local sugar production. In 1874, for example, there were sixteen sugar mills in the area.

Mackay became a municipality in 1869 and a city on 16 August 1918. Its increasing importance was related to its development as a major transport centre. The railway arrived in 1922 and in 1939 an artificial deepwater harbour was built with the largest sugar terminal in the Southern Hemisphere jutting out to load ships with the hinterland's produce.

More recently the discovery and development of the huge coal deposits in the Bowen Basin (particularly at Blair Athol, Dysart and Moranbah) has led to the construction of the Hay Point Coal Terminal which, when it was built, was the world's largest coal-loading facility. In 1983 it was extended when the Dalrymple Bay coal loader was opened.

Mackay is a remarkably gracious tropical city. It basks under the tropical sun and its wide streets are characterised by beautifully kept median strips with Royal palm trees and flowering tropical plants. The town's current piece de resistance is the huge Mackay Civic Centre complex which features a fountain identical to the one in Sydney's Kings Cross.

Visitors to Mackay should note that, for most of the year, it is not necessary to book accommodation. Nebo Road, on the way into the city from the south, is a solid wall of good quality motels which almost always have vacancies.

Things to see:  

The Mackay Civic Centre

Information Centre
Visitors arriving in Mackay from the south should stop at the unusual Tourism Mackay Information Centre (320 Nebo Road) which features a replica of the chimney from the old Richmond Sugar Mill. They provide excellent maps and can book trips to the Great Barrier Reef as well as advise on accommodation and sightseeing. There are one-day trips to the Great Barrier Reef, Hamilton Island and Lindeman Island. In fairness, access to the Whitsunday islands is a lot easier from Shute Harbour which is part of the new township of Whitsunday.

Victoria St Buildings
Along Victoria Street, Mackay's main street, there are a number of outstanding old buildings. One of the most impressive is the Commonwealth Bank (1880) at number 63. It features huge Doric columns on the ground floor with cast-iron columns and balustrades on the first floor and the imposing Queensland National Bank building (1922) on the corner of Victoria Street and Wood Street. It is an interesting mixture of Corinthian columns with ornate corners and plaster arches.

Gordon St
Gordon Street, which runs parallel to Victoria Street, also has a number of impressive buildings. There is the huge Mackay Civic Centre which features a fountain identical to the one in Sydney's Kings Cross. The Anglican Church is the third on the site. The first was built in 1867 and actually fell down and the second was destroyed by a cyclone in 1918. The Masonic Temple (1927), like so many Masonic Temples, is a huge ornate building. In this instance the style is basically Classical Revival which was all the rage in the 1920s. It cost £6 500 to build. At the easterly end of the street is Queens Park with its band rotunda, children's playground and excellent displays of tropical orchids.

Customs House
On the way out to the Mackay Bulk Sugar Terminal the visitor has to cross the Pioneer River. On the town side of the Forgan Bridge is the superb old Customs House which was built in 1901 to collect interstate excise on the local rum production.

The Mackay Bulk Sugar Terminal
Located at Mackay Harbour the bulk sugar terminal is well worth a visit. Reputedly the largest in Australia it is capable of holding over 700 000 tonnes of sugar. There are no tours of the facility.

Harbour Beach
Nearby is the Mackay Surf Lifesaving Club which operates on Harbour Beach, a delightful and quiet location removed from the more popular Town and Illawong beaches which lie to the south. Beside the beach is an excellent children's park with a huge variety of activities as well as distinctive novelty fish garbage bins.

Far Beach
At Far Beach there is a monument to the 29 people, most of them school children, who were killed in 1960 when a Fokker Friendship crashed in the sea while approaching Mackay Airport.

Cape Hillsborough National Park
45 km north of Mackay is the Cape Hillsborough National Park. An area of 850 hectares beside the ocean it is a combination of rugged hills, rhyolite boulders from the old volcanic plug known as Pinnacle Rock, and sandy beaches where, in the late afternoon, kangaroos can be seen. The area is predominantly rainforest and the chief activities are bushwalking or beachside swimming and sunbathing. There are camping areas at Smalleys Beach and a resort at Cape Hillsborough.

Dining room at Greenmount Homestead

Greenmount Historic Homestead
Perhaps the most interesting journey to be taken from Mackay is the one out on the Peak Downs Highway which leads to Walkerston and Mirani.

Walkerston, located 15 km from Mackay and 20 m above sea-level, lies in the heart of a rich sugar-growing area. The first settler in the area was John Mackay but in the late 1860s John Walker (after whom the town is named) took over Mackay's properties which, following his death in 1879, were sold to the Colonial Sugar Refining Company.

The principal attraction at Walkerston, which is now little more than a commuter suburb for Mackay, is Greenmount Historic Homestead. After passing through Walkerston the road to Greenmount is clearly signposted. This gracious old house is located a couple of kilometres from the highway and is beautifully situated amidst gardens of tropical splendour on the top of a hill overlooking the surrounding sugar plantations.

This land was originally owned by John Mackay but he was forced to sell it and it passed through a number of hands before Albert Cook, whose father had arrived in the area shortly after John Mackay, purchased it in 1912. By this time the Cook family had established themselves as one of the Pioneer Valley's premier land holders. Albert Cook built the present home in 1915. It was left to the Pioneer Shire Council by his son Tom in 1981 and is currently leased by the Mackay Historical Society and Museum Inc.

A visit to the home is a rare opportunity to experience the lifestyle of a successful cattle grazier in the late nineteenth century. Each room has been restored to its original condition and the furniture, even down to the large dining room with the individual place settings, is original. All items in the homestead belonged to the Cook family. It is open Monday-Friday from 9.30 a.m. to12.30 p.m. and on Sundays from 10.00 a.m. - 3.00 p.m.

	Tourist Information
	Tourist Information Centre The Mill 320 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4944 5888 Email: info@mackayregion.com
	Tourist Information Centre Town Hall Sydney St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 4803 Email: info@mackayregion.com
	Motels
	Alara Motor Inn 52 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 2699 Facsimile: (07) 49514 785 Rating: ***
	Bel Air Motel 10 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 3658 Rating: **
	Best Western Reef Resort 166 - 170 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 1555 Facsimile: (07) 4951 3655 Rating: ****
	Bona Vista Motel Malcolmson Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4942 2211 Facsimile: (07) 4942 5227 Rating: **
	BreakFree Ko Huna Beach Resort The Esplanade Bucasia Beach Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4969 7575, 132 678 Facsimile: (07) 4969 7570 Rating: ***
	City Gates Motel 9 Broadsound Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4952 1255 Facsimile: (07) 4952 3666 Rating: **
	Comfort Inn the Rose 164 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 6572 Rating: **
	Cool Palms Motel 4 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 5477 Facsimile: (07) 4951 4660 Rating: **
	Coral Cay Resort Motor Inn 16-18 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 7677 Facsimile: (07) 4957 7633 Rating: ****1/2
	Coral Sands Motel 44 Macalister St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 1244 Facsimile: (07) 4957 2095 Rating: ***
	Country Plaza Motor Inn 40 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 6329 Facsimile: (07) 4957 3628 Rating: ***
	El Toro Motel 14 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 2722 Facsimile: (07) 4957 3944 Rating: **
	Gorries Motel 186 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4952 2033 Rating: **
	Hi­Way Motel Apartments Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4952 1800 Facsimile: (07) 4952 1172 Rating: **
	International Lodge Motel 40 Macalister St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 1022 Rating: **
	Mackay Motor Inn 208 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4952 2822 Facsimile: (07) 4952 2880 Rating: ***
	Marco Polo Motel 46 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 2700 Facsimile: (07) 4951 3440 Rating: ***
	Mia Mia Motel 191 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4952 1466 Facsimile: (07) 4952 1466 Rating: **
	Mid City Motor Inn 2 Macalister St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 1666 Facsimile: (07) 4951 1968 Rating: ***
	Milton Motel Cnr Milton & George Sts Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 1377 Facsimile: (07) 4953 3020 Rating: ***
	Miners Lodge Motor Inn 60 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 1944 Facsimile: (07) 4957 2737 Rating: ***
	Northview Motel Cnr Bruce Hwy & Phillips St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4942 1077 Facsimile: (07) 4942 2532 Rating: **
	Ocean International Hotel 1 Bridge Rd Illawong Beach Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 2044, 1800 635 104 Facsimile: (07) 4957 2632 Rating: ****
	Paradise Lodge Motel 19 Peel St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 3644 Facsimile: (07) 4953 1341 Rating: ***
	Pioneer Villa Motel 30 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 1288 Facsimile: (07) 4957 3647 Rating: ***
	Shakespeare International 309 Shakespeare St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4953 1111 Facsimile: (07) 4957 3826 Rating: ***
	Star Motel 175 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4952 2444 Rating: **
	Sugar City Motel 66 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 2877 Facsimile: (07) 4957 2250 Rating: ***
	Sun Plaza Motel 35 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 2688 Facsimile: (079) 51 2651 Rating: **
	Victor Motel 158 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 1888 Rating: **
	White Lace Motor Inn 73 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 4466 Facsimile: (07) 4951 4694 Rating: ***
	Hotels
	Boomerang Hotel South Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4952 1755 Rating: **
	Marina International Hotel Mackay(Clarion chain) Marina Dve Mackay Marina Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4955 9400 Facsimile: (07) 4944 4400 Rating: ****1/2
	Metropolitan Hotel Cnr Gordon & Carlyle Sts Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 2802 Facsimile: (07) 4957 3477 Rating: **
	Whitsunday International Hotel 176 Victoria St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 2811 Rating: **
	Whitsunday Waters Resort Beach Rd Dolphin Heads Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4954 9666, 1800 075 088 Facsimile: (07) 49549 341 Rating: ****
	Resorts
	Cape Hillsborough Resort Cape Hillsborough National Park Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4959 0152 Facsimile: (07) 4959 0500
	Hotels
	Coral Cay Resort Motor Inn 16-18 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 7677 Facsimile: (07) 4957 7633 Rating: ****1/2
	Resorts
	Halliday Bay Resort Seaforth Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4959 0121 Facsimile: (07) 4959 0422
	Palm Bay Whitsunday Hideaway PMB 28 Long Island Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4946 9233 Facsimile: (07) 4946 9309 Rating: **
	Best Western Blue Pacific Resort 26 Bourke St Black Beach Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4954 9090 Facsimile: (07) 4954 8385 Rating: ***
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Eagle Nest Farm B&B Gormley's Rd Seaforth Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4959 0522 Rating: ****
	Keswick Island Guesthouse Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4965 8002 Facsimile: (07) 4965 8001
	YT's by the Sea Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4955 2086
	Apartments
	La Solana Apartments Pacific Dve Black Beach Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4954 9544 Facsimile: (07) 4954 9578 Rating: ***
	Pacific Palms Beach Front Apartments Symons Ave Bucasia Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4954 6277 Facsimile: (07) 4954 6508 Rating: ***
	Riverside Apartments 480 Bridge Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 2501 Rating: ***
	Sea Eagles Beach Village Resort Serviced Apartments Rasmussen Ave Salonika Beach Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4956 3245, 1800 770 099 Facsimile: (07) 4956 3388 Rating: ****
	Holiday Homes & Units
	The Shores 9 Pacific Dve Blacks Beach Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4954 9444 Facsimile: (07) 4954 8580 Rating: ****
	Caravan Parks
	Premier Caravan Park 152 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 6976 Rating: **
	Seawinds Caravan Park Blacks Beach Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4954 9334 Rating: **
	Andergrove Caravan Park Beaconsfield Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4942 4922 Facsimile: (07) 4942 3257 Rating: ****
	Beach Tourist Park Petrie St Illawong Beach Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 4021 Facsimile: (07) 4951 4551 Rating: ***
	Bucasia Beachfront Caravan Park Esplanade Bucasia Beach Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4954 6375 Facsimile: (07) 4954 6952 Rating: ***
	Central Caravan Park 15 Malcomson St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 6141 Rating: ***
	Restaurants
	Angelo's on the Marina Mackay Marina Village Mulherin Dve Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4955 5600
	Azure at the Surf Mackay Surf Club East Point Dve Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4955 5820
	Ban-na Thai Restaurant 220 Victoria St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 3939
	Banquet House Chinese Restaurant 68 Victoria St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 1003
	Bistro 66 66 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 2877
	Boomerang Motor Hotel Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4952 1755
	Galleons Restaurant 1 Bridge Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 2044
	Gallery Restaurant Mackay Yacht Club Outer Harbour Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4955 5604
	Kevin's Place 79 Victoria St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4953 5835
	Langford's Hotel 40 Tennyson St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 2105
	Lantern Restaurant 151 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 2188
	Medicis Italian Restaurant Cnr Nebo & Bridge Rds Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 2468
	Melaleucas 26 Bourke St Blacks Beach Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4954 9090
	Neptunes Licensed Seafood Restaurant 40 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 6526
	Pacino's on the Waterfront 8 River St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 8131
	Rialto Restaurant 46 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 2700
	Romeo & Juliet's Restaurant 309 Shakespeare St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4953 1111
	Satchmo's at the Reef Mackay Marine Village Mulherin Dve Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4955 6055
	Seawinds Restaurant 52 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 2699
	Silver Bird Restaurant 47 Evans Ave Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 3328
	Sorbello's Italian Restaurant 166B Victoria St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 8300
	Summerhouse Restaurant 220a Victoria St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 7790
	Sun Plaza Motel Restaurant 35-39 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 2688 Facsimile: (07) 4951 2651
	The Austral Hotel 189 Victoria St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 3288
	The Church On Palmer 15 Palmer St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 6775
	The Fifth Floor Training Restaurant 90-92 Sydney St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4940 3280
	the Lighthouse Seafood Restaurant Mackay Marine Village Mulherin Dve Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4955 5022
	The Mill Char Grill Highway Plaza Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4944 3344
	The Silver Bird Restaurant Wood St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 3303
	Toong Tong Thai Restaurant 10 Sydney St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 8051 Facsimile: (07) 4957 8504
	White Lace Restaurant 73 Nebo Rd Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4951 4466
	Whitsunday International Hotel 176 Victoria St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 2813
	Cafés
	Cafe Domain The Dome Victoria St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4953 4295
	Cafe Kebab 73 Victoria St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 3333
	Cafe Mana 2 Amstead St Eimeo Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4954 9480
	Cafe Monet 98 Victoria St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 6071
	Foodspace Artspace Mackay Gordon St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 1719
	Grinders Cafe Gourmet Food Shop 4 City Plaza Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 2249
	Sedgies Gourmet Coffee & Tea Supplies Shop 6, 98 Victoria St Mackay QLD 4740 Telephone: (07) 4957 4845