The City of Mackay was a Local Government Area located in the Central Queensland

Central Queensland

Central Queensland is an ambiguous geographical division of Queensland that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton and the Capricorn Coast and the area extends west to the Central Highlands at Emerald, north to the Mackay Regional...

 region of Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, encompassing the regional city of Mackay

Mackay, Queensland

Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar....

 and the surrounding region. The City was created as a municipal borough in 1869, and prior to amalgamation with the Shire of Pioneer

Shire of Pioneer

The Shire of Pioneer was a Local Government Area surrounding the city of Mackay and including all but its innermost suburbs. The shire, administered from Mackay itself, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1879 until 1994, when it was dissolved and amalgamated with...

 in 1994, the City was limited to the central suburbs on the south shore of the Pioneer River. From 1994 until 2008, the City covered an area of 2897.5 square kilometres (1,118.7 sq mi). In 2008, it amalgamated with the Shires of Mirani

Shire of Mirani

The Shire of Mirani was a Local Government Area located in the North Queensland region of Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from the town of Mirani, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1916 until 2008, when it amalgamated with the City of Mackay and the...

 and Sarina

Shire of Sarina

The Shire of Sarina was a Local Government Area located in the Central Queensland region of Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from the town of Sarina, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1912 until 2008, when it amalgamated with the City of Mackay and the...

 to become the Mackay Regional Council

Mackay Regional Council

The Mackay Region is a Local Government Area located in North Queensland, Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by three previous local government areas with histories extending back as far as 1869....

.

History

The Mackay Municipality was proclaimed on 22 September 1869 under the Municipal Institutions Act 1864. The Pioneer Division

Shire of Pioneer

The Shire of Pioneer was a Local Government Area surrounding the city of Mackay and including all but its innermost suburbs. The shire, administered from Mackay itself, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1879 until 1994, when it was dissolved and amalgamated with...

 was established on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 founding divisions under the Divisional Boards Act 1879. With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Pioneer became a shire and Mackay a town on 31 March 1903. The latter received City status on 17 August 1918.

On 21 November 1991, the Electoral and Administrative Review Commission, created two years earlier, produced its second report, and recommended that local government boundaries in the Mackay area be rationalised. The Local Government (Mackay and Pioneer) Regulation 1993 was gazetted on 17 December 1993, and on 30 March 1994, the two amalgamated into a larger City of Mackay, which first met on 8 April 1994.

On 15 March 2008, under the Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by the Parliament of Queensland

Parliament of Queensland

The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. According to the state's constitution, the Parliament consists of the Queen and the Legislative Assembly. It is the only unicameral state parliament in the country, the upper chamber, the Legislative Council, having been...

 on 10 August 2007, the City of Mackay merged with the Shires of Mirani

Shire of Mirani

The Shire of Mirani was a Local Government Area located in the North Queensland region of Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from the town of Mirani, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1916 until 2008, when it amalgamated with the City of Mackay and the...

 and Sarina

Shire of Sarina

The Shire of Sarina was a Local Government Area located in the Central Queensland region of Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from the town of Sarina, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1912 until 2008, when it amalgamated with the City of Mackay and the...

 to form the Mackay Regional Council

Mackay Regional Council

The Mackay Region is a Local Government Area located in North Queensland, Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by three previous local government areas with histories extending back as far as 1869....

.

Towns and Localities

Prior to 1994, Mackay consisted of the suburbs of Mackay

Mackay, Queensland

Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar....

, West Mackay, South Mackay and East Mackay—all other suburbs of Mackay were in the Shire of Pioneer

Shire of Pioneer

The Shire of Pioneer was a Local Government Area surrounding the city of Mackay and including all but its innermost suburbs. The shire, administered from Mackay itself, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1879 until 1994, when it was dissolved and amalgamated with...

's area. After the amalgamation, it consisted of the following areas:

Suburbs: Mackay Mackay, Queensland Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar.... : East Mackay West Mackay South Mackay Andergrove Beaconsfield Blacks Beach Bucasia Cremorne Dolphin Heads Eimeo Erakala Foulden Glenella Mackay Harbour Mount Pleasant Nindaroo North Mackay Ooralea Paget Racecourse Richmond Rural View Shoal Point Slade Point Slade Point, Queensland Slade Point is a peninsular suburb north of Mackay, Queensland, Australia . Slade Point, a prominent coastal feature was named by Captain James Cook.-External links:*...

Towns: Bakers Creek Bakers Creek, Queensland Bakers Creek is a small town in Queensland, approximately south of Mackay on the Bruce Highway. Its main industry is a large meat processing plant operated by Thomas Borthwick & Sons Pty Ltd. The Bakers Creek watercourse runs through the township... Ball Bay Brampton Island Calen Calen, Queensland Calen is a small town in Queensland, Australia on the Bruce Highway between Mackay and the Whitsundays. At the 2006 census, Calen had a population of 289.... Farleigh Halliday Bay Hampden Kuttabul Laguna Quays Lindeman Island Lindeman Island Lindeman Island is an island in the Lindeman Group of the Whitsunday Islands off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The islands was named by Captain Bedwell after his sub-lieutenant, George Sidney Lindeman whilst aboard the Royal Navy vessel HMS Virago.... McEwens Beach Midge Point Mount Ossa Oakenden Pindi Pindi Seaforth Seaforth, Queensland Seaforth is a small coastal holiday and fishing town located 35km North-northwest of Mackay. In 1899 the Queensland Government bought Seaforth Estate from H.M. Finlayson as a settlement and named it Springcliff, however local residents always called it Seaforth and it was officially renamed in... St Helens Beach Walkerston Walkerston, Queensland Walkerston is a town in central Queensland, Australia. The town is situated on the Peak Downs Highway south-west of Mackay. Walkerston straddles Bakers Creek for about . At the 2006 census, Walkerston had a population of 2,563.... National Parks: Cape Hillsborough NP Cape Hillsborough National Park Cape Hillsborough is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 837 km northwest of Brisbane. The park is a peninsula of volcanic origin, covered largely by rainforest; the maximum elevation is 267 m... Eungella NP Eungella National Park Eungella is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 80 km west of Mackay, and 858 km northwest of Brisbane. The original inhabitants are the Goreng goreng people. The park is covered by dense rainforest and is known for its platypuses.The national park was established in 1941 and is... Mount Jukes NP Mount Martin NP Mount Martin National Park Mount Martin is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 829 km northwest of Brisbane.... Mount Ossa NP Mount Ossa National Park Mount Ossa is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 838 km northwest of Brisbane.... Pioneer Peaks NP Pioneer Peaks National Park Pioneer Peaks is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 833 km northwest of Brisbane.... Reliance Creek NP Reliance Creek National Park Reliance Creek is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 818 km northwest of Brisbane....

Other localities: Alexandra Balberra Balnagowan Belmunda Bloomsbury Chelona Dumbleton Dunnrock Greenmount Habana Homebush Mentmore Mount Charlton Mount Pelion Munbura Palmyra Pleystowe Rosella Sandiford Sunnyside Te Kowai Te Kowai, Queensland Te Kowai is a suburb in the Mackay Regional Council in Queensland, Australia. Its population at the 2006 census was 666 people.The name of the suburb is derived from a former railway station, itself derived from a nearby sugar plantation named after a New Zealand tree, kowhai... The Leap Victoria Plains Yalboroo

Population

Year	Population (Mackay)	Population (Pioneer)	Population (Total)
1933	10,665	9,926	20591
1947	13,486	11,606	25092
1954	14,762	14,316	29,078
1961	16,809	15,741	32,550
1966	18,640	19,900	38,540
1971	19,148	22,561	41,709
1976	20,224	26,938	47,162
1981	20,664	33,732	54,396
1986	22,199	36,084	58,283
1991	23,052	40,614	63,666
1996			71,894
2001			75,020
2006	20,803		85,399