Mackay Region Queensland
Location within Queensland
Population:	112,607 (2008)[1]
Established:	2008
Area:	7622 km² (2,942.9 sq mi)
Mayor:	Col Meng[2]
Council Seat:	Mackay
Region:	North Queensland
State District:	Mackay Mirani Whitsunday
Federal Division:	Dawson Capricornia
Website: http://www.mackay.qld.gov.au/
LGAs around Mackay Region: Whitsunday Whitsunday Coral Sea Whitsunday Mackay Region Coral Sea Isaac Isaac Isaac

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.

It has an estimated operating budget of AUD118m.

Contents 1 History 2 Wards 3 Towns and localities 4 Population 5 References

[edit] History

Prior to 2008, the Mackay Region was three distinct local government areas:

• City of Mackay;
• Shire of Mirani; and
• Shire of Sarina.

The City had its beginning in the Mackay Municipality which was proclaimed on 22 September 1869 under the Municipal Institutions Act 1864.^[3] Its first mayor was David Dalrymple, and the council first met on 1 December 1869, It achieved a measure of autonomy in 1878 with the enactment of the Local Government Act. With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Mackay became a Town on 31 March 1903, and was ultimately proclaimed a City on 17 August 1918.

On 11 December 1879, the Pioneer Division came into being as one of Queensland's 74 divisions created under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 on 11 November 1879, chaired by John Ewen Davidson. On 31 March 1903, Pioneer became a Shire. Two areas split away from it over the next decade; the Shire of Sarina on 1 January 1912, and the Shire of Mirani on 4 September 1913.^[4]

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.

In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released a report making recommendations for statewide reform of local government boundaries, and recommended that the three areas of Mackay, Mirani and Sarina amalgamate, due mainly to Mackay's role as a regional centre and all three shires' involvement in sugar production. The City of Mackay endorsed the suggestion, but the two shires proposed alternative options. In the end, the Commission's proposal was unchanged.^[5]

The legislation passed to effect the merger on 10 August 2007. A Local Transition Committee made up of staff and councillors of the three dissolving entities was formed to manage the process. On 15 March 2008, the City and Shires formally ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect councillors and a mayor to the Regional Council.

[edit] Wards

The council remains undivided and its elected body consists of 10 councillors and a mayor.

[edit] Towns and localities

Suburbs: Mackay: 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 Te Kowai

Towns: Alligator Creek Armstrong Beach Bakers Creek Ball Bay Balnagowan Bloomsbury Brampton Island Calen Campwin Beach Chelona Dalrymple Bay Dows Creek Dumbleton Eton Farleigh Finch Hatton Freshwater Point Gargett Grasstree Beach Habana Half Tide Beach Halliday Bay Hampden Hay Point Koumala Kuttabul Lindeman Island Marian Midge Point Mirani Mount Ossa North Eton Oakenden Pindi Pindi Pinnacle Pleystowe Sandiford Sarina Sarina Beach Seaforth Septimus Walkerston Yalboroo

Localities: Benholme Crediton Dalrymple Heights Dunnrock Eungella Eungella Dam Hazledean Homebush Kinchant Dam Laguna Quays Louisa Creek McEwens Beach Mia Mia Mount Charlton Mount Martin Mount Pelion Munbura Netherdale Owens Creek Pinevale Rosella St Helens Beach Sunnyside The Leap West Plane Creek National Parks: Cape Hillsborough NP Eungella NP Mount Jukes NP Mount Martin NP Mount Ossa NP Pioneer Peaks NP Reliance Creek NP

[edit] Population

The populations given relate to the component entities prior to 2008. The next census, due in 2011, will be the first for the new Region.

Year	Total Region	Mackay	Pioneer	Mirani	Sarina
1933	28,124	10,665	9,926	4,412	3,121
1947	32,947	13,486	11,606	4,587	3,268
1954	37,924	14,762	14,316	5,056	3,790
1961	41,196	16,809	15,741	4,760	3,886
1966	48,530	18,640	19,900	5,379	4,611
1971	51,903	19,148	22,561	4,772	5,422
1976	57,903	20,224	26,938	4,889	5,852
1981	66,057	20,664	33,732	4,739	6,922
1986	70,674	22,199	36,084	4,854	7,537
1991	76,372	23,052	40,614	4,625	8,081
1996	86,376	71,894		5,088	9,394
2001	89,877	75,020		5,220	9,637
2006	101,525	85,399		5,406	10,720

[edit] References

v • d • e Local Government Areas of Queensland Cities: Brisbane · Gold Coast · Ipswich · Logan · Mount Isa · Redland  · Townsville Regions: Barcaldine · Blackall-Tambo · Bundaberg · Cairns · Cassowary Coast · Central Highlands · Charters Towers · Fraser Coast · Gladstone · Goondiwindi · Gympie · Isaac · Lockyer Valley · Longreach · Mackay · Maranoa · Moreton Bay · North Burnett · Northern Peninsula Area · Rockhampton · Scenic Rim · Somerset · South Burnett · Southern Downs · Sunshine Coast · Tablelands · Toowoomba · Torres Strait Islands · Western Downs · Whitsunday Shires: Aurukun · Balonne · Banana · Barcoo · Boulia · Bulloo · Burdekin · Burke · Carpentaria · Cloncurry · Cook · Croydon · Diamantina · Etheridge · Flinders · Hinchinbrook · McKinlay · Mornington · Murweh · Paroo · Quilpie · Richmond · Torres · Winton DOGITs: Cherbourg · Doomadgee · Hope Vale · Kowanyama · Lockhart River · Mapoon · Napranum · Palm Island · Pormpuraaw · Woorabinda · Wujal Wujal · Yarrabah