Property Point July 24th

The list of things I know nothing or very little about is seemingly endless.

You could start with the world of science and focus on the periodic table, move through chemistry, physics and biology and you would discover an astounding level of ignorance on my part.

If you happened to be day dreaming about the interaction between energy and matter and found yourself in the mood for a casual chat about quantum physics, well I am afraid I am going to let you down … I have very little to offer.

It’s similar with mathematics; if you find yourself sitting at the pub hoping to strike up a conversation with someone about algebraic equations and the infrastructure of calculus then you’d better hope it’s not me sitting at the next table.

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I could go on … engineering and mechanical principles, for example, but it’s starting to become humiliating and I think you get the idea.  

The point is that in the world of befuddled ignorance in which I stumble around seemingly aimlessly, the one thing I’m pretty good at is the English language.

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You’ve got to have a grasp of something and I’m not too bad at words. So, it’s not often someone drops in a word that I don’t know, have never heard before.

I’ve got a mate who grew up in the tough streets of South Mackay but who now lives in a very leafy, affluent part of Mount Pleasant. You’d call it a blue chip address.

He’s a good bloke and every now and then I am with him when he happens to venture south of the river and graces a suburban pub or club.  

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It’s like the prodigal son returning to his roots. All these people who haven’t seen him in decades can’t believe he’s turned up at Souths Suburban Bowls Club, or wherever it is,  and they are wrapped to see him.  

“Mate, how have ya been?” They say. My mate might not love the fact that his old school friend is wearing a fishing shirt in the bistro but he’s always very happy to catch up.

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Anyway, I was chatting to my Mt Pleasant mate recently and the conversation turned to urban development in Mackay.  

As we discussed new and planned residential developments in Mackay he made reference to “conurbation”. It was a conversation stopper.

I found myself having to ask him what the word meant. He explained that conurbation refers to a phenomenon where cities or large towns end up merging into one larger entity because of population growth and physical expansion.

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He was making the point that while it might not meet the strict definition,  the concept of conurbation was taking place in Mackay as various centres merged and “in-filled” the city rather than creating a continuing expansion of the footprint.

Rural View and Richmond, for example, are creating a connection with Bucasia and the northern part of Mt Pleasant.  

Ooralea is expanding south and is creating a connection with Bakers Creek. One day, future generations might see the southern suburbs of Mackay merge with Sarina. That would be true conurbation as two cities merge.

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Since I have only recently discovered the word, I am no expert on conurbation but it strikes me that connecting residential centres within an established footprint makes financial and geographical sense.

It must be easier and cheaper to connect infrastructure within established centres  rather than simply expanding the footprint willy nilly and paying the cost that would go along with providing the new services that would be needed.

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One of the big challenges in Mackay is providing the housing, infrastructure and services that are needed as the population grows.

A growing population is created by a strong economy and a quality lifestyle so while we would hope that the growth continues, this needs to be accompanied by road systems, infrastructure and services that meet increased demands.

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People travelling in from the Northern Beaches every day would probably say that those demands are not being met. That’s despite my Mt Pleasant mate’s theory of conurbation.

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