Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
.png)
Club Champions 2024: • Ladies: Leanne Alexander • Men: Ryan Wilkes Overall Results: Ladies: • A Grade: ◦ Gross Winner: Leanne Alexander ◦ Gross Runner-up: Lyn Muller ◦ Nett Winner: Elspeth Scotford ◦ Nett Runner-up: Tina Badenhorst • B Grade: ◦ Gross Winner: Toni Clauss ◦ Gross Runner-up: Tiina Randmae ◦ Nett Winner: Heather Luvis ◦ Nett Runner-up: Anna Winterbourn • C Grade: ◦ Gross Winner: Sherri Meade
Read more.jpg)
Sea Eagles fielded four teams in the AFLQ Mackay Elimination Finals on Sunday with Sea Eagles Under 17s making it through to take on the Saints in the coming Preliminary Final. Remaining Sea Eagles teams fought hard but were unable to match the opposition and now round up their 2024 Season. Sea Eagles Under 17s had some close moments throughout their match against Mackay City Hawks but were able to dig deep when it mattered to take out the win by two goals 61 – 49. With competition aggressive
Read more
Over the weekend, members of the Junior Achievers Squad headed to Mackay for a special training clinic hosted by Swimming North Queensland. This clinic provided an invaluable opportunity for young swimmers to refine their skills under the guidance of top coaches and train with junior swimmers from neighbouring clubs across Mackay in a non-competitive environment. The Junior Achievers Program is designed to recognise, reward, and inspire junior swimmers on their journey toward becoming senior at
Read more
A plan to build a brand-new satellite hospital in Mackay has just been announced by the state government, when Premier Steven Miles visited Mackay on Monday. Building on the success of similar facilities in South East Queensland, this hospital will provide free, walk-in treatment for non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries from 8am to 10pm, helping to reduce pressure on local emergency departments. It’s a major coup for Mackay, as it will become the first of its kind to be built outside of
Read more
As we gear up for a special day this weekend, it’s a time to honour the fathers, step-dads, granddads, and all the father figures who have a special knack for dodgy dance moves, overused catchphrases, and, of course, those legendary dad jokes that somehow never get old. Father’s Day is a day to celebrate the wisdom, the patience, and the endless love these people bring into our lives—often served with a side of wit and a penchant for reminding us to 'check the oil.' This Sunday, the region is bu
Read more
The community is inching closer to completing the highly anticipated Pioneer Valley Rail Trail (PVRT), thanks to the generous efforts of volunteers and cycling enthusiasts. With residents and volunteers from all walks of life contributing to its success, this project has been one driven by the community - for the community. Brothers Ryan and Evan Corry, who own the local bike shop Corry Cycles, are among the treasured names of many who have supported the rail trail from the very beginning.
Read more
Last week marked a proud moment for Mackay as 21 eager candidates gathered at the historic Mackay River Wharfs, eager to shape the future of their community. These student participants in the groundbreaking Young Mayors Program, have undergone a transformative election process with nearly 2,500 of their peers casting votes. The result: 12 driven individuals were selected to form the next Mackay Youth Council. First introduced in 2023, the Mackay Regional Council pioneered this initiative, aimed
Read more
Last Friday, the region took a significant step towards economic diversification with the launch of A Revenue Diversification Strategy Report from The Greater Whitsunday METS Sector. This strategy proves to be a crucial component of the Decarbonisation Accelerated Project and was developed under the leadership of Greater Whitsunday Alliance (GW3) and the Resources Centre of Excellence (RCoE). The launch held at Field Mining Services Group in Paget, brought together key industry leaders and st
Read more
Acknowledging 30 years since the Commonwealth Government officially recognised South Sea Islanders as a distinct cultural group in 1994, the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) reaffirmed its commitment to addressing the unique health challenges faced by Australian South Sea Islanders. Most Australian South Sea Islanders are direct descendants of approximately 50,000 people brought from the Pacific Islands to Australia to work as indentured labourers between 1863 and 1904. QAS Chief Operating O
Read more
Police Call For Witnesses For Pedestrian Injury In Andergrove Police are appealing for witnesses after a pedestrian was critically injured in a serious traffic crash at Andergrove last week. Initial investigations indicate at approximately 8am on Friday, August 23, a blue dodge RAM struck a pedestrian on Bedford Road near a roundabout along Oak Street and Celeber Drive in Andergrove. The 66-year-old male pedestrian sustained extensive injuries and was transported to Mackay Base Hospital befor
Read more
The Mackay North High School Z Club recently presented a generous donation to the Mackay Days for Girls team. This donation was collected by Z Club members solely for Days for Girls in Mackay, to assist the local volunteer team in their efforts to produce sanitary kits for women and girls in developing countries. The Zonta Club of Mackay was first chartered in October 1992, and at present, it consists of around 30 active members. One of the many ways Zonta Club supports the community is by spo
Read more
The mining community is in mourning following the tragic death of another worker at the Byerwen Mine site, located west of Glenden. Emergency services were called to the site at approximately 1.10 pm on Thursday, August 22nd, where they discovered a man believed to be in his mid 50s suffering from critical injuries. Bundaberg man, John Linwood (56), was fatally injured at the Byerwen mine site and was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident involved a collision between a haul truck and a
Read more
Whitsunday Anglican School’s 2024 Academic School Captain, Rohit Vaidya, was one of only fifteen students in the State, and the only student from the Mackay and Whitsunday region, to receive a Peter Doherty Award for Excellence in STEM Education, where he was celebrated for his outstanding and innovative contribution to STEM education in Queensland. Marking 21 years of the Peter Doherty Awards for Excellence in STEM Education, the awards recognise students, teachers, support officers, schools a
Read more
Mackay Writers is hosting a special Memoir Writing Workshop with esteemed Queensland writer Edwina Shaw on Saturday, August 31, and Sunday, September 1, at the Seabreeze Hotel, Lamberts Beach. Shaw, known for her fiction, memoir, and screenwriting, brings a wealth of experience to the event. Her novel Thrill Seekers was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Award for New Writing, and she has over 40 stories published internationally. With years of teaching under her belt, including at the University
Read more
Mackay Regional Council has ordered a new half pipe for the Brewers Road Skatepark in Sarina to replace the existing unit, which has become structurally unsafe due to vandalism and misuse. The equipment in the skatepark is designed for skateboards, scooters, roller blades and bicycles but there have been reports of motorbikes using the facility. Unfortunately, the replacement unit is not expected to arrive until December. In the meantime, the vandalised equipment has been cordoned off for safet
Read more
Mackay is piping excited for another Scottish party against the beautiful blue backdrop of the Pioneer River as the annual Mackay Scottish Bluewater Fling swings into full motion this weekend! The Bluewater Fling is a free, outdoor, family-friendly community event sponsored by the Mackay Regional Council that celebrates Mackay’s Scottish heritage. The event showcases local and visiting performers, featuring pipe bands from across Queensland, Celtic rock and Folk bands, soloists, and Highland da
Read more.jpg)
A stellar trade performance over the past 12 months is the icing on the cake for the Port of Mackay as it celebrates 85 years since its official opening. Total trade through the port reached 3.58 million tonnes in 2023-24, compared to 3.51 million tonnes for the same period last year and just shy of the record 3.59 million tonnes in 2021-22. North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation (NQBP) CEO Brendan Webb said the buoyant trade performance highlighted how the publicly owned port is powering int
Read more
Work is commencing on a major commercial precinct adjacent to Mackay Airport. Vacant land bordering Milton Street will be transformed into a purpose-built business, retail and mixed-use service hub, offering an array of new industry opportunities and injecting millions of dollars into the local economy each year. Mackay Airport Chief Executive Officer Richard Barker said the long-term project, titled ‘Milton Precinct’, was strategically located near existing and emerging growth areas, maximisi
Read more.jpg)
The importance of strong biosecurity is being emphasised to the next generation of agricultural industry leaders, with 40 high school students given the opportunity to join the 2024 Biosecurity Youth Summit. Fostering an understanding among our upcoming generation of the importance of biosecurity in everybody’s lives is critical to safeguarding Queensland’s economy, environment and way of life. The Youth Summit is part of the Miles Government’s $21.7 million funding for biosecurity preparedness
Read more
By Kevin Borg, Chairman, CANEGROWERS Mackay If you were following the recent action in Paris, you may have noticed the dazzling blue of the turf on the hockey fields of the Olympics. Called Poligras, it’s a carbon-neutral synthetic turf - and it was 80 per cent sugarcane-based. It’s an interesting fact that as the world looks for ways to get away from plastics, biodegradable products that source sugarcane are now genuinely part of the solution. It’s exciting to see these emerging uses for sugar
Read more
This week Season to date Cane crushed 60,190 377,048 Average bin weight 3.91 3.85 CCS 13.96 13.16 Cane variety performance for region Variety % CCS Variety % CCS Q183 29.1 13.91 Q253 17.4 14.18 Q240 11.2 13.71 SP80 2.1 13.63 Q208 15.2 14.27 SRA9 4.4 13.75 KQ228 7.2 14.51 Q242 2.8 12.43 Comments: Plane Creek Mill processed just over 60,000 tonnes of cane for the week, bringing the season total to just over 377,000 tonnes. Average CCS rose by 0.87 of a unit over the previous week, closing out at 1
Read more
The newly established network of Sustainable Agriculture Facilitators will connect stakeholders with others in the industry and share information on sustainable agriculture practices. The facilitators are employed by local Natural Resource Management organisations funded through the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program and will support the program’s broad climate-smart sustainable agriculture outcomes. Deputy Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Policy, Matt Lowe, said the $40.7 mill
Read more
Not only is Spring starting tomorrow, but there are hundreds of families outside enjoying the weather because it’s finals fever for so many sports. We’ve got grand final hockey action down off Bridge Road. Hundreds of kids and families are getting into the stick action to see who comes out on top. If you are looking for the next Aussie player to grab the green and gold jersey for Brisbane 2032, don’t come looking at my A4 men’s Arsenal team. Well not yet anyway. You will find out more in a few
Read more
One of Mackay’s most famous entertainment venues is The Dispensary, an outstanding spot for a meal or a drink and a place to catch up with friends. Its business model was a bit different a few years ago, when it included a seriously “high-end” restaurant that offered dishes that many customers had not experienced in Mackay. For diners who were accustomed to dishes like “crumbed steak” and “chicken parmy”, it was akin to entering a new world with terms like “degustation”, “confit” and “jus”. Anyw
Read more
Friday 30th August Bird Life Mackay 6.30am Join BirdLife Mackay on the last Friday of the month and walk through the Botanic Gardens and along the Lagoons to identify and count the different bird species along the way. This is a free activity and a great opportunity to learn about some of our local bird species. Birdlife Mackay welcomes all interested people to come along. Meet the group at the Viewing Deck next to the Café. Mackay Regional Botanical Gardens Matwork Pilates Slade Point 5.45
Read more