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Whereis > QLD > Mackay

Map of Mackay, QLD 4740

Mackay ( mə-KYE) is a city in the Mackay Region on the eastern or Coral Sea coast of Queensland, Australia. It is located about 803 kilometres (499 mi) north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is described as being in either Central Queensland or North Queensland, as these regions are not precisely defined. More generally, the area is known as the Mackay–Whitsunday Region. Nicknames of Mackay include the Sugar capital, Alexandra and Macktown.

Founded in 1862 on land traditionally owned by the Yuwibara (Yuibera) Indigenous people, the settlement was originally known as Alexandra, in honour of Princess Alexandra of Denmark, and was later renamed Mackay after John Mackay.

Sugar became the economic foundation of the city. Plantations often used South Sea Islanders, some of whom may have been unwilling to come or who were mistreated by plantation owners. In December 1901, the White Australia Policy ceased the importation of South Sea Islanders and their deportation to the South Sea Islands occurred between 1906 and 1908 (although some preferred to remain and succeeded in doing so). From about 1891, Mediterranean migrants from Italy and Malta began to work the sugarcane plantations, and by the 1930s one third of Australia’s Italian migrants lived in North Queensland.

The city was nearly destroyed in the 1918 cyclone, and the following reconstruction used primarily Art Deco and Spanish Mission architectural styles for which the city is famous.

Mackay has a rich history and culture, known for its architecture, food, and as a cultural-melting pot. It has long established cross-cultural communities that have influenced the city; including Yuwi, South Sea Islanders, Italians, Maltese, and more recently Filipinos.
Wikipedia, CC-BY-SA license
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