Fun Facts About Mackay City

Here are a list of ‘did you know?’ facts about Mackay, from the historical to the downright wacky and whimsical.  

• Mackay was officially founded in 1862 and named by Captain John MacKay, who explored the region. Port Mackay was declared for entry in 1863, but Mackay was not classified as a city until 1918.

• Mackay is home to Australia's longest stretch of subtropical rainforest.

• The Commonwealth Bank building was constructed in 1880 for the Australian Joint Stock Bank and is the oldest commercial building in Mackay.

• Mackay’s deepwater artificial port has one of the world's largest bulk-handling installations.

• Almost 1,300 predominantly family owned, and operated sugarcane farms supply our three local mills. Mackay Sugar, which produces around 800,000 tonnes of raw sugar and 200,000 tonnes of molasses each year.

• The Queen visited the Mackay Showgrounds in 1954, and again in 1970.

• Reports have shown snow falls in Queensland once every two to five years, it even made it as far north as Mackay in 1965!

• Mackay is home to many ‘big things’, including the Big Bulldog at Theo Hansen Park, Fred Flintstone, Snoopy, Old Mother Hubbard’s Shoe and Crocodile at Mulherin Park, and the Big Banana at Nashy’s Compleat Angler Shop.

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