City of Mackay Queensland |
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Location within Queensland
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Population | 84,890 (2006) | ||||||||||||||
• Density | 29.2977/km2 (75.881/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Established | 1869 | ||||||||||||||
Area | 2,897.5 km2 (1,118.7 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Council seat | Mackay | ||||||||||||||
Region | Central Queensland | ||||||||||||||
Website | City of Mackay | ||||||||||||||
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The City of Mackay was a local government area located in the Central Queensland region of Queensland, Australia, encompassing the regional city of Mackay and the surrounding region. The City was created as a municipal borough in 1869, and prior to amalgamation with the Shire of Pioneer in 1994, the City was limited to the central suburbs on the south shore of the Pioneer River. From 1994 until 2008, the City covered an area of 2,897.5 square kilometres (1,118.7 sq mi). In 2008, it amalgamated with the Shires of Mirani and Sarina to become the Mackay Regional Council.
The Borough of Mackay was proclaimed on 22 September 1869 under the Municipal Institutions Act 1864. The Pioneer Division was established on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 founding divisions under the Divisional Boards Act 1879.
Initially the council meetings were held in the Court House in River Street, the Post and Telegraph office in Wood Street, and in a building on Sydney Street owned by Mr R. Fleming. The first town hall was a timber structure constructed in 1872 on land that the council purchased at 63 Sydney Street.
With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Pioneer Division became the Shire of Pioneer and Mackay became Town of Mackay on 31 March 1903. Mackay received City status on 17 August 1918.
During the boom in sugar prices, the borough council decided in 1884 that a larger town hall was needed. However, it was not until 1909 that they decided to proceed with a brick building on the site of the existing town hall in Sydney Street. The council held a design competition, which was won by a local architect and engineer Arthur Rigby. The first town hall was moved to the rear of the block to be behind the new building. The first official Council meeting was held in the (now heritage-listed) second town hall on 19 October 1912 with the official opening the next day.