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Arts, culture and heritage

Arts

Mackay has an active and vibrant arts community and offers many initiatives for people to become involved. 

Initiatives include the

The Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens also has regular events and activities that often have an arts and cultural focus. 

Information regarding arts and cultural activities is available from the quarterly publication of the Art Is In Calendar of the Arts and a monthly Creative Mackay e-bulletin. Submission of events to be included in the calendar is encouraged with listings free of charge. 

Council also supports the arts through a variety of grants and sponsorship opportunities such as the Regional Arts Development Fund.

Culture

Mackay Regional Council reaches its culturally diverse communities through a variety of initiatives including the State Government and Mackay Regional Council funded Local Area Multicultural Partnership (LAMP) program. 

This program also produces a quarterly newsletter, Migrant Voice, and assists with facilitating projects with community and cultural groups.  

LAMP actively promotes Harmony Day (March 21 each year), Refugee Week (October) and assists to present the cultural celebration and Global Grooves at the Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens. 

Heritage

Mackay was named after George Mackay (father of John Mackay), whose pioneering spirit led him and his party from New England (NSW) to discover the Pioneer River valley in 1860. His registration of the first pastoral run in the district Greenmount in January 1862 opened the area to pastoral settlement.

Within a few years however, sugar became the dominant industry from the enterprising efforts of pioneers John Spiller, T. Henry FitzGerald and John Ewen Davidson. More recently, the hinterland coal mining developments and the tourist industry have added to Mackay’s solid economic base.

The prosperity and confidence of the city is reflected in the fine older buildings. Many of the city’s historic buildings were lost to devastating fires, to the notorious cyclone on January 1918 and to progress.

Local Heritage listed buildings can be found by accessing MiMAPS - select the Planning and Land Use Maps theme.