Diana Kupke Writes
Mackay Queensland
Accommodation
and Shopping
Houses in Mackay run the gamut from original highset Queenslanders to lowset brick homes. Multistorey blocks of flats are running amok at the Mackay Harbour and alongside the Pioneer River.
Unfortunately, as at January 2023, there is very little accommodation available! Thirty or forty applicants for every house or unit. Double income couples are missing out too.
Restored Queenslander in East Mackay
Mackay went through a housing boom for some years and builders and tradesmen were in very short supply. The 2008 floods meant a long wait for people who needed any restoration work or repairs.t
A vibrant restored Queenslander
Rental premises are at a premium and rents have once more skyrocketed often leaving people on low incomes in a desperate situation. The waiting list for social housing is about four years!
Restored Queenslander in South Mackay
There are new housing estates all over Mackay and also numerous retirement villages.
Housing estate at Slade Point
near where Cathy Freeman trained
Shopping
There are numerous shopping centres spread all over Mackay which appear to cater for every need. They include the two original centres, Canelands and Mt Pleasant, which are enclosed and which have double-storey car parks, and the incomers including Greenfields and an enormous area nearby where Harvey Norman and Good Guys etc. are located.
Stand-alone supermarkets can be found at West Mackay with IGA; at Andergrove where Woolworths has a large store, and further toward the northern beaches area where Bi-lo is established. The latest stand alone supermarkets are at Walkerston, and near Planlands, at Mirani, and the Bi-lo area has been extensively developed.
My personal preference for shopping is with local small businesses where one is assured of a constant and friendly service. I live in South Mackay where, with one screaming exce ption, all the local small businesses are superb.