“Queensland Resources Council chief executive, Michael Roche referring to the council’s latest Growth Outlook Study, estimates that Queensland’s resource sector will have to source some 40,000 extra workers by 2020.”
Mackay
Mackay is celebrating the city’s sesquicentennial year! Founded over 150 years ago in 1862 by John Mackay
Lying on the fertile plains on the banks of the blue Pioneer River, Mackay enjoys a tropical climate and a lifestyle to match.
The city stretches along a coastline of 31 sandy beaches and offshore lies the Great Barrier Reef and the spectacular Whitsundays and inland to the west are fertile valleys and a mountainous hinterland with tracts of lush rainforests
The region is strategically placed as a key gateway and base for Queensland’s richest coal mining province of the Bowen Basin. A natural asset that is attracting a lot of people to live in Mackay which has become a key focus of the State’s Resources Boom
Mackay provides the Bowen Basin’s vital engineering and logistic infrastructure through a range of companies based in the Paget district in the city’s south. Coal terminal within easy reach at Hay Point and Dalrymple Bay being the world’s largest Coal Port which is set for major expansion to cope with current and future demand as more mines come on stream
Mackay and Isaac regions are being propelled by the resources boom, attracting a lot of migration into the region to fill the need created by Billions of Dollars of resources investment amounting to over $107 Billion ensuring that Mackay continues to ride the ever growing wave of growth and recording high employment figures and opportunity
Mining has been a major impetus for the region, contributing significantly to the Gross Regional Product, which rose from $2.9 billion dollars in 2003/04 to $5.2 billion in 2010/11 and provides 26% of the regions employment but it’s influence on the local economy extends beyond those directly employed – estimations are for every direct resources position another 2.1 indirect jobs are created
Mackay Region population is just over 121,000 with an annual growth of 2.1% with projections reaching 200,000 within two decades and simply not enough homes to support this growth
The so called resources boom is not a boom but a long term sustainable strategy with a highly successful established sugar industry ensuring that the region remains Australia’s largest sugar producer and exporter
The Central Highlands region of Queensland is one of the key areas for the State’s coal mining industry covering some 60,000 square kilometers which is host to 16 mining projects in various stages of development securing much of the Central Highlands future for the next two to three decades at least
Economic activity has been a catalyst for Mackay’s development with new residential projects including homes, units, townhouses and apartments on the way and in the planning pipeline to try to cope with an exceptionally high demand
Business travel continues to expand having topped the million-passenger mark per annum during 2011 and Mackay Airport has responded with major expansion and development to cope with $18 million of investment into upgrading the runway, a new terminal and improved retail and dining facilities
The city has become a venue for a range of conferences, business meetings and events. The award winning Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre ensures that the city has the ability to host large-scale conferences and events
Mackay is well set on a trajectory of economic success that has been a catalyst for Mackay’s evolution as a dynamic and appealing regional city, offering attributes of a tropical lifestyle and a city and region with a successful and great prosperous future
Did you know that the Bowen Basin is Australia’s richest coal seam estimated at some 35 billion tonnes – of which around 8.7 billion tonnes is prized premium hard coking coal with around 4 million tonnes suitable for open-cut mining! That is immense and highly profitable position to be in
Moranbah in the heart of the Bowen basin is Queensland’s coal capital – with Mackay on the coast to the east the industry’s essential service centre and port with coal terminals at Dalrymple bay and Hay Point providing two of Queensland’s links to export markets worth Billions of Dollars to the Australian Economy
The region produces about half of Queensland’s coal but because much of it is of the high value coking coal variety its export value ranks as much as three quarters of the total value of coal exports from the State highly improving the value of mining towns within the Basin
Other established and successful industries include : tourism, sugar, cattle, cotton and smaller agricultural industries
Current industry investors include : BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance, Anglo American, Vale, India’s Adani Group etc
Mackay’s retail centre is ideal for exploring on foot with a wide choice of shopping and cafe dining. Larger malls are in planning stages to cater to the high demand placed by a growing population
Tourist attractions include the Pioneer River and Bluewater Trail, Bluewater Lagoon, Botanic Gardens, 31 sandy beaches, the Mackay Marina where one can charter a boat, and of course the Great Barrier Reef on the doorstep with plenty to do, see and enjoy
Other attractions include hiking trails, bird watching, butterfly viewing, fishing, camping, boating, riding, swimming off pristine beaches, Cape Palmerston National Park or visit one of Queensland’s oldest coastal communities of St Lawrence to the south. A novel way to experience the coal mining industry is to explore The Mining Trail that stretches for 300km along the Peak Downs Highway from Clermont in the west to Mackay, Hay Point and Sarina on the coast or divert to some amazing explorable opportunities along the way
Of the 50 coal mines in the area, just over half fall into the Isaac Region where the population of 23,000 expands to over 42,000 with the fly in fly out workers
Mackay and surrounds continue to experience growing pressure on housing which in turn puts pressure on rental prices attracting astute investors looking for both capital growth opportunities plus high rental yields not found in major capital cities
There are around only 1,000 homes being constructed per year in Mackay, not nearly enough to meet the high demand. As new blocks are released in existing and new estates, these blocks continue to be released at a higher dollar value than those released earlier. Developers and builders price according to demand and market values being achieved
The Central Highlands is however more than just mining, this is a major agricultural and horticultural region producing beef, grains, cotton, grapes, melons and citrus fruits resulting in agriculture being the second largest employer with a range of small and medium enterprises successfully adding to the regions business and employment profile
Being a region with great employment and business industries comes with new challenges to provide the infrastructure and services that the region’s growing communities need – requiring further investment and opportunity with hundreds and millions of dollars being allocated for community infrastructure development; retail and industrial development; transport and tourism projects and significant mining expansion of course
The region is fast becoming a ‘region of choice’, for those looking to live, work and invest, enhance the skills base and stimulate business and infrastructure development
The opportunity to Invest in Our Future is enticing as fundamentals for this region stack up and are of a long term nature where work with Central Highlands business, industry and community to enable investors to position themselves to maximise opportunities for future economic growth and build a strong, healthy, vibrant community in the process whilst mitigating the key obstacles that prevent investors from doing this … working towards the overall success of the region’s evolving marketplace
The key focus of the Central Highlands Development Corporation is to recognise and respond to the demands on infrastructure and respond to ensure our communities are safe, happy places to live, work and invest
