Mackay

Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about 970 kilometres north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar. To me, the whole part of Queensland northwards from Brisbane is entirely planted with sugar cane.

The industry in Mackay has its roots back in the 19th century. Historically, plantations were small and had their own mills to crush the cane during harvest. Over the years as the industry grew and developed, co-operatives were formed to consolidate the harvesting, crushing and distribution of the sugar in selected zones. Throughout the 20th century, the privately owned mills in the Mackay district closed one by one until only four remained – Marian, Racecourse, Farleigh and Pleystowe. Today, Pleystowe is the oldest surviving mill in the district.

Compared to many of its neighbouring cities and regions in Queensland, Mackays tourism industry is small and still developing. This is despite being close to notable attractions including Eungella National Park, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Whitsunday Islands.

For the night in Mackay, we chose to stay at Marco Polo Motel Mackay, which is a family owned and operated 38-roomed motel on Nebo Road.

All rooms have wireless broadband access and Austar.

It comes with the usual drinks and snacks.

The complex also includes a swimming pool, spa, sauna and laundry facility.

But to us, the best part of this place was the bathroom.

Why? Just look at how wide that mirror is!

Marco Polo Motel Mackay
46-50 Nebo Road, Mackay, QLD 4740, Australia
Tel: +61 7 4951 2900
E-mail: reservations@marcopolomotel.com.au

For dinner, we decided to give (where we normally would not) an Asian takeaway a try.

Noodle Paradise had easy parking, perhaps due to how everyone was enjoying their Christmas break. They had a steady stream of customers while we were there so we thought, they should not be too bad. From the lady's accent and the content of the menu, we deduced: Yup, they are Malaysian. And since we have entered a paradise for noodles, we all ordered a different type of noodle dish. Are you able to tell the difference?

Noodle Paradise
1/143 Victoria Street, Mackay, QLD 4740, Australia
Tel: +61 7 4957 3688
Mon - Thurs, Sun 10:30am - 9:30pm; Fri - Sat 10:30am - 10:30pm
*Cash only