Mackay students will present projects developed through a STEM advanced manufacturing program at a local showcase. The event will be held at Eimeo Road State School on Friday, 30 October 2026, from 10 am to 1 pm. Students will share what they have learned and present possible solutions to industry challenges, developed with manufacturing partners. Senior secondary students will also pitch their projects to a shark tank panel. Mackay is one of eight Queensland locations hosting showcases across October and November.
Travis Head has called for Australia's batsmen to build stronger partnerships ahead of the third Test in Cape Town. He said the side has relied on one batter per innings rather than a collective effort. Head made 121 in Gqeberha, but Australia was bowled out for 99 in the innings that led to their loss. Head said the team has struggled to find partnerships in recent weeks, despite facing strong attacks. Head also said batting order makes little difference to his approach, and he expects his place as opener to stay for now.
Mackay Regional Council has opened applications for Australia Day event grants, with community groups encouraged to apply. Not-for-profit groups can apply for up to $1000 to support a free Australia Day event held within the council area on Tuesday, January 26, 2027. Organisers must be a registered not-for-profit group or hold a letter of support from one. Mayor Greg Williamson said the council supported 11 community events for Australia Day 2026. Applications close at midnight on Sunday, November 22 and are made through the council website.
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Mackay and Whitsunday builders have won four awards at the 2026 Master Builders Queensland Housing and Construction Awards. The 40th annual ceremony was held in Brisbane on Saturday, 17 October. Trent Deen from Stroud Homes Mackay received the KIA Australia Rising Star Award, while Amanda Wilson from Fergus Builders won the Women in Building Award. Morris Constructions QLD and Cotter Builders also took home residential awards for their projects.
Mackay indoor golfers are supporting Cancer Council Queensland through X-Golf for Good, a national fundraising campaign running across October and November 2026. X-Golf Mackay chose the charity as its partner. Players can compete in indoor golf challenges, including a team scramble from 26 to 30 October and a Community Night on 29 October. Residents can also donate through a QR code at the venue, or buy chips that send $2 per serving to the campaign. A national silent auction runs during the final two weeks.
About 300 people gathered at Fitzgerald State School on 17 October 2026 for Mackay Garba Night 2026. The Mackay Indian Association organised the evening, which celebrated Garba, a traditional Gujarati folk dance linked to Navratri. Attendees danced, wore colourful clothing and enjoyed music. MP Nigel Dalton attended. The organisers and volunteers were thanked for their efforts, and the event was described as a way to pass cultural traditions on to younger generations.
Riverina MPs have expressed shock and sorrow at the alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines outside her Wangaratta electorate office. Haines was critically injured after allegedly being struck by a Toyota LandCruiser on Monday afternoon. A 43-year-old man was arrested at the scene, and a knife was found inside the vehicle. Police and counter-terrorism authorities are investigating, and the motive remains unknown. One Nation MP David Farley urged people not to speculate, while Michelle Milthope and Nationals MP Michael McCormack praised Haines and wished her a speedy recovery.
Reigning PBR Australia champion Kurt Shephard won the Monster Energy Tour event in Mackay, scoring 89.90 points on Last Post in the Championship Round. His two-for-three riding gave him a 176-point aggregate and $7,300 in prizemoney, despite wet conditions. Shephard now leads the national standings with 2,758 points, 289 ahead of second-ranked Zane Hall. The Tour continues in Tamworth on 24 October 2026, before the PBR Australia Grand Finals in Townsville on 13 and 14 November 2026.
Global Grooves 2026, a free family festival, will be held at Queens Park in Mackay this Saturday, October 24, from 3pm to 8pm. The event will feature 13 cultural dance groups and bands, workshops and 17 food vendors. Performances include Latin, Irish, Scottish, Thai, Indian, Filipino, Indonesian and Chinese acts, opened by a First Nations Welcome and Smoking Ceremony. Market stalls will sell traditional fashion, accessories and gifts. Mayor Greg Williamson said the event would include both returning and new community groups. Global Grooves is an initiative of Mackay Regional Council.
Young people aged 11 to 17 in Mackay can vote this week to choose 12 members of the third Mackay Youth Council from 21 candidates. Polling stations are set up at local schools, Headspace at Caneland Central and other community venues. Voting runs from October 19 to October 23, with counting starting on October 24. The successful candidates are expected to be sworn in for an 18-month term in early 2027. Mayor Greg Williamson said the council was the first in Australia to have an elected youth council under the Foundation for Young Australians' Young Mayors program.
Queensland paramedics say they are spending entire 12-hour shifts with patients stuck outside overcrowded emergency departments. Latest figures show 42 per cent of ambulance patients at the state's top 26 public hospitals waited more than 30 minutes to be transferred in August. QEII Hospital recorded the highest rate in Queensland at 64.8 per cent. A 51-year-old man was found dead about two hours after calling Triple Zero, and an investigation is underway. Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the government remained hopeful of meeting its target of under 30 per cent by 2028.
Australia's senior fast bowlers, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, have recovered from a heavy workload in the Durban Test. Pat Cummins also bowled 29 overs there. Hazlewood (35) and Starc (36) opening the attack at Kingsmead is only the sixth time in Australia's past seven Tests that two bowlers aged 35 or over have shared the new ball. Australia now faces a crowded schedule of matches, with pitches expected to demand more endurance. Hazlewood said he plays each Test as though it could be his last.
A coroner has suspended the inquest into the disappearance of Mackay schoolgirl Marilyn Wallman after a new witness emerged. Coroner David O'Connell said the family may suggest that brothers Noel and Tommy Morris were involved. Tommy Morris was not scheduled as a witness, and the court heard he had left Mackay for South Australia months after the disappearance. The inquest will resume on December 8. Witness Lyle Wright has given differing accounts of car colour and the whereabouts of Noel Morris.
A man who found part of the skull of Marilyn Wallman, a Mackay schoolgirl who vanished in 1972, has told an inquest he and friends used it as an ashtray at a pub. Greven Breadsell said he discovered the remains in 1974 at McGregor Creek near Mirani and initially believed they belonged to an Aboriginal person. He told police he kept the skull at his shed for several weeks. A 2015 video of his police walkthrough was played to the court. DNA testing in 2006 confirmed the remains were Marilyn's.
Troppo Markets has moved to Caneland Central in Mackay, where its first market lifted overall foot traffic by 20 per cent. The monthly market runs on the second Sunday of each month from 7.30am to 11.30am, with a gold coin entry donation. Several food outlets, including Laffo's, Muffin Break and Jamaica Blue, will open slightly earlier to serve market shoppers. Centre manager Mark Farquhar said management will monitor traffic, parking and pedestrian access during the first few markets. The centre's owner, Sentinel Property Group, says the event will help draw visitors and strengthen ties with the local community.
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Australia won the first Test against South Africa by 214 runs in Durban after captain Pat Cummins moved Matt Renshaw down to number five. Cummins said Renshaw's strong play against spin in the one-day series prompted the change. South Africa named two specialist spinners for the match. Renshaw scored 190 in the first innings and 82 in the second, batting against spin well. The second Test begins in Gqeberha in four days, and Cummins said the batting order could change again depending on conditions.
Camryn, a heart surgery survivor, and her family will take part in the Two Feet & A Heartbeat charity walk in Mackay on Saturday, 17 October. The event starts at 3pm at Old Mulherin Park and brings together people living with childhood-onset heart disease, along with their families and supporters. Camryn was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot before birth and had a full repair at six months old. Her mother, Kimberly, says she has shown remarkable resilience. The walk raises funds for HeartKids, which provides information, hospital support and peer connections for affected families.
Organisers have announced a second round of artists for the Toyota 55th Tamworth Country Music Festival, which runs from 15 to 24 January 2027. A one-off tribute to the late Dolly Parton features Amber Lawrence, Max Jackson, Melody Moko and Michael Waugh, alongside previously announced acts. Ticket sales are tracking ahead of last year. The Pub Group has added headline shows, including Mack Geiger, whose show is the fastest selling ever at the Longyard Hotel and across The Pub Group. Brad Cox will play two Tamworth shows, an afternoon acoustic set and an 18+ full band show.
A Mackay grandfather dying from asbestosis has been awarded nearly $1.9 million, Australia's largest compensation payment on record. Robin Smith developed the disease after exposure to asbestos while working as a plumber at the Mackay Harbour Board from the mid-1960s. The court found he was exposed to asbestos cement pipes at the port between 1981 and the mid-1990s. About $800,000 of the award was for pain and suffering. Experts told the court his condition is progressive, irreversible and fatal, with a life expectancy of about five to six years.
