Racecourse is a western

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

Mackay Mackay may refer to: *Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives Mackay may also refer to: Places Australia * Mackay Region, a local government area ** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region *** Mackay Airport ...

in the

Mackay Region The Mackay Region is a local government area located in North Queensland, Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by three previous local government areas with modern histories extending back as far as 1869. It has an estimat ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. In the , Racecourse had a population of 181 people.

Geography

The northern boundary follows a small section of the

Pioneer River The Pioneer River is a river in North Queensland, Australia. The long river flows through the city of . History Captain John Mackay and his party were the first Europeans to discover the river in 1860. Mackay named it Mackay River after his ...

while most of the eastern boundary is aligned with the North Coast railway line. Most of the land in Racecourse is used for the cultivation of

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

. The cane is transported via a network of

cane tramways The rail network in Queensland, Australia, was the first in the world to adopt narrow gauge for a main line. In 2013, it claimed to be the second largest narrow gauge network in the world. The network consists of the following lines: *the N ...

through the district and refined at the local Racecourse Sugar Mill ().

History

The suburb takes its name from the Mackay Racecourse established by the Mackay Turf Club in 1867 on the south-west corner of the

Peak Downs Highway The Peak Downs Highway links the towns of Mackay, Queensland, Mackay and Clermont, Queensland, Clermont in the Australian state of Queensland. It represents the main link between Queensland's Whitsunday Islands, Whitsunday Coast and the Central ...

and Broadsound Road /

Bruce Highway The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast on its way to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is part of the Australian Natio ...

, which is now within present boundaries of the suburb of Ooralea and has been renamed Ooralea Racecourse.

Demographics

In the , Racecourse had a population of 242 people. In the , Racecourse had a population of 184 people. In the , Racecourse had a population of 181 people.

Heritage listings

Racecourse has a number of heritage-listed places, including: * Selwyn House, Cowleys Road

Education

There are no schools in Racecourse. The nearest government primary schools are Mackay West State School in neighbouring West Mackay to the east and Dundula State School in neighbouring Bakers Creek to the south-east. The nearest government secondary school is

Mackay State High School Mackay State High School is a government secondary school at 123 Milton Street, South Mackay, Mackay, Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. The school offers education to students from grades 7 to 12 and provides a range of academic programs ...

in South Mackay to the east.

References

External links

* {{authority control Suburbs of Mackay, Queensland