Macksville New South Wales | |
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Coordinates | 30°43′0″S152°55′0″E / 30.71667°S 152.91667°E |
Population | 2,782 (2021 census) [1] |
Postcode(s) | 2447 |
Elevation | 3 m (10 ft) |
Time zone | AEST (UTC+10) |
• Summer (DST) | AEDT (UTC+11) |
Location |
|
LGA(s) | Nambucca Valley Council |
State electorate(s) | Oxley |
Federal division(s) | Cowper |
Macksville is a small town on the Nambucca River in the Nambucca Valley, New South Wales, Australia. It is halfway between Sydney and Brisbane, along the Pacific Highway, approximately 40 minutes north of Kempsey, 40 minutes south of Coffs Harbour, 70 minutes north of Port Macquarie, five hours south of Brisbane and five hours north of Sydney.
At the 2021 census, Macksville had a population of 2,782, [1] despite the sign at the entrance to the town claiming a population of 7000 (this figure represents the population of Macksville & surrounds). This included 8.9% Indigenous persons, 5.6% born overseas, and 84.7% born in Australia.
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1954 | 2,007 | — |
1961 | 2,114 | +5.3% |
1966 | 2,129 | +0.7% |
1971 | 2,252 | +5.8% |
1976 | 2,277 | +1.1% |
1981 | 2,352 | +3.3% |
1986 | 2,811 | +19.5% |
1991 | 2,869 | +2.1% |
1996 | 2712[ citation needed ] | — |
2001 | 2,658 | — |
2006 | 2,658 | +0.0% |
2011 | 2,786 | +4.8% |
2016 | 2,598 | −6.7% |
2021 | 2,782 | +7.1% |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics data. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] |
It is home to the Macksville Bridge, Macksville RSL, and Star Hotel, located on River Street and overlooking the Nambucca River. The Nambucca Valley Council chambers are located in Macksville.
Macksville was named after Angus Mackay and Hugh McNally, who built the Star Hotel in 1885. [7] The town became Macks Village before changing to Macksville.
Nambucca Post Office opened on 1 August 1868 and was renamed Macksville in 1889. [8] The first Nambucca River road bridge that carried the Pacific Highway, opened on 12 December 1931 replacing a ferry service. [9]
Australian Test cricketer Phillip Hughes, who was born and raised in Macksville, was struck on the neck by a cricket ball in a Sheffield Shield match in November 2014, and died several days later. The funeral, held at Macksville High School, brought global attention to the quiet country town. [10] In December 2017, the Pacific Highway bridge bypassing the town, over the Nambucca River, was named in his honour. [11]
Macksville has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Express Coach Builders, formerly Nambucca River Engineering, has been bodying buses in Macksville since 1971. [14]
Radio stations accessible in Macksville include Triple M (2CS-FM 106.3 and 2MC-FM 106.7),[ citation needed ] hit (105.5 & 105.1)[ citation needed ] and Triple J (91.5 & 96.3). [15] There is also a Nambucca Valley community radio station (2NVR 105.9FM) which focuses on the Macksville, Bowraville, Nambucca Heads and surrounding communities. [16] Local papers include the Midcoast Observer[ citation needed ], Hibiscus Happynings[ citation needed ] and Guardian News.[ citation needed ] There are no local television stations but all major free-to-air networks broadcast to the town.
Macksville has a strong sporting history. Each November it holds NSW's oldest professional foot race, the 120m Macksville Gift. In 2023 the Men's Gift winner was Leonard King and the Women's Gift winner was Emma Lee. [17]
Macksville is known for its passion for rugby league and has been the home of Group 2 Rugby League club Macksville Sea Eagles since 1912. Between 2002 and 2007 Macksville won five Group 2 titles.
Macksville holds an annual show. The Macksville Show is held on the last weekend in April. The showground also hosts a range of other events throughout the year including cattle sales, the "Rusty Iron Rally" and "Pro-Ag". Since 2013 Macksville has held a river festival that includes fireworks, music, magical floating lanterns and show rides. It is organised by both Macksville and Nambucca Rotary Clubs. A new riverside stage was constructed for the 2015 event. In 2016 the event was discontinued due to being financially unviable. [21]
Macksville is halfway between Sydney and Brisbane on the Pacific Highway. The town was bypassed in late 2017. [22] Macksville railway station is on North Coast railway line. [23]
Gosford is a waterfront city at the northern end of Brisbane Water on the Central Coast in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Gosford waterfront is known for its boating and scenic views on the shores of Brisbane Water. Gosford is the main commercial hub and gateway of the Central Coast. It is situated approximately 77 km (48 mi) north of Sydney and 86 km (53 mi) south of Newcastle. Gosford is located in the local government area of the Central Coast Council.
Coffs Harbour, locally nicknamed Coffs, is a coastal city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, 540 km (340 mi) north of Sydney, and 390 km (240 mi) south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 as per 2021 census. The Gumbaynggirr are the original people of the Coffs Harbour region.
Liverpool is a suburb of South Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 31 kilometres (19 mi) south-west of the Sydney CBD. Liverpool is the administrative seat of the local government area of the City of Liverpool and is situated in the Cumberland Plain.
Cooma is a town in the south of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 114 kilometres (71 mi) south of the national capital, Canberra, via the Monaro Highway. It is also on the Snowy Mountains Highway, connecting Bega with the Riverina.
Tweed Heads is a coastal city at the mouth of the Tweed River in the Northern Rivers region of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Tweed Heads is the northernmost town in New South Wales, and is located in the Tweed Shire local government area. It is situated 830 km (520 mi) north of Sydney and 103 km (64 mi) south of Brisbane. The town is next to the border with Queensland and is adjacent to its "twin town" of Coolangatta, which is a suburb of the Gold Coast in Queensland.
Nambucca Valley Council is a local government area in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.
Casino is a town in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales, Australia, with a population of 9,968 people at the 2021 census. It lies on the banks of the Richmond River and is situated at the junction of the Bruxner Highway and the Summerland Way.
Murwillumbah is a town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Tweed Shire, on the Tweed River. Sitting on the south eastern foothills of the McPherson Range in the Tweed Volcano valley, Murwillumbah is 848 km north-east of Sydney, 13 km south of the Queensland border and 132 km south of Brisbane.
Boggabri is a small town in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia. It is part of Narrabri Shire and lies between Gunnedah and Narrabri on the Kamilaroi Highway. At the 2021 census, the town had a population of 885 people.
Bowraville is a small town in the Mid North Coast hinterland of New South Wales, Australia in the Nambucca Valley. The town is known for tourism with attractions such as a folk museum, a war museum, a historic theatre, and other historic buildings.
The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north-east of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region, situated 416km north of Sydney, covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens at Hawks Nest to as far north as Woolgoolga, near Coffs Harbour. The region has many beaches and subtropical national parks and forests as well as rural farmland and logging. Major coastal towns include Coffs Harbour, Forster and Port Macquarie. The Mid North Coast is a popular destination for camping or resorts and surfing, with coastal and hinterland tracks, with the unique heritage-listed mountain village of Bellbrook popular for day trips inland or 4wd campers and keen bass fishers.
Mullumbimby is a town in the Byron Shire in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. It promotes itself as "The Biggest Little Town in Australia". The town lies at the foot of Mount Chincogan in the Brunswick Valley about 9 kilometres by road from the coast. At the 2021 census, Mullumbimby and the surrounding area had a population of 3,589 people. It is known for its hippie subculture.
The Nambucca River is a river located in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.
Kempsey is a town in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia and is the council seat for Kempsey Shire. It is located roughly 16.5 kilometres inland from the coast of the Pacific Ocean, on the Macleay Valley Way near where the Pacific Highway and the North Coast railway line cross the Macleay River. It is roughly 430 kilometres north of Sydney. As of June 2018 Kempsey had a population of 15,309 (2018).
Urunga is a small town located within the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, in Bellingen Shire. It is famous for its surf spots. At the 2021 census, Urunga had a population of 3,185. The town is south of Coffs Harbour and Sawtell and north of Nambucca Heads. The place name is derived from the Gumbaynggir word Yurūnga, which is derived from the word for long yurūn in reference to "long white sands".
Eungai is a town on the mid-North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is made up of two localities, Eungai Creek and Eungai Rail, although both have the same postcode. The Eungai district is midway between Sydney (500 km) and Brisbane, midway between Port Macquarie (90 km) and Coffs Harbour, and midway between Kempsey (20 km) and Macksville. It is in the Nambucca Valley. It has a population of 605 in the 2021 census.
Nambucca Heads is a town on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia in the Nambucca Valley. It is located on a ridge, north of the estuary of the Nambucca River near the Pacific Highway. Its 2021 population was 6,675, including 5,226 (78.3%) Australian-born persons and 672 indigenous persons.
Scotts Head is a coastal village of the Nambucca Valley local government area in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, approximately 10 kilometres (6 mi) from the Pacific Highway and 480 kilometres (300 mi) from Sydney, it stretches southwards from just south of the mouth of the Nambucca River to the town of Scotts Head in the south.
Macksville railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the North Coast line in Macksville, Nambucca Shire, New South Wales, Australia. The station serves the town of Macksville, and opened on 1 July 1919 when the line was extended from Kempsey. The station is also known as Macksville Railway Station group. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Nambucca Heads railway station is located on the North Coast line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the town of Nambucca Heads, opening on 3 December 1923 as Nambucca Heads. It was renamed Nambucca in October 1925, before resuming its original name on 21 June 1964.