The Shire of Pioneer was a local government area surrounding the city of Mackay and including all but its innermost suburbs. The shire, administered from Mackay itself, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1879 until 1994, when it was dissolved and amalgamated with City of Mackay.
History
The Borough of Mackay was proclaimed on 22 September 1869 under the Municipal Institutions Act 1864. Pioneer Division was one of the 74 divisional boards established on 11 November 1879 under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 with a population of 2884 and covered the region surrounding but not including the Borough of Mackay.
With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Pioneer Division became the Shire of Pioneer on 31 March 1903. The Pioneer Shire Council Chambers at 1 Wood Street, Mackay, were constructed in 1935 and are now listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
The Shire of Sarina was established from the southern part of the Shire of Pioneer on 1 January 1912 under the Local Authorities Act 1902.
The Shire of Mirani was established from part of the Shire of Pioneer on 4 September 1913 under the Local Authorities Act 1902.
On 21 November 1991, the Electoral and Administrative Review Commission, created two years earlier, produced its second report, and recommended that local government boundaries in the Mackay area be rationalised. The Local Government (Mackay and Pioneer) Regulation 1993 was gazetted on 17 December 1993, and on 30 March 1994, the Shire ceased to exist and was merged with the City of Mackay. Gordon White, who had served as chairman of Pioneer since 1983, won the resulting mayoral elections and was then mayor of the City of Mackay until 1994.
Towns and localities
Suburbs:
Andergrove Beaconsfield Blacks Beach Bucasia Cremorne Dolphin Heads Eimeo Erakala Foulden Glenella Mackay Harbour Mount Pleasant Nindaroo North Mackay Ooralea Paget Racecourse Richmond Rural View Shoal Point Slade Point
Towns: Bakers Creek Ball Bay Brampton Island Calen Farleigh Halliday Bay Hampden Kuttabul Laguna Quays Lindeman Island McEwens Beach Midge Point Mount Ossa Oakenden Pindi Pindi Seaforth St Helens Beach Walkerston
National Parks: Cape Hillsborough NP Eungella NP Mount Jukes NP Mount Martin NP Mount Ossa NP Pioneer Peaks NP Reliance Creek NP
Other localities: Alexandra Balberra Balnagowan Belmunda Bloomsbury Chelona Dumbleton Dunnrock Greenmount Habana Homebush Mentmore Mount Charlton Mount Pelion Munbura Palmyra Pleystowe Rosella Sandiford Sunnyside Te Kowai The Leap Victoria Plains Yalboroo
Chairmen 1885–1890:Walter PagetWalter Trueman PAGET — Mackay History. Retrieved 22 May 2016. 1901: Walter Paget 1927: William Henry Kirkup 1934–1947: Ernie EvansEvans, Ernest (Ernie) — Queensland Parliament. Retrieved 29 May 2016. 1955–1957: Ernie Evans 1983–1994: Gordon White, who continued as mayor of City of Mackay after the amalgamation until 1999.
Population Year Population 1933 9,926 1947 11,606 1954 14,316 1961 15,741 1966 19,900 1971 22,561 1976 26,938 1981 33,732 1986 36,084 1991 40,614
References
External links Local Government (Mackay and Pioneer) Regulation 1993