Fishers, fashionistas, fitness gurus: 30 Mackay and Whitsundays’ Instagram influencers, ranked

From fisherman and fitness gurus to photographers and fashionistas, meet 30 of Mackay/Whitsundays’ up and coming Instagram stars, ranked by popularity. FULL LIST

Home to great fishing, white sandy beaches and The Great Barrier Reef, Mackay and the Whitsundays are also home to a number of up and coming Instagram stars.

From fitness ‘fit-fluencers’ to fashion and beauty social media starlettes, these Queensland locals have earned themselves thousands of loyal followers, by sharing pictures and videos of their everyday lives with their audiences.

Who will take the top spot?

Here are the top 30 Instagram influencers putting Mackay and the Whitsundays on the map, ranked by follower count.

30. Sheree Catania – @shereecatania

Followers: 10.2k

A fashion and lifestyle vlogger, Whitsundays-based Sheree Catania is an influencer who has earned a following of more than 10,000 people by sharing pictures of her envious lifestyle of travelling through Ibiza, Mykonos and other picturesque destinations while wearing the latest trending fashion.

29. Em Osborne – @kiss_and_release

Followers: 10.7k

Passionate about fishing, fitness and family, Em Osborne is a fishing fanatic from Mackay who has earned herself a solid following for her photos catching, kissing and releasing a number of different marine life including flatheads, mudcrabs, trevally and more.

28. Bella Mackenzie – @bellamackenzieofficial

Followers: 12.4k

A former Mackay Holy Spirit College student turned country music artist, Bella Mackenzie recently received national acclaim after getting a four chair turn on The Voice Australia and being mentored by Guy Sebastian.

After her appearance on The Voice, Mackenzie continues to perform, sharing singing videos on her Instagram and posting pictures from her appearances at festivals and gigs on her page, including most recently touring with country singer James Johnston.

27. Lily Mercieca & Hayden Greener – @thegreenertwo

Followers: 13.6k

Hailing from the Whitsundays, Lily Mercieca and Hayden Greener are adventure and travel photographers better known by their name ‘The Greener Two’, showing off the best of nature and beaches in Queensland.

Mercieca and Greener say that the most incredible part of their Instagram journey has been building relationships with people who genuinely care about the beauty of places across the country.

“Our followers are like our extended family, and we’re grateful for the amazing connections we’ve made with people all around the world,” Mercieca and Greener said.

“...It began as a personal project, but as more people started following us, it evolved into a platform to inspire others to chase their dreams and live a life less ordinary.”

Posting photos and videos of the great outdoors, including Whitsundays’ secret beaches and beautiful islands, Mercieca and Greener’s main message for their followers is to get outside and explore.

“Our core message is about encouraging people to embrace the beauty of the natural world and step out of their comfort zones,” Mercieca and Greener said.

“Whether it’s exploring local gems, or embarking on big journeys, we aim to inspire everyone to create their own amazing memories through outdoor adventures.

“Follow your passions, whether it’s sailing, travel or any other interest. Life is an adventure, and it’s meant to be lived to the fullest!”

With a focus on sustainability, the professional content creators live on a sailing boat and contribute to a number of non-profit organisations including Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef and Lizard Island Research Station.

26. Nicole Thomson – @_nicole_thomson_

Followers: 14.2k

A professional wedding and family photographer from Airlie Beach, Nicole Thomson is known for posting beautiful photos of her everyday life, from glamping at Lake Proserpine, exploring waterfalls in the Whitsundays and spending time with partner Brodie and children Leo and Primi.

Thomson also raises awareness of pregnancy and infant loss by sharing her story of her daughter Esther Mae with her followers.

25. Tia Gostelow – @tiagostelow

Followers: 14.3k

An Indigenous singer-songwriter from Mackay, Tia Gostelow has built up a loyal fanbase for her original pop music, most recently finishing her national tour for her latest album, Head Noise.

The winner of multiple Queensland Music Awards, including 2019 Album of the Year for her second album Thick Skin, Gostelow is also the creator of Mackay’s SugarDrop music festival, promoting local bands and talent.

24. Natalie Maree – @_nataliemaree

Follower: 14.4k

A lifestyle blogger with an affinity for fashion, Natalie Maree is a 20-year-old influencer from the Whitsundays whose picturesque Instagram feed is full of bikini photos, trending fashion, her adorable miniature dachshunds Olive and Dozer, and snippets of her everyday life.

Collaborating with a number of brands, Maree promotes fashion labels including Lounge Underwear, City Beach and Princess Polly.

23. Mark Norman – @wildcroc_whitsundays

Followers: 14.8k

A retired Proserpine River crocodile guide, Mark Norman is an avid fisher with more than 15 years experience as a crocodile safari tour guide who enjoys getting up and close with saltwater crocodiles.

With nearly 15,000 Instagram followers, Norman shares videos of his interactions with the crocodiles as well as his fishing expeditions in his hometown of Airlie Beach.

22. Mel Rose – @mellxrosee

Followers: 14.9k

Originally from New Zealand, Mel Rose is a Qantas crew member and self-professed ‘adventurer’ who resides at Airlie Beach when she’s not travelling the world.

Rose’s Instagram feed is full of photos exploring the blue oceans of the Whitsundays, snowboarding in New Zealand, solo-travelling Perth and trying out beach drone photography.

21. John Williams – @lil_john_09

Followers: 16.2k

Founder of fitness program Bionic Bodies, John Williams is a fitness coach and exercise guru known for his workout inspiration videos and photos showing of his and his clients’ muscled physiques.

Recently signed with Australian Sports Nutrition, Williams often posts deadlifting and exercise content at World Gym Mackay.

20. Clare Nixon – @clare_nixon

Followers: 16.9k

A trainer at F45 Airlie Beach, Clare Nixon is an Instagram influencer with a focus on lifestyle and beach content, sharing photos of herself relaxing on the Queensland coastline, often alongside her adorable dog, Harper.

19. Anne Marie Pisano – @annemarie_fishing_

Followers: 17.3k

A Mackay-based fisherwoman and bikini model, Anne Mare Pisano has been fishing from a young age and posts her best catches on her Instagram page, not limited to massive red emperors, Spanish mackerel and yellowfin tuna.

18. Keith Blaney – @kbkieseker

Followers: 18k

Voted Mackay’s best personal trainer of 2023 by Daily Mercury readers, Keith Blaney or ‘KB Kieseker’ is a trainer and wellness coach at World Gym Mackay who helps his clients achieve their goals and overcome obstacles, sharing his own experiences with mental health struggle and substance abuse.

With more than 18,000 followers, Blaney shares videos of his workouts, as well as inspirational messages about recovery, motivation and practising gratefulness.

17. Ashleigh Bridget – @ashleighbridget

Followers: 18.3k

Co-owner of ocean apparel brand Pallion Point and premium travel magazine The Rambler Co, Ashleigh Bridget describes herself as a ‘travel creative’, taking on the most beautiful destinations in the country with her partner and fellow travel blogger James Vodicka.

Sharing gorgeous pictures and videos from places such as Lizard Island, South Molle Island and Mount Mulligan, Bridget is also currently renovating a cottage in the Whitsundays.

16. Zoe Lee Wood – @zoeleewood

Followers: 18.6k

Owner of digital marketing agency, Whitsunday Marketing, Zoe Lee Wood is a lifestyle influencer whose feed consists of photos spending time with her son Arlo, posing on luxury yachts, pictures at the gym and relaxing by the beach.

15. Andrew Trigg – @triggysfishing

Followers: 18.7k

A Mackay fisherman with a passion for catching barramundi, Andrew Trigg or ‘Triggsy’ has earned more than 18,000 followers for his pictures showing off his biggest catches, sharing photos of giant trevally and pilchards, with the help of his fishing dog, Charlie George the toy cavoodle.

14. Adam Di Pietro – @iamvalo

Followers: 19.8k

Currently based in Mackay, Adam Di Pietro is a producer and DJ known for his original, remixed and bootlegged music, performing in venues across the country, including Mackay’s very own Rabbit Hole where he regularly performs.

13. James Vodicka – @jamesvodicka

Followers: 20.6k

An award-winning travel and lifestyle photographer, James Vodicka lives in the Whitsundays where he has collaborated with brands including GoPro, Nikon and XXXX Beer and travelled to Fiji, Italy and France through his photography work.

Sharing his beautiful travel photos on his Instagram page, Vodicka is also an editor and photographer of premium travel magazine The Rambler Co, launched in 2021 alongside his partner Ashleigh Bridget, with an aim of showcasing the best Australian destinations.

12. Tanya Puntti – @whitsundaysphotography

Followers: 21.8k

A professional photographer located in the Whitsundays, Tanya Puntti’s incredible nature and ocean photography showcases the best of Queensland’s marine life, sunsets, and white sandy beaches.

Puntii sells her incredible photos at the Airlie Beach markets through her stall Coral Sea Designs.

11. Mick Hassett – @micksgonefishing

Followers: 22.2k

Having lived in Mackay for the last 35 years, Mick Hassett is an avid fisher who has worked in the industry for 10 years, sharing his passion for lure fishing and jigging on his Instagram and YouTube accounts.

Specialising in a range of different fishing techniques, Hassett shares his best catches on his Instagram account where he boasts more than 20,000 followers.

10. Johnny Gaskell – @johnny_gaskell

Followers: 23.7k

Johnny Gaskell is a Whitsundays-based marine biologist with a passion for diving and advocating for the protection of the Great Barrier Reef, sharing professionally-recorded videos of the world’s largest coral reef on his Instagram.

Gaskell also produces his own music, often heard accompanying his videos exploring the Queensland ocean.

9. Rochelle Wilson – @rochellewilson_

Followers: 23.8k

A former bikini model, competitive swimmer, fitness coach and mother of two, Rochelle Wilson is a fitness influencer with a focus on women's health, offering one-on-one online fitness coaching, post-partum workouts and a message of non-restrictive diets and exercise.

Wilson is also passionate about art, creating and selling her own abstract artwork on a secondary Instagram account @rochellewilsonart.

8. Holly Thornton – @hollythorntonn

Followers: 30.1k

A make-up artist based in the Whitsundays, Holly Thornton is a fashion and beauty influencer who shares pictures of her glamorous lifestyle relaxing on Airlie Beach an exploring the gorgeous coastlines of the Whitsundays.

7. Brittany Kate – @brittanykate

Follower: 42.5k

Known for her distinctive tattoos, Brittany Kate is an OnlyFans star from Mackay who has amassed more than 40,000 Instagram followers for her feed sharing pictures of her day-to-day life of partying and exploring Queensland.

6. Jessica Griffin – @_jessicagriffin

Followers: 45.7k

Jessica Griffin is a gym buff who shares videos and photos of her athletic physique on her Instagram page where she boasts more than 45,000 followers.

Posting content from World Gym Mackay, Griffin shares photos of her fit figure and distinctive abdominal tattoos on her Instagram, TikTok and OnlyFans where she is in the top 0.8% of creators.

5. Evelyn Wood – @evelyn_wood

Followers: 45.8k

An avid dressmaker, Mackay-based Evelyn Wood is a professional seamstress who teachers her followers how to sew and create their own garments, founding her own online ‘Vintage Sewing School’ to share her expertise.

Known for her vintage designs in combination with modern garments, Wood has more than 300,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel where she is currently taking a break from posting as she undergoes treatment for breast cancer.

READ MORE: MACKAY SEWING YOUTUBER EVELYN WOOD’S BATTLE WITH BREAST CANCER

4. Dylan Mooney – @dylanmooney_

Followers: 50.5k

Originally from Mackay, Dylan Mooney is a proud Yuwi, Torres Strait and South Sea Islander artist who specialises in painting, printmaking and digital illustration with a focus on culture, history and queer identity.

Mooney’s recent artwork ‘Still Thriving’ was recently awarded the 2023 Brisbane Portrait Prize and features on a 40-metre mural in Darlinghurst, Sydney.

3. Mathew Scholz – @pelagicpursuit

Followers: 105k

Recently hitting 100k Instagram followers, Mathew Scholz is a fisherman based in the Whitsundays who shares incredible videos of his interactions on the water, from catching monster fish to exploring the crystal clear waters of the Queensland coast.

2. Mark Fitz – @_markfitz

Followers: 108k

An accountant for 14 years, Mark Fitz is an award-winning travel and wildlife photographer who left his career in finance in 2016 to travel the world and take photos.

Working with companies including Tourism Australia, P&O Cruises, Mackay Tourism and Tourism Whitsundays, Fitz most recently won a Comedy Wildlife Photography Award for his photo of ‘Terry the turtle’ flipping him the bird at Lady Eliot Island.

READ MORE: MARK FITZ ON ‘HOW INSTAGRAM CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER’

READ MORE: TURTLE ‘FLIPPING THE BIRD’ TAKES OUT COMEDY PHOTO AWARD

1. Kaitlyn Downs & Bear the Blu Staffy – @beartheblustaffy

Followers: 162k

A cute pup who recently celebrated his second birthday, Bear the Blue Staffy is a Whitsunday-based “pup-fluencer” who has amassed more than 160,000 followers for his adorable photos and videos of him posing at the beach, wearing costumes and being a goofball.

Bear’s owner, Kaitlyn Downs says that the best part of growing such a large audience has been seeing the positive impact Bear has made on people’s lives.

“I love seeing people comment about how he brings so much love and positivity through to someone through a screen,” Downs said.

“You don’t know what someone is going through and to hear he makes other people happy is the greatest achievement I could ever have.”

Downs decided to make Bear’s Instagram account after the loss of her two childhood pets who, just like Bear, were also staffies.

“When I went back to look at photos and videos, I realised I didn’t have many,” said Downs.

“I had seen an influx of pet Instagrams around the time we got Bear in December 2021 and decided to make one - then I would have all of his videos and photos in one place.”

Posting multiple times a week, Downs’ photos of Bear receive tens of thousands of likes and have been shared by the likes of NRL star Latrell Mitchell and TikTok star Anna Paul.

While she’s collaborated with numerous pet brands on her page, Downs’ says that working with Melbourne-based dog apparel company ‘Darren and Phillip’ was a “full circle moment”.

“Darren and Phillip create matching human and dog apparel, “ Downs said.

“They donate 20 per cent of their profits each year to various charity organisations around the world and work tirelessly to provide hope an a better future for the dogs in their care.”

As well as working with a company that has donated more than $1 million to charities, Downs and Bear have also been able to eliminate stigma that comes with the staffie breed through their Instagram page

“Owning a Staffordshire Bull Terrier comes with many positives, however there are a few people who don’t like the breed and that is their own opinion,”she said.

“However, I get to use this platform to spread positivity and be an advocate for this beautiful breed and show everyone the positive attention they truly deserve.”

In the past year, Downs and Bear have grown their Instagram account by more than 100,000 followers.

Downs says those looking to build their own Instagram following need to “find their niche, be present, and interact with their followers”.