Mackay’s Great Barrier Reef Arena set for major development
Take a sneak peek inside the game-changing development that could make Mackay one of the biggest regional sporting centres in Australia. The new vision could set up the city for a slice of the Olympic and Paralympic pie.
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The stage is set to thrust Mackay into the sport stratosphere as Harrup Park Country Club reveals new plans to expand Great Barrier Reef Arena.
The project — estimated to cost $15-$20m — would place Mackay in a prime position to host elite sport ahead of the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics in Brisbane.
Stage 2 would also generate 60 local jobs during construction and a further 58 jobs once operational.
The expansion is expected to generate $11.8m in turnover and lead to an estimated $4.8m Gross Regional Product increase for the Mackay region.
But it will require significant investment, with Harrup Park seeking to lobby all tiers of government to reach fruition.
Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson, in a speech on Friday heralding the new plans, said the money required was reasonable.
“When you look at $100m or $200m dollars put into Townsville for a sporting stadium, it’s great, it’s tremendous and it’s good to see, another $20m commitment for stage 2 is nothing,” he said.
Dawson Labor contender Shane Hamilton said Stage 2 was one of three key projects he would push for if elected to represent the electorate.
“This is an important project for me,” he said.
“This is one of the commitments that I’ve put to the party to date.”
Mr Hamilton listed more regional doctors and the Resources Centre of Excellence alongside Harrup Park as his key targets.
Mr Hamilton said he had already spoken to Opposition Infrastructure Minister Catherine King about Harrup Park and he talked about the club whenever an opposition minister was in town.
“I am trying as hard as I can to get funding for this project,” he said.
Harrup successfully secured a $20m investment, split between the federal and state governments, for stage one which is expected to be complete before the end of the year.
The venue has already attracted Big Bash, Women’s Big Bash, international women’s cricket matches and AFLW but the expansion will open up more opportunities.
Stage 2 is expected to attract more elite sport, community carnivals and training teams.
The plans, to be announced today, feature two high ball courts, indoor cricket and AFL training facilities, gym and fitness facilities, a hydrotherapy pool and dormitory accommodation.
Following successful hosting of the Under-19 National Cricket Championships earlier this month, Harrup Park chairman Terry Doolan said cricketers were amazed at Mackay’s facilities, which he said were “at the very top” when compared to other regional cities across the country.
Mr Doolan suggested the next stage of development would not only help Mackay host elite sport but also inspire the next generation of Mackay sport.
“The junior kids are going to want to play because they’ll see their heroes playing out there,” he said.
“Hopefully, it will increase the numbers playing and increase their ability to play the games.”
Mr Doolan said Mackay’s “growing regional population” made it ideally positioned to become a vital centre for sport, from the grassroots to the elite levels.
The new development will also enable Mackay to cater for people of all abilities and from all walks of life.
“With its large scale multipurpose precinct and connection with a diverse range of popular sports, GBRA provides a perfect base for competition, camps, clinics, carnivals, education and training,” Mr Doolan said.
“And with Queensland’s own Olympic and Paralympic Games on the horizon, GBRA will play an important part in developing talent and bringing international competition to our region.”
The club is eager to ensure the facilities are used all year round and proposed the planned function space could make the development useful to more than just Mackay’s sporting clubs and user groups.
The project has received official letters of support from Queensland Cricket, Netball Queensland, AFL Queensland, the Gold Coast Suns and Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association.
Local sporting leagues and organisations including Mackay Tourism have also thrown their support behind the proposal.
Mackay Netball Association chairwoman Allison Bugejasaid access to indoor courts in Mackay, particularly on wet days where outdoor netball could not be played, could be hard to come by.
“We have to have contingency plans and even when you want to have clinics, you want to be out of the sun,” she said.
“Having an indoor facility is always great but there is just not that much availability here in Mackay and there are some but they aren’t a safe size and doesn’t let us have spectators.”
Ms Bugeja said having high end netballing facilities locally would encourage young netballers to stick with the sport long-term and importantly keep them playing locally for as long as possible.
Sporting Wheelies currently leases a building from council for Mackay’s disability sportsmen and women.
While grateful for the building, Sporting Wheelies CEO Amanda Mather said the most accessible route required travel across a “paddock” which was “not easy in a wheelchair”.
In combination with a lack of space, Ms Mather said it made it difficult to expand the organisation’s work for people with disability in the region.
She said Harrup Park has offered them a “game-changing” opportunity for parasports not only in Mackay but in Queensland’s central-north region.
“A lot of towns and a lot of organisations can take a leaf from their book. They’re being really forward thinking in keeping us in the loop and involved in the planning for this,” Ms Mather said.
Inaugural ambassadors for the arena Beth Mooney and Lauren Bella will join federal candidates for Dawson Shane Hamilton (ALP) and Andrew Wilcox (LNP) at the launch event.
The Harrup Park development has been in the works for some time, with initial attempts to secure government funding to get stage one off the ground in 2019 and 2020 proving to be a frustrating process.
The club is looking to partner with all tiers of government to achieve the required project investment for the second stage.
GBRA’s inaugural ambassadors
Elite cricketer Beth Mooney and AFLW player Lauren Bella are the inaugural ambassadors for the Great Barrier Reef Arena. They have landed in Mackay today for the launch of Stage 2 plans.
Mooney has endeared herself to Mackay with astonishing skill on the pitch to win her a legion of fans in the city.
Dubbed the Master of Mackay after her unbeaten 125 in the Australian Women’s Cricket thrilling last-ball victory against India at GBRA in 2021, Mooney is no stranger to the world-class facilities.
Her WBBL exploits with the Brisbane Heat further cemented her favoured status among Mackay’s cricketing ranks.
Even before the recent expansion, she said Mackay’s facilities and crowds were always impressive. It’s the reason she was not surprised when the International game turned out to be such a raging success.
“It took Covid for us to get out to regional communities and Mackay was the beneficiary of that,” she said.
“But it was no surprise to us who had played there during the WBBL that Mackay came out and supported us. Hopefully, the expansion means it won’t take Covid for us to return.”
Mackay product Bella, from the Gold Coast Suns, is considered one of the best rucks in the AFLW. Bella played for local Mackay junior club, Sarina Demons, and came through the Suns Academy.
What’s included?
- Two high-ball courts, including show court and spectator seating
- Indoor cricket and AFL training facilities
- Community sports training facilities
- All abilities facilities and access
- Dormitory accommodation with a capacity of 20-30 people
- Sports Education centre
- Gym and fitness facilities
- Sports administration offices (AFL/Cricket/Community Sports/Qld Sports & Recreation)
- Recovery and rehabilitation facilities, including hydrotherapy pool
- Function Room
- Additional event broadcast facilities
- Female and male change rooms and toilets
- Cafe and Kitchen
- Car parking
Who will benefit?
- Mackay Netball Association
- Mackay Hockey
- Mackay Basketball
- Sporting Wheelies Association (Qld & Mackay)
- AFL Mackay
- Mackay Cricket Association
- Queensland Cricket
- AFL Queensland
Major Events
- Opportunity to host a country or event for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games
- Major cricket events including BBL, WBBL, Sheffield Shield, Internationals
- AFL matches including AFLW, JLT Series, Gold Coast Suns
- Entertainment acts from Australia and overseas
- Large community events
- Estimates indicate more than 25 per cent of attendees at major events would be overnight visitors to the region
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