Mackay Boat Ramp Campaign

29/10/2026

Good to see the North Mackay Saints getting upgraded lighting. Local sporting clubs deserve facilities that meet their needs.

Explaining the upgrade, Nigel Dalton said: “It was something the club had identified as a priority for several years.”

Mackay’s boating community can certainly relate to that. We’ve even supplied the State-commissioned studies to go with ours.

Launching capacity, tidal access and parking were being raised before a parliamentary committee in December 1994—almost 32 years ago. The marina and current ramp followed, and subsequent State studies have again identified the need for additional capacity.

For some perspective, the published historical figures include:

• **15,227 registered boats** in Mackay LGA in July 2022.

• **About 40,000 recreational fishers** in “Mackay” for 2019–20, as cited in a 2024 assessment prepared for Transport and Main Roads.

• **10,618 Australian rules participants** across Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday in 2019, including school programs.

• **About 3,700 rugby league participants** in QRL’s “Mackay” area in 2021.

• **2,662 cricket participants** across Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday in 2022–23.

These figures cover different years, areas and participation measures. They provide historical context, not an exact current ranking. Boats are not individual participants; fishing includes shore and boat activity, and the underlying boundary of the cited fishing estimate remains unconfirmed.

All these activities deserve recognition. Clubs and regular fixtures help make organised sport visible. Many boating and fishing outings happen independently, with family and friends, but their infrastructure needs still count.

Our longstanding priority is substantial additional protected, genuine all-tide recreational launching capacity for Mackay.

The next step is a funded, State-led, independent Stage 1 feasibility/options and scoping assessment to identify and test suitable locations and solutions, and establish a practical path towards delivery.

It’s encouraging to see longstanding recreational needs getting attention. We’d welcome some of that momentum down at the water.

Please share and follow the Mackay Boat Ramp Campaign:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581388556594

Nigel’s post:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1818977382684903/

28/10/2026

Help spread the word. Please share this post with your local boating, fishing and community groups.

Follow the Mackay Boat Ramp Campaign for updates and help us build support for better boating access in Mackay.

Campaign page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581388556594

07/10/2026

I believe there was someone at the ramp today conducting a survey.
Can anyone shed some light on where they were from and what was being asked?

06/10/2026

Pictures, stories.
Don't forget we need you pictures of the congestion and parking at the Harbour guys You stories and account of where you had to park and how long you had to wait are very valuable for the campaign.

03/10/2026

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! Peter Price, Matty Richardson, Alison Jones, Joe Williams, Haylee Maree Nicholas, Johnny Davies, Brodie Smith, Geoff Newby, Michael Allen, Dave Kennedy, Nick Jackson, Stew Hughes, Col Kimber

02/10/2026

Friday lunchtime at Mackay Harbour.

Today I counted 58 cars without boat trailers parked in the car-and-trailer spaces, with just one car and boat trailer amongst them. The wind is up, boating activity is low, and people are enjoying the harbour and its businesses.

Now imagine the same lunchtime demand on a good-weather boating day, when car-and-trailer parking fills and boaters are walking back from spaces up to 900 metres away.

Where does everyone fit?

A busy harbour is good for Mackay. Boaters, people coming for lunch, families and visitors all contribute to it. But they depend on parking and access that need to accommodate those uses together.

This is why retaining the overflow parking alone does not solve the broader problem. Mackay needs a State-led, site-neutral assessment of additional launching capacity and the landside infrastructure needed to support it.

We need to plan for a harbour people can use and businesses can benefit from, even when good boating weather and busy trading days Dalto

02/10/2026

Nigel, good to see community safety and law and order being discussed directly with the Premier. These are important issues for Mackay.

With the Premier visiting, could you also please raise our request for a State-led, site- and stakeholder-neutral feasibility assessment into Mackay’s boating infrastructure shortfall?

You already have our proposals and supporting information. The request is with the Transport Minister’s adviser, and the Mayor has publicly supported a State-led assessment.

We’re seeking a practical way forward to identify feasible locations for additional launching lanes and supporting landside infrastructure, improving safe and reliable boating access for locals and visitors.

Your support in taking this directly to the Premier would be welcome.

Great to have Premier David Crisafulli MP back in Mackay.

Community safety is one of the biggest issues locals raise with me, so it was a valuable opportunity to discuss what we’re seeing on the ground and hear directly from our local police.

We also spoke about Breach Bail, Go to Jail, the Government’s next step in strengthening bail laws and targeting serious offenders who continue to offend while on bail.

There’s more work to do, but we’re moving in the right direction. I’ll keep fighting to make sure Mackay’s voice is heard as we work towards a safer community.

01/10/2026

DID YOU KNOW>>>>>
Fishing and boating deserve a fair place in Mackay’s infrastructure planning.

Published figures give an indication of the scale:

• Roughly **40,000 recreational fishers** in the Mackay survey region in 2018–19.
• Approximately **3,700 rugby league participants** in the Mackay operating area in 2021.
• **2,982 registered soccer players** across the Mackay football zone in the 2018 report.
• **2,527 club and community cricket participants** in the Mackay council area in 2017–18.

Alongside those participation figures, BMT’s boating study recorded **15,227 vessels home-registered in the Mackay council area as at July 2022**.

These figures cover different years, boundaries and measures, so they provide a broad comparison rather than an exact ranking. Fishing participants and boat registrations also overlap and should not be added together. They nevertheless demonstrate the substantial scale of the community whose needs must be considered.

Boating serves passengers, partners, children and friends too. Counting registered vessels alone does not capture everyone who benefits from safe, practical access to the water.

Other sports deserve good facilities. Fishing and boating deserve infrastructure planning that recognises their community reach too.

That is why we are asking for a **State-led, site- and stakeholder-neutral feasibility study** to identify practical ways to address Mackay’s shortfall in launching capacity and supporting landside infrastructure.

REFERENCES

1. Fisheries Queensland — 2019–20 Statewide Recreational Fishing Survey: Key Results, page 11, Figure 3. The regional participation chart relates to recalled fishing during 2018–19.
https://era.dpi.qld.gov.au/id/eprint/7879/1/SRFS2019_Key_highlights_report.pdf

2. Queensland Rugby League — Infrastructure Strategy 2022–2030, page 18. Mackay operating area: approximately 3,700 participants in 2021.
https://www.qrl.com.au/contentassets/1642b74a9b6e4942831c737b5102178d/qrl_infrastructure-strategy-report_finala.pdf

3. Football Queensland — 2018 Statewide Facilities Audit, section 5.6, Mackay Regional Football Zone Profile: 2,982 registered Full Active Members.
https://footballqueensland.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/1809011-FQ-SWFA-Doc-Nov-2018-UPLOAD.pdf

4. Queensland Cricket — Queensland Cricket Infrastructure Strategy 2018–2028, page 20. Mackay LGA: 2,527 club/community participants in 2017–18. Publicly available copy:
https://www.readkong.com/page/queensland-cricket-infrastructure-strategy-2018-2028-4985704

5. Maritime Safety Queensland/BMT — Mackay assessment, Recreational Boating Facilities Demand Forecasting Study 2022, completed in 2023.
https://www.publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/recreational-boating-facilities-demand-forecasting-study-2022/resource/7baf3cce-d608-49c2-807e-daaaea4216b4