Population 304 (2011 census) State electorate(s) Hinchinbrook Postal code 4850 Lga Shire of Hinchinbrook | Postcode(s) 4850 Macknade Lucinda Local time Friday 4:21 PM Federal division Division of Kennedy | |
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Location 13 km (8 mi) NE of Ingham
95 km (59 mi) NW of Townsville
1,207 km (750 mi) NW of Brisbane Weather 32°C, Wind NE at 16 km/h, 66% Humidity | ||
Macknade is both a town and a locality in the Shire of Hinchinbrook, Queensland, Australia. In the 2011 census, Macknade had a population of 304 people.
Contents
Map of Macknade QLD 4850, Australia
Geography
Mackade is bounded by the Herbert River on the south and east, the Seymour River on the west and the Coral Sea to the north.
History
The Macknade Sugar Company opened a sugar plantation and the Macknade Sugar Mill in the area in 1874. The district took its name from the mill, which in turn took its name from a house in Kent, England where the mill's owners had lived.
Macknade State School opened on 13 November 1893.
The postal receiving office opened in about 1901 and became a post office in October 1902. The post office closed on 29 October 1993.
Economy
The Macknade Sugar Mill is situated on the banks of the Herbert River. It is the oldest raw sugar mill in Queensland. Its highest output was in 2005 when it crushed 1.82 million tonnes of sugar cane.
The estuarine location of Macknade is well-suited for sugar growing, but it is also well-suited for aquaculture. Coral Sea Farms on Neame's Inlet Road raise both black tiger prawns (Penaeus monodon) and barramundi (Lates calcarifer).