When Mackay was grappling with an economic crisis that left the city “at the bottom of the trough”, a group of sporting advocates plotted to transform the region into a cricketing epicentre.
While Harrup Park has stood for 78 years, the past decade has been spent building towards a vision: to possess the best arena in regional Queensland capable of bringing international spectacles to the Sugar City.
That moment finally arrived when Australia cruised to victory by an innings and 51 runs against Bangladesh inside two sold-out days at the venue’s Great Barrier Reef Arena.
When asked from Harrup Park if there was a moment in the city’s history with a comparable buzz, restaurateur Adrian Connors – who has lived in the area for 36 years – replied: “I don’t believe there is.”
“Mackay has probably been lacking really big events like this, and I think we’re obviously very capable,” he said.
“It’s probably one of the first times we can actually feel the benefit and the energy and the vibe around town.
“To see people dressed up in their outfits, Australian jerseys, walking down Nebo Road, Bridge Road, Juliet Street, is just unreal, and it’s put a real atmosphere in town.”
A 12-hour drive north of Brisbane and with a population of 130,000, Mackay’s main economic drivers had centred around coal mining and sugar cane.
When the price of coal plummeted in the 2010s, a population exodus, business closures and financial upheaval followed.
But sport, according to mayor Greg Williamson, promised opportunity to diversify the economy.
“When I first got the job in 2016, we were at the bottom of the trough. Sport is one of the ways, I believe, you can pull a community out of that trough,” he said.
Williamson said about $1 million a year was spent to bring sport, business and tourism events to Mackay, with service industries growing their capacity to handle larger-scale spectacles – including NRL semi-finals (2021) and AFLW clashes.
“I’m sure there are a lot of people in Australia saying, ‘Where is Mackay? Why is there a Test match being played in Mackay?’” Williamson said.
“That’s the question you need to have people asking because that will lead to people saying they might come. That leads to investment, and that leads to growth.
“The pitch is always, can you do it? Yes. Will the grounds stand up to it? Absolutely. Do we have the capacity with the management teams to actually deliver the event? Yes.”
Harrup Park’s growth has been the driving force for change.
Campaigning initiatives spearheaded by the likes of general manager Adrian Young and Mackay Cricket Association president Terry Doolan reaped $20 million between state and government funding commitments for stage one of their Great Barrier Reef Arena vision and brought elite cricket to the region.
A 2000-seat grandstand (included in the 10,000 spectator capacity) and broadcast facilities have been built to meet the demands of marquee events.
A further $23.5 million in state funding was secured to begin stage two. Williamson said he and Young have ventured to Canberra pushing for federal support to complete the near $50 million second stage for the multi-sport hub and elite training facility. Ideally, an onsite hotel would be included.
The expansions have already accommodated WBBL and one-day international fixtures, with Queensland Cricket chief Terry Svenson stressing it had “been a strategic objective” for a decade to deliver more elite cricket to regional areas.
“The facilities at Great Barrier Reef Arena are excellent and clearly show the ongoing commitment and investment into the venue that have allowed a Test match to be played,” Svenson said.
Connors – who runs Mackay restaurant The Dispensary with his brother Damien – noted a spike in interstate and intrastate visitors from the Tuesday before the Test started, with hospitality trade tripling. Similarly, on day one of the Test a Greek restaurant was booked out until 9pm, with a lamb shortage ensuing.
While Connors felt “our connectivity between the experiences outside of cricket needs to improve” to enhance tourism and service sectors, the fact the Test lasted two days provided opportunities for travellers to experience the “areas which are undiscovered, and a lot of people don’t know of”.
Just some of those hotspots include the northern beaches regions – the Eimeo Pacific Hotel perhaps laying claim to one of the greatest pub views in the country – Pioneer Valley rainforests west of town, and the Cape Hillsborough beaches further north.
Luke “Sparrow” Gillian has spearheaded Australian Cricket Tours for more than 25 years – bringing with him dozens of followers, and visiting 93 cricket grounds across the world.
The Melbourne-based organiser brought at least 20 people to Mackay from all around the country and will bring 256 travellers to October’s three-Test series in South Africa.
“Every night after play, wherever we are in the world, we go somewhere different – this rooftop somewhere in India, this beer garden in Cape Town … we’ll always make sure we get out in society and the culture of where we are,” Gillian said.
“That’s the beauty of going back to a city year in, year out – you understand where you want to go, and what you did last year.
“You always love getting away from the winter if you can; I’d much rather come to Mackay than Bali.”
Williamson said if cricket backed up its Olympics debut at the Los Angeles Games in 2028 with inclusion at Brisbane 2032, Mackay’s goal was to serve as its sole host.
“To get there, we’ve got to convince Cricket Australia and Queensland Cricket to have a lot more games in Mackay over the next five or six years,” he said.
Former Australian allrounder James Hopes believes there is even greater scope to tap into the north beyond one-off contests, and in turn, benefit the national side.
Hopes – born in Townsville and raised in Cairns, where his formative cricket years launched him towards 84 one-day internationals – pointed to the Cowboys in the NRL as evidence of a plethora of athletic talent in northern Australia that needed a pathway close to home.
He believed franchise T20 Cricket had a significant role to play, advocating for long-term expansion of the Big Bash competition to north Queensland, the Northern Territory, country NSW and regional Victoria.
“It should definitely be thought more about – accessing the younger generation from the country and helping them come through the system,” said Hopes, now coach of the Bulls and the Heat.
“There is a support base in north Queensland for high-level sport, and with the cricket talent in this country, you can put a competitive team on the field who aren’t playing what we call professional cricket.
“That’s when you tap into all these guys who may never be discovered because there are so few teams.”
Hopes advocated for the domestic season beginning earlier, taking advantage of northern Australia’s warmer winter climate without clashing with AFL venue schedules, while adding flexibility to the cricket calendar.
“I think it’s a no-brainer that cricket should be played in, not only northern Queensland, but northern Australia in general,” he said.
Gillian wanted more international cricket to come to Mackay, believing there was a huge opportunity for other cricketing nations who typically would not sell out the bigger stadiums – Zimbabwe and the West Indies among them – to grace the region.
“It’s important for Mackay, as it is for any regional centre, to host another Test match, because very quickly Mackay will be off the radar and people will forget this place exists,” he said.
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