The City Heart

  Mackay's city heart is a blend of the old, the new and the naturally beautiful with Heritage listed buildings juxtaposed by sleek cafés, boutique shops and palm tree lined streets with the blue river flowing alongside. Enjoy the sparkling blue Pioneer River with a stroll along the Pioneer Promenade boardwalk and Bluewater Quay. The boardwalk will also take you to the city's newest edition, the Bluewater Lagoon. Fun for all the family the lagoon has fabulous amenities and is located right on the river's edge. Experience Mackay's history on a self guided Heritage Walk. Discover twenty heritage-listed buildings from a hotel built in 1889 that has poured cold ones for thousands of rough and ready cane cutters over the year; to the turn of the century Police Station, Court House and Commonwealth Bank; to art deco inspired architecture. Top off a day of culture with a visit to the Artspace, Mackay's regional art gallery and museum. The gallery features local arts and heritage as well as an ever-changing program of international standard exhibitions. The city heart also boats more than 250 shops and services including major banks, cinemas and hotels. Visit unique specialty stores and boutiques in the city heart or take a trip to Caneland Central, the city's major shopping centre that boasts all the best in fashion and convenience. On the city's north side, Mount Pleasant Shopping Centre also offers a wide variety of shops and services. Most importantly of all, Mackay's city heart offers a myriad of great places to eat. Dine at local favourites like Sorbellos Italian Restaurant, which boats value for money authentic Italian food; Kevin's Place, to get indulge in some of the best Asian dishes in town; or the new instant favourite Burp, Eat, Drink where food is served with passion, flair and delicious style.

Accommodation

The Lanai Luxury Riverside Apartments on River Street are central to the CBD, shopping centres and the Bluewater Lagoon. These newly built and modern furnished apartments are designed for living, now just sleeping, and feature spacious living areas, fully equipped kitchens, plasma TVs, free undercover parking and private balconies with outdoor settings. Lanai offer a range of rooms to suit everyone's holiday needs including romantic getaways and family holidays. For more information visit www.lanaiapartments.com.au or call (07) 4957 4401.

Marina Village

Mackay's Marina Village is a fairly new edition to the city, with the Harbour Beach and benefitting from a complete face-lift over the last decade. The Marina Village boasts a range of different shops and restaurants, some of which feature fresh, local seafood like The Lighthouse Seafood Restaurant, which is one of the city's favourite eateries. Enjoy a casual lunch by the beach at the Mackay Surf Club, or a cold Sunday beer at Sails or the Yacht Club. The Marina Village also has a number of residential apartments and townhouses as well as the Clarion Mackay Marina luxury hotel for visitors who would like to spend their time as close to the water as possible. The Marina features nearly 500 berths and also a state-of-the-art boat maintenance and repair facility. There is also a boat ramp and a large car park to cater for local anglers fishing out of the harbour.

Fishing

There is also some great fishing on offer for land-based anglers along the Marina's breakwall, which is frequented by anglers year round. During winter black jewfish, fingermark and cod are available off the breakwall with the warmer months producing good catches of small mackerel, Spanish mackerel, queenfish, trevally and cobia. From February and March snub-nosed dart and golden trevally are also available. The Harbour is also a great launching spot to access some of Mackay's great briny fishing. Directly out from the Harbour Beach, Flat Top and Round Top islands produce some of the area's best inshore fishing for species like mackerel and tuna.