Macksville is a small town on the

Nambucca River The Nambucca River is a river located in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features Nambucca River rises below Killiekrankie Mountain on the Dorrigo Plateau, part of the Great Dividing Range, and flows general ...

in the

Nambucca Valley Nambucca Valley Council is a local government area in the mid north coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The shire services an area of and is located adjacent to the Pacific Highway and the North Coast railway line. At the , Nambucca ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. It is halfway between

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, along the Pacific Highway, approximately 40 minutes north of Kempsey, 40 minutes south of

Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 as per 2021 census. The Gumbaynggirr ...

, 1 hour 10 minutes north of

Port Macquarie Port Macquarie is a coastal town in the local government area of Port Macquarie-Hastings. It is located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. The town is located on the Tasman Sea co ...

, 5 hours south of

and 5 hours north of Sydney.

Demographics

At the , Macksville had a population of 2,785, despite the sign at the entrance to the town claiming a population of 7000. This included 236 (8.5%) Indigenous persons and 2,302 (83%) others born in Australia.

Facilities

It is home to the Macksville Bridge, Macksville RSL, and Star Hotel, located on River Street and overlooking the

. The

Nambucca Valley Council Nambucca Valley Council is a local government area in the mid north coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The shire services an area of and is located adjacent to the Pacific Highway and the North Coast railway line. At the , Nambucca ...

chambers are located in Macksville.

History

Macksville was named after Angus Mackay and Hugh McNally, who built the Star Hotel in 1885. The town became Macks Village before changing to Macksville. ''Nambucca'' Post Office opened on 1 August 1868 and was renamed ''Macksville'' in 1889. The first Nambucca River road bridge that carried the Pacific Highway, opened on 12 December 1931 replacing a ferry service. Australian Test cricketer

Phillip Hughes Phillip Joel Hughes (30 November 1988 – 27 November 2014) was an Australian Test and One Day International (ODI) cricketer who played domestic cricket for South Australia and Worcestershire. He was a left-handed opening batsman who play ...

, who was born and raised in Macksville, was struck on the neck by a cricket ball in a

Sheffield Shield The Sheffield Shield (currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Marsh Sheffield Shield) is the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Sheffield Shi ...

match in November 2014, and died several days later. The funeral, held at Macksville High School, brought global attention to the quiet country town. In December 2017, the Pacific Highway bridge bypassing the town, over the Nambucca River, was named in his honour.

Heritage listings

Macksville has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * North Coast railway:

Macksville railway station Macksville railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the North Coast line in Macksville, Nambucca Shire, New South Wales, Australia. The station serves the town of Macksville, and opened on 1 July 1919 when the line was ...

* River Street:

Macksville Post Office Macksville Post Office is a heritage-listed post office on the corner of Cooper Street and River Street, Macksville, New South Wales, Australia. It was added to the Australian Commonwealth Heritage List on 8 November 2011. History The Nambu ...

Media

Radio stations accessible in Macksville include

Triple M Triple M is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 40 radio stations broadcasting a mainstream rock music format and 5 digital radio stations. The network dates back to th ...

(2CS-FM 106.3 and 2MC-FM 106.7),

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

(105.5 & 105.1) and

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

(91.5 & 96.3). There is also a Nambucca Valley community radio station (2NVR 105.9FM) which focuses on the Macksville, Bowraville, Nambucca Heads and surrounding communities. Local papers include the Midcoast Observer, Hibiscus Happynings and Guardian News. There are no local television stations but all major free-to-air networks broadcast to the town.

Sport and recreation

Macksville has a strong sporting history. Each November it holds NSW's oldest professional foot race, the 120m Macksville Gift. Macksville is known for its passion for rugby league and has been the home of Group 2 Rugby League club Macksville Sea Eagles since 1912. Between 2002 and 2007 Macksville won five Group 2 titles.

Notable people

Daniel Fitzhenry Daniel Fitzhenry (born 8 December 1979) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s. He played for the Wests Tigers in the NRL and Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League. He primarily played on the . ...

, rugby league player for

Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional Rugby league, rugby league football team, based in the Inner West and South West Sydney. They have competed in the National Rugby League since being formed at the end of the 1999 NRL season as a j ...

Matt Gillett Matthew Gillett (born 12 August 1988) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a forward in the 2010s. He played for the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL and Australia at international level. Gillett also play ...

, rugby league player for

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite com ...

and Australia *

, Test cricketer *

Greg Inglis Gregory Paul Inglis (born 15 January 1987), also known by the nickname of "G.I.", is a retired Australian professional rugby league footballer. His regular playing positions were Centre, Fullback, Five-eighth and Wing. From 2011 to 2019 he pl ...

, rugby league player for

South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen pla ...

and Australia, spent part of his childhood in Macksville *

Albert Kelly Albert Kelly (born 21 March 1991) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Redcliffe Dolphins in the Brisbane Rugby League. He has previously played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the Gold Coas ...

, rugby league player for

* Frank Partridge , decorated World War II soldier and regular on radio quiz show

Pick a Box ''Pick a Box'' was an Australian game shows that first aired on radio in 1948 until the early 1960s; subsequently, the concept transferred to TV and was broadcast from 1957 and 1971. The program was hosted by the husband and wife duo Bob and Dol ...

David Pereira 250px David Pereira (born 21 September 1953) is an Australian classical cellist, considered one of the finest working today. He was Senior Lecturer in Cello at the Canberra School of Music from 1990 to 2008. Later he worked there as a Distingui ...

, cellist *

Aden Ridgeway Aden Derek Ridgeway (born 18 September 1962) is an Australian former politician.''The Age'' (2006)Present politics Retrieved 6 July 2006. He was a member of the Australian Senate for New South Wales from 1999 to 2005, representing the Australia ...

, former NSW Senator * Noel Rowe, poet *

Ryan Stig Ryan Stig (born 7 November 1989) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer. He plays for the Limoux Grizzlies in the Elite One Championship as a and . He previously played for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League. Ba ...

, rugby league player for

Newcastle Knights The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, th ...

Schools

* Macksville Public School * St Patrick's Primary School *

Macksville High School Macksville High School is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive secondary day school, located in Macksville, in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1950, the school enrolled approximately 500 s ...

Culture, events and festivals

Macksville holds an annual show. The Macksville Show is held on the last weekend in April. The showground also hosts a range of other events throughout the year including cattle sales, the "Rusty Iron Rally" and "Pro-Ag". Since 2013 Macksville has held a river festival that includes fireworks, music, magical floating lanterns and show rides. It is organised by both Macksville and Nambucca Rotary Clubs. A new riverside stage was constructed for the 2015 event. In 2016 the event was discontinued due to being financially unviable.

Transportation

Macksville is halfway between

and

on the Pacific Highway. The town was bypassed in late 2017.Warrell Creek to Nambucca Heads – Pacific Highway upgrade

Roads & Maritime Services A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

is on North Coast railway line.

References

External links

{{authority control Mid North Coast Towns in New South Wales