Marian is a rural town and

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

in the

Mackay Region The Mackay Region is a local government area located in North Queensland, Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by three previous local government areas with modern histories extending back as far as 1869. It has an estimat ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. In the , the locality of Marian had a population of 4,224 people.

Geography

The town is located on the south bank of the

Pioneer River The Pioneer River is a river in North Queensland, Australia. The long river flows through the city of . History Captain John Mackay and his party were the first Europeans to discover the river in 1860. Mackay named it Mackay River after his ...

approximately west of Mackay. The river forms part of the northern boundary. In the east is Mount Vince which remains vegetated. Surrounding the town is farmland, mostly growing sugar cane, which is serviced by a network of rail lines. These lines lead to the Marian Mill which was constructed in 1885.

History

The town name ''Marian'' comes from the name of the (now closed) Marian railway station, which in turn reportedly derived its name from a local property called ''Mary Ann''. The first Catholic church was officially opened in 1901 by

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

Joseph Higgins. It was a "small plain wooden structure". Father

Pierre-Marie Bucas Pierre-Marie Bucas (1840-1930) was a pioneer Roman Catholic priest in Waikato, New Zealand, and Queensland, Australia. Early life Bucas was born in the small town of Saint-Jean-la-Poterie, Brittany, France on 21 August 1840. He was the 11th ...

was the priest of the Mackay district at that time. Marian Presbyterian Church opened in 1902. Marian Mill Post Office opened by 1 January 1909 (a

receiving office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

had been open from 1886) and was renamed Marian in 1910. In December 1882, Helen Porter Mitchell (later

Dame Nellie Melba Dame Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell; 19 May 186123 February 1931) was an Australian operatic lyric coloratura soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early twentieth century, and was the f ...

) married Charles Armstrong, the manager of the Marian Sugar Mill. A house was built for them beside the mill. It was not a happy marriage as they separated in December 1883. Their home was later relocated to a riverbank location on Eungella Road in Edward Lloyd Park two kilometres from the centre of Marian and named Melba House. It serves as a museum to Nellie Melba and as the Pioneer Valley Visitor Information Centre. The Marian Mill Provisional School opened on 15 November 1886. In 1899 it became the Marian State School.The

Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute for women in the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. In 2019, the institute had about 6,200 Religious sister, sisters worldwide, organized into a number ...

established a convent in 1921 with a view to establishing a school. The Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School was officially opened on Sunday 6 April 1924 by

Joseph Shiel Joseph Shiel (17 February 1873 – 7 April 1931) was a Roman Catholic priest in Australia. He was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Rockhampton from 26 January 1913 until his death on 7 April 1931. Early life Joseph Shiel was born on 17 February 1 ...

. It closed on 31 December 1987. On

Whitsunday Whitsun (also Whitsunday or Whit Sunday) is the name used in Britain, and other countries among Anglicans and Methodists, for the Christian holy day of Pentecost. It falls on the seventh Sunday after Easter and commemorates the descent of the Ho ...

5 June 1927, Bishop Shiel officially opened and blessed the new Holy Rosary Catholic Church. It was an imposing Romanesque structure. The old church was relocated to lower level on the site, between the new church and the convent.

Demographics

In the , the locality of Marian had a population of 3,019 people. In the , the locality of Marian had a population of 3,903 people. In the , the locality of Marian had a population of 4,224 people.

Economy

Mackay Sugar Mackay Sugar is the largest sugar producer in Queensland and second largest sugar producer in Australia. In 2013, Mackay Sugar was inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame. History Mackay Sugar Limited (MSL) was formed through ...

operates the Marian sugar mill where over 2 million tonnes of sugar is crushed every year, making it one of the largest sugar mills in Australia. Marian was one of the many towns across

Central Queensland Central Queensland is an imprecisely-defined geographical division of Queensland ( a state in Australia) that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton. The region extends from the Cap ...

that were affected by the mining boom in

. During this time the Nabilla Riverlink Estate was developed in Marian, and now holds a large portion of Marian’s population.

Education

Marian State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 137 Anzac Avenue (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 564 students with 42 teachers (38 full-time equivalent) and 34 non-teaching staff (18 full-time equivalent). Pioneer Valley Cluster Special Education Program is a primary and secondary (Prep-12) special education program operated from the Marian State School. There is no secondary school in Marian. The nearest government secondary school is Mirani State High School in neighbouring Mirani to the west.

Amenities

The

Mackay Regional Council The Mackay Region is a local government area located in North Queensland, Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by three previous local government areas with modern histories extending back as far as 1869. It has an estimat ...

operates a mobile library service on a fortnightly schedule at the Mackay-Eungella Road near the school. Marian Town Centre is a shopping centre located in Marian. Opened in 2013, the centre has a full line Woolworths,

The Reject Shop The Reject Shop is an Australian discount variety store chain selling a range of goods such as food, snacks, gift cards and party, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, storage, kitchenware, homewares and seasonal items in 375 store locat ...

, Subway and a Porters Mitre 10. Holy Rosary Catholic Church is at 284 Anzac Avenue (). There are a number of parks in the area: * Anzac Park () * Lloyd Park ()

manages parks, multiple walking and bike paths and a cemetery in the Marian area.

References

External links

*
Town map, 1984
{{authority control Towns in Queensland Mackay Region Localities in Queensland