Mirani is a rural town and

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...

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 estima ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia. In the , the locality of Mirani had a population of 1,541 people.

Geography

The locality of Mirani is predominantly flat land used for

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus '' Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalk ...

farming. It is bounded to the south by Lake Kinchant, the impoudment created by the Kinchant Dam. The

Pioneer River The Pioneer River is a river located 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 af ...

passes through the locality from west to north and forms part of the northern boundary. The Mackay–Eungella Road passes from east to north-west through the locality. There are a network of private tramways through Mirani to transport the sugar cane to the Mackay Sugar mills. The town of Mirani is situated centrally within the locality on the eastern bank of the Pioneer River with Mackay-Eungella Road passing through it.

History

Yuwibara The Yuwibara, also written Yuibera and Juipera and also known as Yuwi, after their language, are an Aboriginal Australian people, originating from the area around present-day Mackay, on the east coast of Queensland, Australia. Country Accordin ...

(''also known as ''Yuibera, Yuri, Juipera, Yuwiburra)'' is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken on Yuwibara country. It is closely related to the Biri languages/dialects. The Yuwibara language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the

.' The Pioneer Valley railway line coming west from Mackay to Mirani (then known as ''Hamilton'') was built in 1885. Later the name was changed to Mirani to avoid confusion with

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

. The line had the following stations servicing the locality (from west to east): * Yeolands railway station () * Mirani West railway station () * Mirani railway station () * Nanyima railway station () * Otterburn railway station () Between 1886 and 1896 land was made available for

selection Selection may refer to: Science * Selection (biology), also called natural selection, selection in evolution ** Sex selection, in genetics ** Mate selection, in mating ** Sexual selection in humans, in human sexuality ** Human mating strateg ...

to be agricultural farms on the resumed portions of the Hamilton and Hopetown pastoral runs. The

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 s ...

called Hamilton had provided limited postal services to the community, and in 1885 the name Hamilton was changed to Hopeton. Mirani Post Office replaced the Receiving office in April 1890. Mirani Provisional School opened on 18 January 1892, becoming Mirani State School on 11 March 1897. In 1961, the school added a secondary department, which operated until a separate secondary school was opened in 1967. The school was located at Augusta Street on the site of the current secondary school. On 22 June 1968, the school relocated to its present site in Maud Street with new buildings. On Sunday 10 December 1899,

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

Joseph Higgins, accompanied by 500 other people, travelled by special train to Mirani, where Higgins laid the foundation stone for a new Catholic church in Mirani. The new convent was opened on Sunday 6 April 1924. A new church opened on Sunday 5 June 1927. On Sunday 15 March 1908, Reverend T. Hely-Wilson laid the foundation stone for an Anglican church. The church opened on Sunday 20 September 1908, when it was dedicated to the

Good Shepherd The Good Shepherd ( el, ποιμὴν ὁ καλός, ''poimḗn ho kalós'') is an image used in the pericope of , in which Jesus Christ is depicted as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. Similar imagery is used in Psalm 23 ...

. In August 1951,

Wilfred Belcher opened a new Good Shepherd Anglican Church. On Sunday 12 July 1908, a Presbyterian church opened in Mirani. The church was re-opened on 4 August 1918. On 4 September 1913, the Shire of Mirani was established, split from the Shire of Pioneer under the ''Local Authorities Act 1902''. Mirani was the administrative centre of the shire. The

1918 Mackay cyclone 1910–11 cyclone season Cyclone 1 (1910) A cyclone hit Queensland, Australia near the city of Cairns. Cyclone 1 On 19 November 1910, a cyclone touched land in Western Australia when it had a minimum pressure of 965 hPa. It passed dir ...

struck the city of Mackay, Queensland, Australia on 2021 January 1918. It remains one of the most destructive cyclones to strike a populated centre in Australia. Mirani State High School opened on 23 January 1967. At the , the town of Mirani had a population of 813. On 15 March 2008, under the ''Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007'' passed by the Parliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Mirani merged with the

City of Mackay The City of Mackay was a local government area located in the Central Queensland region of Queensland, Australia, encompassing the regional city of Mackay and the surrounding region. The City was created as a municipal borough in 1869, and pr ...

and

Shire of Sarina The Shire of Sarina was a local government area located in the Central Queensland region of Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from the town of Sarina, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1912 until 200 ...

to form the

. In the , the locality of Mirani had a population of 1,541 people.

Heritage listings

Mirani has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Victoria Street (): Lt Thomas Armstrong Memorial * Victoria Street: Mirani railway station

Education

Mirani State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 12 Maud Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 343 students with 20 teachers (19 full-time equivalent) and 19 non-teaching staff (10 full-time equivalent). Mirani State High School is a government secondary (7-12) school for boys and girls at Augusta Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 842 students with 70 teachers (68 full-time equivalent) and 35 non-teaching staff (26 full-time equivalent). It includes a

special education Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

program.

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 esti ...

operates a library at 16 Victoria Street.

References

External links

* * {{authority control Towns in Queensland Mackay Region North Queensland Localities in Queensland