Marian, Queensland


Marian is a town and locality in the Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. It had a population of 3903 in.

Geography

The town is located on the south bank of the Pioneer River 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 Marian railway station, which in turn reportedly derived its name from a local property called Mary Ann.
Marian Mill Post Office opened by 1 January 1909 and was renamed Marian in 1910.
In December 1882, Helen Porter Mitchell 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.
In the Marian had a population of 3,019 people.

Industry

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 that were affected by the mining boom in Central Queensland. During this time the Nabilla Riverlink Estate was developed in Marian, and now holds a large portion of Marian’s population.

Services

The Mackay Regional Council operates a mobile library service on a fortnightly schedule at the Mackay-Eungella Road near the school.
Mackay Regional Council manages 3 parks, multiple walking and bike paths and a cemetery in the Marian Area.
Marian Town Centre is a shopping centre located in Marian. Opened in 2013, the centre has a full line Woolworths, The Reject Shop, Subway and a Porters Mitre 10.