Palmyra | |||||||||||||
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 Palmyra sugar mill, 1895 | |||||||||||||
  Palmyra | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates:21°12′12″S149°04′59″E / 21.2033°S 149.0830°E /-21.2033; 149.0830 (Palmyra (centre of locality)) | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Queensland | ||||||||||||
| LGA | |||||||||||||
| Location |
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| Government | |||||||||||||
| • State electorate | |||||||||||||
| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 34.7 km2 (13.4 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 250 (2021 census)[2] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 7.20/km2 (18.7/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Time zone | UTC+10:00 (AEST) | ||||||||||||
| Postcode | 4751 | ||||||||||||
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Palmyra is a rurallocality in theMackay Region,Queensland, Australia.[3] In the2021 census, Palmyra had a population of 250 people.[2]
The locality is bounded from north to east by Bakers Creek, which it is bounded from south to east by Maclennan Creek, which becomes a tributary of the Bakers Creek at the easternmost point of the locality, from where Bakers Creek flows eastwards through the locality ofBakers Creek to theCoral Sea.[4]
The Walkerston Bypass enters the locality from the west (Greenmount) and exits to the north-west (Te Kowai).[5]
The land use is predominantly growingsugarcane on the lower flatter land withgrazing on native vegetation on the higher elevations, mostly in the south-west of the locality.[6] There is a network ofcane tramways to transport the harvested sugarcane to the local sugar mills.[5]
The Palmyra sugar mill operated from 1883 to 1905. It was north of Silingardis Road (appox21°10′37″S149°05′25″E / 21.1769°S 149.0903°E /-21.1769; 149.0903 (Palmyra Sugar Mill (former))).[7]
Palmyra Dragway opened in 1968. Thedragway was badly damaged byCyclone Debbie in 2017.[8][9] In 2023, the dragway was approved by the International Hot Rod Assoc Australia (IHRA).[10]
Mac's Speedway began hosting motorsport events in the 1980s. It takes its name from the McNicholl family and the track has hosted importantmotorcycle speedway events,[11] including the final of theQueensland Solo Championship, which was a qualifying round of theSpeedway World Championship in 1991.[12][13][14] In April 2024, the site at 13 Grants Road (21°12′27″S149°04′19″E / 21.2075°S 149.0720°E /-21.2075; 149.0720 (Mac's Speedway (former))) was put up for sale.[15][16]
In the2016 census, Palmyra had a population of 264 people.[17]
In the2021 census, Palmyra had a population of 250 people.[2]
There are no schools in Palmyra. The nearest government primary schools areWalkerston State School in neighbouringWalkerston to the north-west,Dundula State School inBakers Creek to the east, andHomebush State School in neighbouringHomebush to the south. The nearest government secondary school isMackay State High School inSouth Mackay to the north-east. There are also non-government schools in Walkerston and inMackay's suburbs.[18]
The locality has a number of motor sport venues, which include:
Thedragway shares its site with the private Palmyra Airstrip which is used for recreational flying.[5]
