Mirani, Queensland


Mirani is a town and locality in Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Mirani had a population of 1,541 people.

Geography

The locality of Mirani is predominantly flat land used for sugar cane farming. It is bounded to the south by Lake Kinchant, the impoudment created by the Kinchant Dam. The Pioneer River 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 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 Mackay Region.
The Pioneer Valley railway line coming west from Mackay to Mirani was built in 1885. Later the name was changed to Mirani to avoid confusion with Hamilton in Brisbane.
Mirani Post Office opened by 1890.
Mirani Provisional School opened on 18 January 1892, becoming Mirani State School on 11 March 1897. Mirani State High School opened on 23 January 1967.
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.
At the 2006 census, Mirani had a population of 813. This increased to 1,671 in 2011 before decreasing to 1,541 in 2016.
On 15 March 2008, under the Local Government Act 2007 passed by the Parliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Mirani merged with the City of Mackay and Shire of Sarina to form the Mackay Region.

Heritage listings

Mirani has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
The Mackay Regional Council operates a library at 16 Victoria Street.