Having a diamond-like shape, it is bounded by the Pioneer River to the north-west, the Bruce Highway to the north-east, and Paradise Street to the south-east.

[3] The Glenella Connection Road pass through the locality from south to north-west crossing the river on the Edmund Casey Bridge to Foulden.

[citation needed] The North Coast railway opened to Mackay in 1885.

[5][6] In the 1990s, the rail bridge over the Pioneer River needed to be replaced, which presented an opportunity for re-alignment of the railway line to bypass the Mackay CBD.

In 1950, a new site in Bridge Street was allocated to the school which was 10 acres 2 roods (4.2 ha).

[10][11][12][13][14] St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School was established by the Sisters of Mercy on 4 February 1935 with 23 students.

It merged back into Mackay West State School on 1 July 1994.

[10][16] It was located at 364 Bridge Road (21°09′06″S 149°09′51″E / 21.1517°S 149.1643°E / -21.1517; 149.1643 (West Mackay Infants State School (former))).

[18] On 5 December 2009, the new bridge was named the Edmund Casey Bridge in honour of long-serving local Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, Ed Casey, as part of the Q150 celebrations.

[19] Local residents campaigned to retain the Old Hospital Bridge for recreational use such as walking, cycling and fishing, but the council insisted the costs of making it safe were too great and that only a short segment connected on the West Mackay side would be preserved as a fishing pier.

The institute buildings were used as commercial offices until 2016 when the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockhampton purchased the site to establish a new secondary school, Catherine McAuley College Mackay.

[32] Catherine McAuley College Mackay is a Catholic secondary (Years 7–12) school for boys and girls at 239 Nebo Road (21°09′42″S 149°09′34″E / 21.1618°S 149.1594°E / -21.1618; 149.1594 (Sugar Research Institute)).

[41] It is operated by the Mackay Regional Council and is their largest water treatment plant.