South Mackay, a residential and industrial suburb, occupies an extensive area south of central Mackay and includes the Mackay Airport and two kilometres of ocean beaches.

It was chosen as the site for the Mackay high school in 1912, and about a kilometre south of the school sporting reserves were laid out along a drainage canal. They include Park Vigaro (the Vigaro Association was established in the 1930s) and Harrup Park (1948), named after the president of the Mackay Cricket Association. There are also football, rugby and Australian rules fields.

South of the sports fields there is the Mackay Airport (1931), on the site of the town common. Improved in 1940, the airport was reconstructed in 1958 and taken over by the Mackay Port Authority in 1989.

In the vicinity of the high school the St Mary's Catholic primary school was opened in 1923, and the adjoining Mercy College was opened in 1987.

The Illawong and Far Beaches are east of the airport, and are the site of the Ocean International Resort.

The census populations for South Mackay have been:

census datepopulation
20067059
20117416
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