Harrup Park is a multi-sports complex located in the Queensland city of Mackay. It includes multiple ovals for Australian rules football and cricket, and facilities for athletics, tennis, croquet, basketball and table tennis.[2] The main oval at the venue is Ray Mitchell Oval (known under naming rights as Great Barrier Reef Arena), which has hosted AFL Women's (AFLW) and Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) matches.[1]
 Harrup Park in December 2009 | |
 Interactive map of Harrup Park | |
| Address | Juliet St South Mackay, Queensland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 21°09′34.03″S 149°11′10.58″E / 21.1594528°S 149.1862722°E |
| Capacity | 10,000[1] |
| Construction | |
| Opened | September 1948 |
| Tenants | |
| Queensland cricket team (1998–) Brisbane Heat (WBBL) (2018–) Gold Coast Suns (AFLW) (2020–) | |
| Ground information | |
| First men's ODI | 28 February 1992: India v  Sri Lanka |
| Last men's ODI | 24 August 2025: Australia v  South Africa |
| First women's ODI | 21 September 2021: Australia v India |
| Last women's ODI | 26 September 2021: Australia v India |
| First women's T20I | 19 September 2024: Australia v  New Zealand |
| Last women's T20I | 22 September 2024: Australia v New Zealand |
| As of 22 September 2024 Source: Cricinfo | |
History
editHarrup Park was owned and developed by the Mackay Cricket Association in the 1940s. It was named after Mr A. L. Harrup, the president of the association at the time, and the main ground was named after the vice-president, Ray Mitchell, who was also one of the people who bought the land for the development. The ground was officially opened in September 1948.[3][4]
The Ray Mitchell Oval was renamed Great Barrier Reef Arena under a naming rights deal in 2018.[1] The ground and its facilities were extensively redeveloped and enlarged as part of the Queensland government's COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan, beginning in 2021.[5]
Australian rules football
editOn 19 September 2018, the Gold Coast Suns announced a four-year deal with the Mackay Council to play AFL Women's matches at Harrup Park between 2019–2022.[6][7]
Domestic cricket matches
editThe first major match on the ground occurred when the Queensland Country XI played against the touring West Indians in 1968, with Rohan Kanhai scoring 206 runs on the second day.[8] In 1978, the ground staged a single World Series Cricket "Country Cavaliers" match.[8]
The ground held its first two List A one day matches in 1988, when Queensland played the touring Pakistanis on 3 and 4 December 1988.[9]
The first first-class match to be played there came in 1995 when Queensland played against the touring Sri Lankans,[10] with the match ending in a 273 run victory for Queensland, with Michael Kasprowicz taking match figures of 12/95.[11] The second first-class game, and first Sheffield Shield game, came in 2015 when New South Wales defeated Queensland in a close contest by 3 wickets. Queensland opener Matt Renshaw top scored with 170, and New South Wales spinner Will Somerville collected 7 wickets.[12] A List A match was played there in October 2011 between Queensland and Tasmania in the 2011/12 Ryobi One Day Cup.[9] The ground was then host to a 2016 Quadrangular series between Australia A, India A, South Africa A and Australia's National Performance Squad, which was won by India A.[13]
Brisbane Heat from the Women's Big Bash Cricket League played six home games at Mackay in 2018 and 2019.[14]
Great Barrier Reef Arena hosted nine WBBL games from 13 November 2021 to 20 November 2021, with six teams competing in two consecutive "festival rounds".[15]
International cricket matches
editThe ground hosted a One Day International match during the 1992 Cricket World Cup, with India and Sri Lanka playing on 28 February.[16] The match was abandoned after two deliveries due to torrential rain, despite the best efforts of the groundstaff to dry the outfield.[17] Thus, Sri Lankan fast bowler Champaka Ramanayake and Indian batsman Krishnamachari Srikkanth held unusual distinctions: Ramanayake was the only male international bowler to have ever bowled at the venue, and Srikkanth was the batsman who scored the only run ever in the only men's international cricket match played here.[18] This match was also the debut match of Ajay Jadeja.
In 2021, the venue was selected to host three Women's One Day International matches between Australia and India, the first of which was played on 21 September 2021.[19][20]
In 2025, the ground hosted two ODIs between Australia and South Africa, 33 years after its first.[21][22]
On 24 February 2026, Cricket Australia announced that the ground would become the 12th Test Venue in Australia, with the hosts playing Bangladesh in a two-test series with the other game occurring in Darwin.[23]
ODI centuries
editAs of August 2025, three ODI centuries have been scored in Mackay.[24]
| No. | Score | Player | Team | Balls | Innings | Opposing team | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 142 | Travis Head | Australia | 103 | 1 | South Africa | 24 August 2025 | Australia won |
| 2 | 100 | Mitchell Marsh | 106 | |||||
| 3 | 118* | Cameron Green | 55 |
As of September 2021, one WODI century has been scored in Mackay.[25]
| No. | Score | Player | Team | Balls | Innings | Opposing team | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 125* | Beth Mooney | Australia | 133 | 2 | India | 24 September 2021 | Australia won |
ODI five-wicket hauls
editAs of August 2025[update], two ODI five-wicket hauls have been taken at the venue.[26]
| No. | Figures | Player | Team | Opposing team | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5/42 | Lungi Ngidi | South Africa | Australia | 22 August 2025 | South Africa won |
| 2 | 5/22 | Cooper Connolly | Australia | South Africa | 24 August 2025 | Australia won |
References
edit- 1 2 3 "Great Barrier Reef Arena". Austadiums. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ↑ "Welcome to Harrup Park". Harrup Park. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
- ↑ "Harrup Park new name for Juliet St ground". Daily Mercury: 4. 24 August 1948.
- ↑ "Opening of Harrup Park". Daily Mercury: 2. 13 September 1948.
- ↑ "Mackay's Elite Sport Redevelopment". Queensland Government. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
- ↑ AFL club signs huge deal with Mackay Council
- ↑ Mackay deal excites Bella
- 1 2 "Other matches played on Ray Mitchell Oval, Mackay". CricketArchive. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- 1 2 "List A Matches played on Ray Mitchell Oval, Mackay". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ↑ "First-Class Matches played on Ray Mitchell Oval, Mackay". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ↑ "Queensland v Sri Lankans, 1995/96". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ↑ "Queensland v New South Wales, 2015/16". CricketArchive. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
- ↑ "Australia A v India A, 2016". CricketArchive. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
- ↑ "Brisbane Heat to return this summer". Mackay Regional Council. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "More WBBL for Mackay". Brisbane Heat. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "One-Day International Matches played on Ray Mitchell Oval, Mackay". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ↑ "India v Sri Lanka, 1992 Cricket World Cup". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ↑ "India vs Sri Lanka". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
- ↑ Burnett, Adam (20 September 2021). "Lively track expected as Aussies eye 25th win". Cricket Australia. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ↑ "Australia scores nine-wicket ODI win over India, teenager Darcie Brown takes 4-33 for hosts". ABC News. 21 September 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ↑ Moonda, Firdose. "Ngidi takes five, Breetzke, Stubbs shine as South Africa claim series 2–0". Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ↑ Moonda, Firdose. "Green, Head and Marsh flay centuries as Australia put on a show". Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ↑ "Bangladesh returning to Australia with Top Ends Tests locked in". www.cricket.com.au. 25 February 2026. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
- ↑ "HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL SCORES – Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay". Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ↑ "HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL SCORES WODIs– Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay". Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ↑ "BEST ODI BOWLING – Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay". Retrieved 22 August 2025.
External links
edit- Great Barrier Reef Arena official website
- Ray Mitchell Oval at ESPNcricinfo
- Ray Mitchell Oval at CricketArchive