Quick Answer
The Queensland Mining & Engineering Exhibition (QME) is Australia's largest regional mining expo, held every two years at the Mackay Showgrounds. Mining contractors need to know:
- It runs across three days at the Mackay Showgrounds in Central Queensland
- It's contractor and Tier-1 miner heavy, not just OEMs
- The floor covers equipment, parts, PPE, safety, software and engineering
- Booked meetings return far more than walk-ups
- Compare TCO, not sticker price, on any equipment decision
- Prioritise software and safety systems already running on Australian mine sites in 2026
A quick primer on QME
QME is the biennial Queensland Mining & Engineering Exhibition, hosted at the Mackay Showgrounds. It's been running for decades and is where the Bowen Basin coal industry effectively holds its annual reunion — OEMs, contractors, Tier-1 miners, engineering firms and everything in between all show up in the same week.
For mining contractors, QME is unusual because so many of your customers, competitors and suppliers are in a single suburb of Mackay for three days. A well-planned week can compress six months of business development, procurement and market-scanning into 72 hours.
6 essentials mining contractors need to know
What QME actually is
The Queensland Mining & Engineering Exhibition (QME) is Australia's largest regional mining expo, held every two years at the Mackay Showgrounds. It's the epicentre of the Bowen and Galilee Basin coal industry — OEMs, parts, PPE, safety, software, engineering firms and Tier-1 miners in one place.
When & where it's held
QME runs across three days at the Mackay Showgrounds on Milton Street, Mackay QLD. Central Queensland location means most Bowen Basin contractors can drive in — no need for a Brisbane detour.
Who actually attends
Owners and GMs of mining contractors, maintenance and reliability engineers, procurement, HSEQ leads, superintendents from Tier-1 miners (BMA, Anglo, Peabody, Glencore, Whitehaven), OEM reps, and a strong contingent of Mackay-based service businesses.
What's on the floor
Haul trucks, excavators, drills and support fleet on the outdoor hardstand; parts, PPE, hydraulic, electrical, safety, monitoring and software vendors in the pavilions; engineering firms, contractors and training providers throughout.
Why contractors go
To compare kit and parts side by side, meet OEM reps you'd normally chase for weeks, benchmark against other contractors, catch up with Tier-1 miner reps informally, and evaluate the software and safety tech that's actually running on Australian sites in 2026.
How to actually plan it
Don't walk it cold. Pick your top 10 stands before you arrive, book meetings with the OEMs and software vendors you're serious about, and leave the rest of the floor for walk-ups. A planned day at QME is worth three unplanned ones.
What contractors should prioritise on the floor
Compare TCO, not sticker price
Walk up to every OEM with the same 5- and 10-year TCO scorecard — fuel, parts, servicing, rebuild, resale. Sticker price rankings and TCO rankings almost never match.
Parts, lead times & local support
Ask each supplier for worst-case lead times on critical parts to Moranbah, Emerald and Blackwater — plus their local depot footprint. This is where deals are actually won or lost.
Site acceptance & safety tech
Confirm the equipment and safety systems are accepted at your target miner's operations. Proximity detection, camera systems, fatigue monitoring and lock-out standards vary by miner.
Software that runs field, workshop & payroll together
Point solutions for HSEQ, timesheets, jobs, workshop and payroll are what create your admin overhead. Prioritise vendors that connect the whole workflow — not another dashboard.
5 questions to ask every software or systems vendor
- Which Tier-1 Australian mining contractor is using this in production in 2026 — not just piloting?
- How does it handle FIFO/DIDO rosters, mining EBAs and QLD site allowances end-to-end?
- What's your onboarding and change-management process — who owns it, and how long does it take?
- How does data flow between field, workshop, safety, timesheets and payroll?
- What's the total cost over 3 years including implementation, training and support?
Red flags contractors should watch for
- Can't name a comparable Australian mining contractor using them in production in 2026.
- Refuses to put support response times and lead times in writing.
- Doesn't understand FIFO/DIDO rosters, mining EBAs or QLD site allowances.
- Quotes fuel burn, availability or ROI from brochures instead of real customer data.
- Only wants to talk price and rebate, not TCO, integration or change management.
Related reading: What is QME 2026? · QME 2026 dates · Where is QME 2026 held? · QME 2026 exhibitor list · What to look for at QME if you're a contractor · QME mining equipment: what to compare · QME engineering focus for 2026.
