Proserpine, Queensland: Travel guide and things to do

There are a number of towns along the Queensland coast which came into existence specifically to serve the sugar industry in the region. They are, by any conventional definition, functional towns characterised by dozens of small railway tracks all leading towards the sugar crushing mills. It is an accident of their existence that in modern times they have missed out on the tourism boom which has converted so much of the Queensland coast into a tropical paradise. Such is the case with Proserpine.

Located only 20 km from the new 'town' of Whitsunday it enjoys none of the scenic riches or tourist dollars of the coastal resort centre. In recent times the local Shire Council has gone to some trouble to convert Proserpine from a sugar town into a potential place of interest to tourists. The Main Street has been upgraded and made more attractive.

Proserpine is located about 8 km from the mouth of Repulse Bay and stands 12 m above sea-level. It is 1099 km north of Brisbane and is distinguished by the endless fields of sugar which surround the town and the dominant sugar mill which is the town's raison d'etre.

The first European in the vicinity was Captain Cook who explored the Whitsunday Islands and named Repulse Bay.

The explorer George Dalrymple, who passed through the area in 1859 on his way north, named the whole area Proserpina, the Roman name for the Greek goddess of fertility, Persephone. It was his way of declaring the richness and fertility of the area which he was eager to develop.

The region was first settled by Europeans in 1861 when the Proserpine sugar mill was opened in 1897. The mill became a co-operative in 1931 and is now recognised as one of the most modern sugar mills in the world.

If one looks around the area Dalrymple's decision to name it after the goddess of fertility seems vindicated. Every part of the countryside is covered with sugarcane, from private gardens to boundary fences which frequently consist of swaying walls of sugarcane.

Things to see

Proserpine Historical Museum
Located at the end of Main St it is open from 9.00 am - 4.00 pm on Monday to Friday. It has an interesting collection of historical memorabilia from the local area.