Sarina - Places to See

Sarina Distillery

Today the heart of the town's economy is Plane Creek Mill and the Australian National Power Alcohol Company Pty Ltd (Sarina Distillery), which opened in 1927 and processes molasses which it buys from the sugar mills in the area. It was the first alcohol distillery in Australia and is now one of the biggest. Tours are held at 7.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. but are by appointment only. Contact: (07) 4956 1411.

Environmental Parks in the area
The town is surrounded by a number of interesting parks and reserves including Mount Blarney Environmental Park (west of the town), Mount Hector Environmental Park (northeast of the town) and Cape Palmerston (southeast of the town). Cape Palmerston is of particular interest as it covers 32 km of coastline and has areas ranging from mangrove swamps to thickly vegetated sand dunes and the volcanic Mount Funnel Range.

Other Things to Do
Sarina is the main town in an area which stretches across to the coast and includes Sarina Beach - a rapidly developing holiday destination. Like most thriving country towns Sarina has golf, bowls, tennis and squash facilities. While staying in the town it is possible to visit the rainforests in the hinterland, the Great Barrier Reef, Greenmount Homestead (see Mackay) and, by asking the locals, you can check out a site where it is claimed the Phoenicians landed some 3,500 years ago. The water temperature throughout the year remains between 20�C and 22�C. Fishing is good. Dinghys can be hired or fishing cruises chartered. Inevitably there is a problem in the summer months with the deadly stingers.

Seeing Turtles
Nesting sea turtles come ashore at night within a few hours of high tide from November through to January to lay their eggs while the hatching turtles usually leave their nests between January and March. Talk to the locals about the best places to view them.