Sugarcane fileds around Proserpine

Proserpine Qld 4800 (Pop 3 500)
Pic: by Vmenkov

Proserpine is an historic Whitsundays region sugar industry service town 1 074 km north of Brisbane. An early explorer named the area Proserpina after the Roman fertility goddess for its rich soils. European settlement began in 1861 with the sugar mill following 35 years later which is still today regarded as one of the world’s most modern. The entire surrounding area is planted with sugar cane - Proserpine’s reason for being.  Harvest Festival (Oct).

Tourist Attractions & Info:
Proserpine Historical Museum, Main St interesting local collection of historical memorabilia. Open (9.30am-4pm) Tues/Thurs. 

Nearby:
Lake Proserpine at Peter Faust Dam (20 km n-w) excellent water sports activities, picnic facilities and nearby Cedar Creek Falls which has a swimming hole set in a natural rock amphitheatre. Conway NP (28 km east) peaceful coastal park of rainforests, forests and deep valleys overlooking the Whitsunday Passage with diverse fauna and flora. Walk-in bush camping available. Midge Point (41 km s-e) bushwalking, fishing/crabbing and swimming.

Accommodation:
Proserpine has half a dozen motels, 4 hotels and 4 camping parks. Visitor Information Centre: Bruce Hwy. Tel (07) 4945 3711 or 1800 801 252.