PROSERPINE, QUEENSLAND

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An historic town which owes its livelihood to sugar cane. It is a typical Queensland sugar town, characterised by dozens of small railway tracks all leading towards the sugar crushing mills. Though close to the coast, Proserpine has missed out on tourist activity.
Location: 20 km from the town of Whitsunday; 8 km from the mouth of Repulse Bay; 1099 km north of Brisbane; 12 m above sea-level.
Origin of name: 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.
Brief history: In 1770, Lieut. James Cook passed by the Whitsunday Islands and named Repulse Bay. The area was first settled by Europeans in 1861 and agricultural activity began immediately. The Proserpine sugar mill was opened in 1897 and is now recognised as one of the most modern sugar mills in the world.
Natural features: Cedar Creek Falls; Billabong Sanctuary (250 km north); Conway Range; Mount Dryander; Cape Conway; Cape Gloucester; Mount Lucas Environmental Park
Built features: St Paul's Anglican Church; sugar mill; Peter Faust Dam
Heritage features: Proserpine Historical Museum