Proserpine, about midway between Mackay and Townsville, has a V-shaped area of sugar-cane farms running to its north-west and north-east. They follow the Proserpine River and Brandy Creek respectively. There are also cane farms to the south-west (Proserpine River) and further south along the O'Connell River. All areas have several villages or localities. The ones to the north-east, along the Brandy Creek valley, are in the direction of Cannonvale and Airlie Beach (see separate entries). As well as the cane farms, they have rural/residential acreages.

Preston (origin of name unknown) is east of Proserpine and extends to the Cape Conway National Park. Cape Conway was named by James Cook in 1770 after Henry Conway, Secretary of State. Its farmers formed the Preston Farmers and Settlers Association in about 1905, seven years before the Proserpine cane tramway reached there. Its local primary school now closed, opened in 1930. Preston's census populations have been:

Census DatePopulation
1911141
1933135
1954102
2006579
2011493

Strathdickie lies north of Preston. In 1883 a farm selection was taken by James Dickey from which evolved the name Strath (Gaelic: mountain valley) Dickie. A cane tramway reached Strathdickie in 1903 and a primary school was open from 1906 to 1962. Its census populations have been:

Census DatePopulation
1911106
1933176
1954152
2006719
2011814

Sugarloaf is north of Strathdickie, extending to Cannon Valley (beyond which is Cannonvale). Cannon Valley is the end of the cane tramway. Sugarloaf's census populations have been:

Census DatePopulation
192121
2006511
2011not recorded

Riordanvale is north of Sugarloaf and now takes in that population. Riordanvale's census populations have been:

census datepopulation
2011553

John Kerr, A crystal century: the history of Proserpine's sugar mill, its farms and its people, Proserpine Co-operative Sugar Milling Assoc. Ltd, 1997

Copyright © Centre for the Government of Queensland, 2018. All rights reserved.

UQ Logo