SARINAHERITAGE WALK

The Pictorial Quilt: The history of Sarina in fabric is on display in the council library. This creation has been lovingly and cleverly designed by the ladies of the local Fibre Arts Group. Two years of hard work has carefully detailed all aspects of Sarina: its history, lifestyle, industry, community involvement and the environment. This work of art depicts many aspect of fibre art technique including applique, machine and hand embroidery and fabric manipulation. The library is open 5 days a week for free inspection.

The War Memorial: The cenotaph was erected in 1919 as a tribute to the people of the shire who died in the Great War. The names of these service personnel are listed on the cenotaph plaques which now also include those from other campaigns. The cenotaph is a state-listed heritage place. The band rotunda is just south of the ANZAC memorial.

Acknowledgements:

Text prepared by Sarina Tourist Art & Craft Centre - 1 Railway Square, Sarina, 4737 Phone: (07) 4956 2251 email: sarinainfo@easynet.net.au www.sarinatourist.com

Original drawings by local artist Denise McCowan Printed by: Mackay Regional Council

Phone 1300 MACKAY (622 529) Fax 07 4944 2400Email council@mackay.qld.gov.au www.mackay.qld.gov.au

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8 Broad Street

So named because of its width! In the early 1900s this was a stock route for cattle. Sarina is

very proud of the large shady fig trees situated in the town centre creating an ideal place to stop for a break. The fig trees were propagated and plated by the Sarina Primary School students.

The Cane Toad: Broad Street is also home to ‘Buffy’ the giant replica cane toad, resting in the park opposite the BP service station. A great place for a photograph! The cane toad is native to South America and was imported from Hawaii to help control the cane beetle pest. The ideal conditions and good supply of food has allowed the toads to multiply to plague proportions. It is likely you will encounter at least one or two in the evenings. Plaques of the famous NRL players who lived and or played from Sarina are acknowledged here.

The Old National Bank Building The Nth Queensland National Bank was

established in the Sugar Mill grounds near the current weighbridge and continued until 1910. The business was relocated to its current site in Central Street beside the tram/railway track, into a building that stood behind the current building, which was later used as the manager’s residence. The building was commenced in 1924, and currently is occupied by the local Jewellers.

TO MACKAY

LESUE ST

BEACH RD

RANGE RD

CENTRAL ST

BROAD ST

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PLANE CREEK

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5 Plane Creek Mill

The Plane Creek Mill is one of the principal sugar mills in the Mackay District. The mill

was built as a result of J.Mackay and D. Spencer who pioneered the planting of sugar cane in the area, resulting in the beginnings of a thriving sugar industry. The first cane was hand planted by J Spiller in 1865. The mill was built in 1896 at a cost of £60,000. The old days of hand-cutting have been taken over by automation. The mill crushed 3,579 tons of cane in its first year. Nowadays the crush is in excess of 1.8 million tonnes and runs from June to December.

6 Range Road Gates

The remains of these gates can still be seen on Range Road. These gates were used to close the

old highway in times of extreme wet weather.

Central Street

This was once the main highway between Mackay and Marlborough but the highway was re-

routed along the coast to help reduce delays during the wet season. Flooded creeks and landslides on the Connors Range were a constant problem along with the large vehicles and narrow road. Overtaking vehicles was a big problem.

2 The Railway Station

Here stands the original railway station built in the same era as the Court House. The station

is another reminder of years gone by. Not much imagination is needed to hear the whistle, smell the smoke and feel the thunder of the old steam engine coming down the track. This station is still a working station.

3 The Diner

This is the oldest original eating house in Sarina. Once a caravan, it has been built around over

time. Meals are still cooked on a wood stove which given the right conditions, the aroma of burning wood and smoke can tantalise the taste buds. Here you will receive a hearty home-cooked meal and great burgers. The diner supplies many regular and shift workers from the mill and railway with hot meals. Open Monday to Friday from 4am to 2pm and Saturdays from 4am to 10pm.

4 The Distillery

The CSR distillery operation produces many valuable products from molasses, a by-product

of sugar cane. Products include ethanol alcohol from which methylated spirits and other by-products for use in plastics, cosmetics, antiseptics, and insecticides are derived. Another valuable product is yeast which is used in manufacture of our well-known Australian product – Vegemite!

1Sarina Field of Dreams Parklands

The Court House: A superb example of the craftsmanship of years gone by. It is an old tongue

and groove heritage building. The court house was constructed in 1906 and today stands proudly, fully restored to how it would have been when the Magistrate from Mackay came to Sarina’s to conduct hearings. This original building was used as the court house until 1959 when it was moved to St Anne’s school and used there as a hall. It is fully utilised and is now occupied by the Sarina Art & Craft Centre.

The Watch House: In 2011 the original watch house that stood in earlier years with the police station and court house in Broad Street, was relocated to join the Court House. This building has been fully restored and is used as the Accredited Visitor Information Centre operated by Sarina Tourist Art & Craft. These buildings are open 7 days a week 9am to 5pm only closing Christmas, Boxing, New Years Day and the morning of Anzac Day.

Mount Pelion School: The newest addition to the complex is the Mount Pelion School building, built in 1926 and used as a one teacher school room until 1966. This nostalgic piece of history has been relocated to our complex in 2014 and lovingly restored by the volunteers of Sarina Tourist Art & Craft Centre and is now used as an administration office and centre for community use.

The Presbytery: Built in 1922, the presbytery building was moved from St Michael’s church grounds to its present site to become the museum.

Memory Lane: Located beside the museum is a collection of plaques capturing the history of families of the Sarina area, known as Memory Lane.

Use this map to navigate your self-guided heritage walk