Sarina is a rural town in North Queensland, surrounded by endless fields of sugar cane. The cane industry is the primary activity, as the Sarina sugar mill is a very big establishment just off the Bruce Hwy at the entry of the town of Sarina itself.
Sarina is located about 36 km south of Mackay and it is about 924 km from Brisbane, ten hours and a half drive away. Sarina is not far from the sea, it is easy to take a stroll at one of the beautiful beaches, including Sarina Beach, Grasstree Beach, Salonika Beach and Freshwater Point. Sarina is built mainly on the northern side of the Plane Creek River which flows into the Coral Sea.
Photo by Author.
Sarina offers coffee shops, restaurants, awards winning touristic activities and services. There are also Alcorn Bakery Sarina and Sarina Pies Shop. It is a great place to stop to break the travelling, for eating something or to stay for a holiday. Sarina has lots more to offer than meets the eye.
Sarina offers:
Mackay Region Visitor Information Centre
Sarina Sugar Shed
Third Ground Coffee
Alcorn's Bakery & Cafe Sarina
Plane Creek Sugar Mill Sarina
Photo by Author.
Photo by Author.
The Mackay Region Visitor Information Centre is located in the refurbished Railway Station that was built in the mid-1900s, in Station Lane.
Inside, there are maps and brochures to help you to create your itinerary in Mackay Region. The personnel is friendly and can provide you with the information you need to have the best experience in the area.
Photo by Author.
Photo by Author.
Photo by Author.
Photo by Author.
The Information Centre has a great collection of gifts and souvenirs. Something to take home to remind you of your journeys.
Photo by Author.
Photo by Author.
Photo by Author.
Photo by Author.
Hours of Mackay Region Visitor Information Centre:
9am - 5pm Mon to Fri,
9am -1pm Sat & Sun
Email:
[email protected]Phone: 07 4837 1228
Sarina Sugar Shed
Multi-Award Winners Sarina Sugar Shed offers guided tours, attractions, award-winning rums and many products made on site.
Sarina Sugar Shed offers all year round tours about how sugar cane is processed and transformed into many edible and industrial products.
During the tour, you learn how the sugar cane is planted and harvested and you can munch on some sugar cane sticks and drink some freshly squeezed cane juice.
From late June to early December, the Sarina Sugar Shed operates a miniature sugar mill. This is an accurate replica of how the real sugar mill works and processes the sugar cane.
These billets of sugar cane are central to the tour experience at Sarina Sugar Shed During the tour, all of the senses will be engaged, you see the cane plants and billets up close, you hold a billet of cane, you smell it, you can nibble on it, and you hear the billets being crushed through the miniature mill. Photo from www.facebook.com/Sarinasugarshed/photos/4920489381297797
The tour also includes the tasting of the products made by the Sugar Shed, including Gusto range of gourmet sauces, chutneys and relishes, barrel-aged rums and fruit liquors. You can also buy the products and stock up your pantries with fantastic products including Mooscoop ice creams and ginger beers.
Sarina Sugar Shed retail store not just brims with products made onsite, but it stocks merchandise including T-shirts, local gourmet products, gift hampers, gifts and souvenirs.
Sarina Sugar Shed can make coffee that you can enjoy in the outdoor covered cafe. There are hot and cold drinks, local Mooscoop ice cream, milkshakes, espresso coffee, scones with jam and cream. The cafe also offers cheese and tasting platters and a small range of light lunch options.
Sarina Sugar Shed is in Field of Dreams Parkland, Railway Square, Sarina, QLD, Australia.
Phone 07 4943 2801
Fax 07 4943 2802
Email:
[email protected]
Operating Hours
Open 7 days, 9am – 4pm
(closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Good Friday)
Tours: Four tours per day:
9.30 am, 11.00am, 12.30 and 2.00 pm.
Bookings are strongly advised to avoid disappointment.
Third Ground Coffee House.
Third Ground Coffee House is located in the heart of Sarina Township, just off Central Street.
Third Ground Coffee House mission is to connect people with each other with great food. People are the first priority for Third Ground Coffee House and where there are people, there must be food.
Photo by Author.
Food is paramount for people, food is essential for sustaining life, For centuries people have been sharing food and enjoying food together. Today the food has become readily available and it has created a gap between eating the food and the knowledge about the journey of the food, from paddock to plate. With the growth of the population, it is now necessary to have mass production in farming food, leaving the consumers with little awareness where the food comes from. Ground Coffee mission is to bridge that gap with education, resources and using methods for sustainable food.
Photo by Author.
The menu of Third Ground Coffee House endeavours to source and use local products, from the local butcher to the Whitsundays dairy fresh milk, to the free-range eggs and numerous fruit and vegetable suppliers around the region.
Photo by Author.
Photo by Author.
The menu includes many favourites and delicious food for a very reasonable price. There is also a menu for kids. Winter Brekky includes sauteed mushrooms and onion on sourdough, topped with bacon, a local egg, and drizzled with creamy hollandaise sauce and served with a hash brown; Summer Brekky has an avocado spread on sourdough topped with tomato, bacon, an egg, basil, crumbled fetta and drizzled with balsamic vinegar glaze, served with a hash brown; Steak Burger has a local 110 g rib fillet steak topped with caramelized onion, tasty cheese, tomato, cucumber, coleslaw, local lettuce, beetroot and big BBQ sauce on a Turkish roll with a side of potato chips.
Third Ground Coffee House also serves different types of toasties, salads and wraps, hot and cold drinks.
Address of Third Ground Coffee House: 28 Central St, Sarina QLD 4737
Business Hours:
Monday 6am–8pm
Tuesday 6am–8pm
Wednesday 6am–8pm
Thursday 6am–8pm
Friday 6am–8pm
Saturday 6am–8pm
Sunday Closed
Phone: 0480 080 362
Alcorn's Bakery & Cafe Sarina.
Alcorn's Bakery Sarina is located just off Broad Street, where the Bruce Hwy enters into town and it changes name. It is a great bakery to stop and stock up with goodies or to have a break when travelling and a coffee.
Photo by Author.
Photo by Author.
Alcorn's Bakery Sarina has an incredible range of bread, sweet pastries, cakes, biscuits and slices. You are really spoilt for choice in the Alcorn's Bakery. There are also sandwiches and pies, besides hot drinks.
Photo by Author.
Alcorn's Bakery Sarina specialises in making beautiful cakes for every special occasion and catering too.
Address of Alcorn's Bakery Sarina: Shop 6/9-11 Broad St, Sarina QLD 4737
Business Hours:
Monday 5:30am–3:30pm
Tuesday 5:30am–3:30pm
Wednesday 5:30am–3:30pm
Thursday 5:30am–3:30pm
Friday 5:30am–3:30pm
Saturday 6:30am–1pm
Sunday Closed
Phone: (07) 4943 1960
Photo by Author.
Plane Creek Sugar Mill Sarina is visible from the Bruce Hwy. Unfortunately, the mill doesn't run tours and it is possible to see the mill only from outside.
Plane Creek Mill started to crush sugar cane in 1896. Today it processes an average of 1.2 million tonnes of sugar cane per year, with the production of about 180,000 tons of raw sugar. Molasses is processed into industrial and fuel ethanol.
Sarina Sugar Mill, just at the entry of Sarina Town. Photo by Author.
There are miles and miles of railway line with trains hauling bins full of sugar cane.
Photo by Author.
Sarina is surrounded by extensive fields of sugar cane in different stages of growth.
Photo by Author.
Photo by Author.
We have stopped a few times in Sarina when travelling to North Queensland and when returning home. As soon as we approached Sarina town, the big sugar mill comes into sight. The Bruce Hwy runs through Sarina, so it is easy to stop to break the drive and have something to eat. Sarina is very charming with all the shops lined up and the large main street separated by bed gardens. Apparently, there is a big sculpture of a cane toad named Buffy - but I kept missing it for some reason.
You can spend just a couple of hours in Sarina or stay for one night or a few days. There is also a pharmacy, Woolworths supermarket and many other shops and services. There are many accommodation options.
The
Sarina Hotel offers budget accommodations and a restaurant with an authentic country pub atmosphere. Address: 45/41 Broad St, Sarina QLD 4737, Phone: (07) 4956 1686.
Tandara Hotel Motel has accommodation and features a steakhouse, a bar and an on-site bottle shop. Tandara Hotel always has a cold beer for travellers and visitors. Address: 17-25 Broad St, Sarina QLD 4737, Phone: (07) 4956 1323.
Golden Lace Bed and Breakfast focuses on providing high-quality service and customer satisfaction. There are a variety of rooms to choose from at Golden Lace B&B. Address: 91/89 Marlborough Sarina Rd, Sarina QLD 4737, Phone: (07) 4943 2329.
Buffy is one of the most iconic sculptures in Sarina.
Reference
www.mackayregion.com/mackay-region-visitor-information-centre
https://sarinasugarshed.com.au www.facebook.com www.thirdground.org www.facebook.com/thirdgroundcoffeehouse
https://sarinahotel.net/eat
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