The Australian Sugar Industry Museum

Jan Lahney

doi:10.25120/etropic.3.1.2004.3444

Abstract

Steam, fire and hard yakka created the successful sugar cane industry!<br />There is more to the sweet tropical grass than the addictive sweet taste, however, and there is more to the Australian Sugar Museum, on the corner of the Bruce Highway and Peregrine Street, Mourilyan, south of Innisfail in far north Queensland, than a collection of old farming equipment.<br />Within its celebration of the sugar industry and the workers whose sweat watered the cane fields, there is an ongoing celebration of learning and art that is affecting not only Queensland but Australia as a whole.

Highlights

There is more to the sweet tropical grass than the addictive sweet taste, and there is more to the Australian Sugar Museum, on the corner of the Bruce Highway and Peregrine Street, Mourilyan, south of Innisfail in far north Queensland, than a collection of old farming equipment
The National Museum in Canberra this year will house a well-defined collection from the Australian Sugar Museum, Refined White, which focuses on the Queensland sugar industry and the influence of 62,000 South Sea Islanders from the 1860s to Federation
Refined White is a historical collection of photographs and artefacts that defines the history of the South Sea Islander peoples - their physical work and influence on an Australian society which instead of gratitude showed a distain that spawned the White Australia Policy

Summary

Introduction

There is more to the sweet tropical grass than the addictive sweet taste, and there is more to the Australian Sugar Museum, on the corner of the Bruce Highway and Peregrine Street, Mourilyan, south of Innisfail in far north Queensland, than a collection of old farming equipment. The National Museum in Canberra this year will house a well-defined collection from the Australian Sugar Museum, Refined White, which focuses on the Queensland sugar industry and the influence of 62,000 South Sea Islanders from the 1860s to Federation.

Results

Conclusion