Mackay sugar cane tour with tastings: Sarina Sugar Shed
The sugar cane journey ends indoors with rum, fruit liqueur and fairy floss.
Taste of the Tropics Tour is a one-hour guided tour of Sarina Sugar Shed in Mackay, where you walk past a working sugar cane patch and historic machinery, then move into the mill and distillery to watch juice extraction and taste award-winning rum and fruit liqueurs, chutneys, relishes, sauces, non-alcoholic ginger beer and freshly-spun fairy floss. A live English-speaking guide leads the whole experience. The tour is wheelchair accessible and suitable for all fitness levels.
1h
Step-by-step itinerary
Guided tour of sugar cane heritage
- Welcome and introduction
- Walk past sugar cane patch and machinery
- Learn history of sugar cane farmers
- Visit mill and distillery area
- See juice extraction process
- Taste rum and fruit liqueurs
- Taste chutneys, relishes, and sauces
- Taste non-alcoholic ginger beer
- Taste freshly-spun fairy floss
The Experience
What happens to sugar cane after it leaves the paddock? The Sarina Sugar Shed answers that in one hour, starting with a walk past the cane patch and the old machinery that shaped the Mackay region's pioneering days. Your guide takes you through the history of the sugar farmers, then moves indoors to the mill and distillery where you watch the process of extracting juice from fresh cane.
The tastings come at the end. You'll sample the on-site distillery's award-winning rum and fruit liqueurs, then move through the gourmet range: chutneys, relishes and sauces made in the same space. The non-alcoholic ginger beer is brewed there too, and the freshly-spun fairy floss rounds out the tasting. Everything is included in the tour price.
The whole site is wheelchair accessible, and prams or strollers work for infants and small children. Service animals are welcome. Public transport options are nearby if you're not driving yourself.
What’s included
- One-hour fully guided tour with a live English-speaking guide.
- outdoor walk past the sugar cane patch and historic machinery.
- indoor mill and distillery tour showing juice extraction.
- tastings of award-winning rum and fruit liqueurs, chutneys, relishes, sauces, non-alcoholic ginger beer and freshly-spun fairy floss.
Operated by Sarina Sugar Shed
Is this one for you?Book this tour for a morning or afternoon when you want to understand how Queensland's sugar industry works without spending half a day on it — the guide handles the history and the process, and the tastings give you something to take home in memory and flavor.
Traveler reviews
Top questions
How long does the Taste of the Tropics Tour take?
The tour runs for one hour from start to finish, including the walk outdoors, the mill and distillery section, and all the tastings at the end.
What exactly do you taste during the tour?
You taste the distillery's award-winning rum and fruit liqueurs, plus chutneys, relishes, sauces, non-alcoholic ginger beer and freshly-spun fairy floss — all made on-site.
Does the tour go outside, or is it all indoors?
The tour starts outdoors with a walk past the sugar cane patch and historic machinery, then moves indoors into the mill and distillery for the rest of the experience.
Is the Sarina Sugar Shed accessible for wheelchairs?
Yes, all areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible, and public transportation options are available nearby if you need them.
Do I need to arrange my own transport to get there?
Transport to and from the Sarina Sugar Shed is not included in the tour, but public transportation options are available nearby.
Mackay sugar cane tour with tastings: Sarina Sugar Shed
1h · EN
from AU$ 30 per person
★★★★★★★★★★4.81331 reviewsVerified traveler reviews via our booking provider
