A sugar cane train outside the Australian Sugar Industry Museum

Mourilyan (including Etty Bay)
The home of the Australian Sugar Industry Museum.
The tiny settlement of Mourilyan is located 1624 km from Brisbane and only 6 km from Innisfail. It is almost a suburb of Innisfail. Although an unexceptional town it is the centre of a large number of attractions.

Things to see:  

The Australian Sugar Industry Museum
The town's major attraction is the Australian Sugar Industry Museum. It features a number of exhibits, including one of the largest steam engines ever built, and a short film which traces the growth and processing of sugarcane. It is an important stop for anyone whose curiousity about the production of sugarcane has been prompted by the activity in the cane fields on either side of the road.

Paronella Park
17 km south-west of Mourilyan is Paronella Park a fascinating combination of rainforest and ruins. A Spaniard named Jose Paronella emigrated to Australia in 1911 to work on the local cane fields. He made his fortune and proceeded, between 1930 and 1946, to build a huge mansion which included a ballroom, a cafe, a music pavilion and a remarkable 45-metre tunnel which led into a secret garden. It was an extraordinary and eccentric vision.

In 1946, soon after he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, Jose saw his dream home washed away by floodwaters which swept down the Mena Creek. Subsequent disasters have done much to reduce the once grand dwelling so that now it is no more than a ruin. One of the most unusual places in North Queensland it is well worth visiting.

The rainforest reaches the ocean at Etty Bay

Etty Bay
Etty Bay, to the north-east of Mourilyan, is a totally unspoilt beach where the tropical rainforest comes down to the shores and where people who really want to 'get away from it all' come to relax. The beach has a caravan park, an old surf lifesaving club and a general store.

Natural History Museum - Etty Bay
On the way to the beach is a sign to a 'Natural History Museum'. This privately run exhibit is a wonderful collection of butterflies, moths, beetles, and shells as well as fresh and saltwater aquariums. 95 per cent of the displays have been collected in the local area by Eric and Lorna Porteus who take visitors around and explain the displays. The butterflies, particularly the famed Dunk Island Ulysses, are quite magnificent.

	Tourist Information
	Innisfail Information Centre Bruce Hwy Mourilyan QLD 4858 Telephone: (07) 4063 2655
	Hotels
	Castor Hotel 26 Mill St Mourilyan QLD 4858 Telephone: (07) 4063 2553
	Mourilyan Hotel Harbour Rd Mourilyan QLD 4858 Telephone: (07) 4063 2308
	Caravan Parks
	Etty Bay Caravan Park Etty Bay Mourilyan QLD 4858 Telephone: (07) 4063 2314