Proserpine, Queensland

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Proserpine (/ˈprɒsərpaɪn/) is a town and locality in the Whitsunday Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Proserpine had a population of 3,614 people.

Proserpine is situated on the Bruce Highway.

Proserpine is located on the North Coast line with Proserpine railway station located in Hinschen Street in the town centre.

The town is located along the banks of the Proserpine River and is immediately surrounded by floodplains used for growing sugarcane and grazing.

Proserpine is locally governed by Whitsunday Regional Council, a product of amalgamation of the former Shire of Whitsunday with the former Shire of Bowen. Proserpine is situated within the Queensland electorate of Whitsunday, and the federal electorate of Dawson.

The Gia people are the traditional custodians of the Proserpine area. Giya (also known as Kia) is a language of North Queensland. The Giya language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Whitsunday Regional Council, particularly the towns of Bowen and Proserpine.

It has been claimed that George Elphinstone Dalrymple named the Proserpine River on an expedition in 1859, but has also been claimed that the first use of the name was in August 1861 when the Emmerson family applied for a tenure over the Proserpine Creek run. The name Proserpine derives from the Roman goddess Proserpina, who also appears in Greek mythology as Persephone.