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. The first British colonists arrived in the early 1860s with Daniel Emmerson forming the Proserpine
pastoral station. Frederick Bode and William Dangar took up land at Bromby Park and
Goorganga Creek, while Charles Bradley and James Colling established properties along the
Gregory River. conducted patrols through the Proserpine area. Following a large number of cattle being killed by Aboriginal people, the native police dispersed around six "large mobs" of Aboriginal people during this mission. Marlow used Daniel Emmerson's property for his stock-yard and bought horses from him. The Crystal Brook Sugar Company was formed in 1882 and established a sugar industry in the region a year later. A sugar mill was built and the labouring on the plantation was performed by imported
South Sea Islanders. In 1893 the plantation, which was located at
Glen Isla close to the present Proserpine township, was closed and smaller sugar farms run by white owner-operators were established. In 1937, the school was expanded to include a High Top to offer secondary schooling beyond Year 8. In 1946, the Windermere school building at
Cannon Valley was relocated to Proserpine State School which was expanding to offer secondary schooling. St Catherine's Catholic School was established in 1925 by the
Sisters of Mercy. It was a primary school named in honour of
St Catherine of Alexandria. In 2012, the school relocated to a new larger campus known as St Catherine's Catholic College, enabling the school to provide secondary education.In 1944, the Australian Field Experimental Station was constructed at Gunyarra just south of the town. It was constructed to test and research the effectiveness of
Mustard Gas in tropical conditions.
Proserpine Airport (now Whitsunday Coast Airport) opened in 1951. Proserpine State High School opened on 29 January 1963. Initially the school operated from single building but a second building was constructed during 1963. It replaced the High Top at Proserpine State School. == Demographics ==