closed and smaller sugar farms run by white owner-operators were established. Proserpine Lower Provisional School opened on 16 August 1897. In 1904, it was renamed Proserpine Provisional School, becoming Proserpine State School on 15 March 1906. St Catherine's Catholic School was established in 1925 by the Sisters of Mercy. It is named in honour of St Catherine of Alexandria..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. In 1986, construction commenced on the Peter Faust Dam north-west of the town to be used for flood mitigation during the wet season and irrigation. The dam was completed in 1990. In the , the locality of Proserpine had a population of 3,562 people. In March 2017, Proserpine suffered extensive damage from Cyclone Debbie. Heritage listings Heritage-listed sites include: Herbert Street: Proserpine Hospital Main Street: St Paul's Anglican Church Demographics Economy One of the town's main industries is sugar production. A sugar mill was established in 1897 and is now recognised as one of the most modern sugar mills in the world. Education Proserpine State School is a public primary school for boys and girls. In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 565 students with 45 teachers, St Catherine's Catholic College is a Catholic primary and secondary school. It has two campuses. In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 623 students with 59 teachers. Proserpine State High School is a government secondary school. In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 1,062 students. Facilities The Proserpine Hospital in Taylor St is the primary health service for the Whitsunday Region . Amenities The Proserpine Entertainment Centre is at 14 Main Street. In March 2022, it reopened after being rebuilt following damage caused by Tropical Cyclone Debbie in March 2017. The Proserpine Library opened in 1998. Climate The town has a dry-winter humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cwa), similar to nearby Mackay. Notable people Sam Faust, Australian professional rugby league player. Andrew Fraser, Queensland State Politician. Max Grosskreutz, Australian speedway rider. Billy Sing, Australian sniper during the Gallipoli Campaign of World War I Travis Waddell, Australian professional