A paddock to plate long-table dinner and live music will add to the festivities when the First Cane Fire of the Season lights up Gudjuda Home Hill Showgrounds on Wednesday 31 May.
Burdekin Shire Council is staging the celebratory event with support from the Queensland Government, Burdekin Tourism Association and Gudjuda Reference Group.
The Burdekin remains one of the only places to still burn sugarcane before it is cut and the Shire’s spectacular cane fires have become a unique visitor experience for the region.
Burdekin Shire Council Mayor Lyn McLaughlin said the First Cane Fire of the Season event was a way of engaging tourists and the wider community with the cane farming history of the Burdekin.
“Visitors can talk to a local cane cutter and experience the sight and feel of a cane fire up close,” Cr McLaughlin said.
“For the first time, this year we will be presenting a long-table dinner. Guests will be able to purchase paddock to plate food provided by Claredale Pastures, while enjoying live music.
“For anyone who hasn’t seen a cane fire before, it is a spectacular sight to behold.
“We extend a warm invitation to visitors from Townsville and around the wider region to join us and see what it’s all about.”
Greg Miller from Burdekin Farm Stay will provide insight into the significance of cane burning in the Burdekin region and, after the main cane fire, guests will be invited to sit around a fire pit and share stories.
The cane will be burnt for the Australian Hand Cane-Cutting Championships being held on Saturday 3 June.
People are invited to arrive at Gudjuda Home Hill Showgrounds, Sixth Avenue, Home Hill, from 5.30pm, with live music starting at 6pm.
For further information please visit Council’s website www.burdekin.qld.gov.au or contact Council’s Customer Service Centre on (07) 4783 9800.