Our Community - The Italian Connection in Port Douglas

Tropical North Queensland’s history is entrenched in the story of sugar. The industry’s influence remains evident in our local cane fields. Although it has developed and changed over time, sugar is still at the heart of the region.
Guests of Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort Port Douglas are invited to our nightly Italian dinners or regular Harvest Feasts that pay homage to the Cane Cutters from Italy who arrived in the region over 100 years ago and their descendants who still farm the local land today.
The forebears of the Puglisi family arrived in the region back in the 1920's after fleeing the post-war poverty in Europe. They left Sicily and Naples bound for the small town of Mossman in Far North Queensland, which at the time was at the cusp of major agricultural expansion in sugar.
As fate would have it, the men were destined to sew the seeds of a modern farming dynasty that continues to build on their affinity for the land, the ability to see and seize an opportunity, and the willingness to innovate to foster growth in the future of the sugar industry.
Today, Gerard Puglisi the 4th generation of this enterprising family and he spoke to Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort about the land and the future of the family's legacy.
You can also read the history of the Puglisi, Leonardi and DiPalma Families in the Port Douglas Magazine tourismportdou...