South of the city
Cane, the coal terminals, and the Sarina beaches
Sarina sits in cane, with Plane Creek mill on the edge of town and the Hay Point and Dalrymple Bay terminals a short run north. The containers that come here are farm lockups, contractor stores, and something that survives salt better than a tin shed at Sarina Beach.
Three different Sarinas
Growers use a container for the jobs the machinery shed does badly: spare parts, a lock on the tools, spray chemical kept away from the house, and gear that cannot sit in the weather between seasons. Contractors on the coal terminals and the rail that feeds them often want that store closer to the job than a drive back into Mackay, so a rural block outside town becomes the base.
Then the coast. Sarina Beach, Armstrong Beach, Grasstree and Campwin are a mix of homes and weekenders, and people want a salt-tolerant place for boats, outboards and crab pots. Light garden sheds on that shoreline rust at the fixings. Painted steel, looked after, lasts longer. Grasstree Beach and Hay Point are postcode 4740. Sarina, Sarina Beach and Armstrong Beach are 4737. Koumala, further down the highway, is 4738. Alligator Creek, back toward the city, is 4740.
Headlands in the dry, sand when you tip
Farm landings in the dry are usually simple: level ground, a wide gate, room to turn. What stops a truck is a soft headland after rain, cane grown hard against the track in season, and a culvert or causeway that was never asked to carry this weight. If the only way in is along a headland, say so before the driver is halfway down it.
The beach streets are a separate problem. Sand can look firm and still let the rear wheels dig in once the load starts to tip. Low trees near the foreshore steal the overhead. A firm, level pad under the corners matters more than how wide the street looks. During crush, haul-outs and cane trains are using the same roads, which is one reason the day is chosen with the property, not offered weeks ahead as if the district were empty.
It comes south from Mackay
The box is checked at our yard at The Leap and driven down to Sarina. If you want to see it first, that look happens at The Leap — doors open, or serial photographs — not on the Bruce Highway shoulder. Farm storage is usually permanent, so most growers buy. A job with an end, such as a shutdown at the terminals or a coastal move, is the one that suits hire. Spray chemical belongs in a bunded unit, not on a shelf beside the fuel drums. The cane-farm note linked below is the longer version of that.
Half Tide, beside the Hay Point terminal, is closer to the port than to the mill, and a contractor's lockup there is usually on a rural block rather than inside the terminal fence. Hay Point itself is 4740. Alligator Creek, between Sarina and the city, is that same postcode and the same southbound truck.
On the beaches, look at the paint every couple of years. Chips on the bottom rail and around the door gear are where salt begins. It is dull work, and it is why a box is still trustworthy a decade on. Cargo-worthy is the grade that leaves Mackay sealed against rain. An as-is shell is the one you accepted as it stood, which is a poor start for tools you cannot find wet.
From the mill to the beach
Can the truck use a cane headland?
In the dry, often. After rain the headland is the usual reason to wait. Describe the route and send pictures of the gate and the track.
What are people putting on farms around here?
Implements and parts tend toward a forty-footer where a sidelifter has room. A pair of twenties with a roof across the gap is the other farm habit: two locks and a shaded bay between them.
Do you come to Sarina Beach and Armstrong Beach?
Yes. Sandy lots and low trees need a look first, so pictures of the street and the pad decide the truck.
Sort a Sarina delivery
Say whether it is a farm gate or a beach street, and the size.
Or ring (07) 4944 2211