Heavy Liquor

I want to put a distillery on Palm Island.

I started getting this idea while waiting for the ferry to Magnetic Island, which departs from the same point as the ferry to Palm. There was a sign there pointing out that no one is allowed to take any alcohol onto Palm Island beyond a single carton of light or mid-strength beer, and heavy penalties would apply to anyone caught with anything stronger.

For some reason, as I read this sign, I thought "that would make it hard to start a distillery, then." Although, I wonder weather making your own alcohol is under the same prohibition as bringing it in from the mainland...

Now, I'm not talking about one of those backyard distilleries like my uncle has at his place. I'm thinking more along the lines of a boutique distillery, like I've visited in various parts of Tasmania. Like Lark Distillery, or Hellyer's Road Distillery.

One of those little places that make something for the gastronomic tourists. You know the ones I'm talking about - those people who (a bit like myself) stop into places offering tastings of wine/cheese/whisky/chocolate/liqueur and end up buying something to give their grandmother for Christmas.

You know, something that can support a visitors' centre with a restaurant/cafe and art gallery attached.

One of the islands in the Palm Island group is called Fantome, and that would make a great name for a vodka or liqueur. You could use one of the shells that frequently wash up on the beaches around these parts as the logo...

Now, there may be some people wondering why you can't take heavy liquor onto Palm Island in the first place. It's because of a little something called "paternalism".

Basically, whenever people of a certain socio-economic status have access to cheap alcohol, they have a tendency to get drunk and engage in violent and destructive acts in lieu of something called "getting your life together". They don't all do this, but those that do can make a rather large mess of things.

With communities of white people, what generally happens is everyone thinks these people are jerks and avoids that neighbourhood. With communities of aborigines or islanders, the government traditionally attempts to ban alcohol - especially if they have helpfully sequestered themselves on an island.

Now, there are those who think this is a good idea, because it cuts down on the amount of alcohol related violence. It is also seen to have a positive effect on nutrition, as people who would otherwise be more likely to buy booze than food have difficulty organising their finances in this manner.

On the other hand, there are people who think councils and governments have no business telling one group of people they aren't allowed to do something when other groups have no such limitations. Why should it be perfectly okay for Magnetic Island, with its white middle-class residents, to have as much alcohol as they please - while Palm Island, with its largely low socio-economic aboriginal/islander population, has the alcohol highly regulated?

Do you know what does a better job of curing delinquency than prohibition? Economics. People need industry to break out of the bad habits that come with unemployment and poverty.

So I personally think a boutique distillery (selling their wares to restaurants and other tourism outlets in the greater North Queensland area) with a visitors' centre would do a lot more for the island (which costs a fortune to visit) than an edict about how much beer people can take on the ferry.

And for anyone who thinks the level of alcohol abuse might increase, I ask you this: when was the last time you heard of someone on welfare getting tanked on high-priced limoncello?

If you assume the best, the best will come.