Plane Creek Mill: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| (4 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Infobox Mill | {{Infobox Mill | ||
| name = | | name = Plane Creek Mill | ||
| image = | | image = Plane Creek Sugar Mill, Sarina, 2016 01.jpg | ||
| caption = | | caption = Plane Creek Mill. 2016. Kerry Raymond. | ||
| coordinates = [https://www.google.com/maps?q=-21. | | coordinates = [https://www.google.com/maps?q=-21.427341476459038,149.21522547712985 21.42734° S, 149.21522° E] | ||
| region = [[Central Queensland Region| | | region = [[Central Queensland Region|Sarina]] | ||
| lga = [[Mackay Regional Council]] | | lga = [[Mackay Regional Council]] | ||
| established = | | established = 1896 ({{#expr:{{CURRENTYEAR}}-1896}} years ago) | ||
| closed = | | closed = | ||
| owner = [[ | | owner = [[Wilmar Sugar]] | ||
| gauge = 610 mm (2 ft) | | gauge = 610 mm (2 ft) | ||
| crush = 1, | | crush = 1,300,000 tonnes (annual average) | ||
}}'''Plane Creek | }} | ||
'''Plane Creek Mill''' is a raw sugar factory located in [[Sarina]], approximately 35 kilometres south of [[Mackay, Queensland|Mackay]]. It is owned and operated by [[Wilmar Sugar|Wilmar Sugar and Renewables]]. The mill produces raw sugar, molasses and renewable energy and supplies steam and electricity to the adjoining Sarina Distillery, which produces bioethanol from molasses.<ref name="WilmarSarina2025">Wilmar Sugar and Renewables. ''Sarina Region – At a glance''. June 2025.</ref> | |||
== History == | == History == | ||
=== Establishment === | === Establishment === | ||
The Plane Creek | The Plane Creek district was settled by pastoralists during the 1860s. Henry Bell and Edmund Atherton established the Plane Creek pastoral run in 1864, and the Atherton and Bell families subsequently became closely involved in the establishment of the district's sugar industry. | ||
The | The Plane Creek Central Mill Company Limited was registered in late 1893 and was brought under the Queensland Government's ''Sugar Works Guarantee Act 1893'' in 1894.<ref name="Griggs">Griggs, Peter. ''Global Industry, Local Innovation: The History of Cane Sugar Production in Australia, 1820–1995''. Peter Lang, 2011.</ref> Approximately 28,000 acres of shareholders' land was mortgaged as security for a £65,000 Queensland Government loan to construct the mill.<ref name="MackayHist_Plane">Mackay Historical Society. "Plane Creek Sugar Mill, 1896-". http://www.mackayhistory.org/research/sugar_mills/plane_creek.html</ref> | ||
In 1895, [[Walkers Limited]] of [[Maryborough]] was selected to supply the milling machinery. Construction proceeded under the supervision of G. Wolfe and J. B. Wood. The company also constructed an extensive 610 mm (2 ft) gauge tramway system, including a line approximately 15 miles long from Plane Creek to a wharf at Louisa Creek for the shipment of raw sugar. | |||
The mill | The mill commenced crushing on 4 November 1896. During its first season it processed 3,579 tonnes of cane and produced 371 tons 14 cwt of raw sugar.<ref name="MackayHist_Plane"/> | ||
=== Early operations === | |||
Plane Creek initially experienced financial difficulties and government guarantor directors were appointed to oversee the company. The mill subsequently expanded as sugar cultivation increased throughout the district. | |||
The company's debt to the Queensland Government was fully repaid during the 1920–21 season.<ref name="Griggs"/> | |||
Development of the [[North Coast railway line]] south of Mackay substantially increased the area from which cane could be supplied to Plane Creek. The railway reached Sarina in 1913, Koumala in 1915 and Carmila in 1920. Cane from districts further south, including Flaggy Rock, was being transported by government railway to Plane Creek by the late 1920s. | |||
Water supply was a recurring difficulty for the mill. A weir was constructed on Plane Creek in 1926, followed by a second weir in 1935.<ref name="MackayHist_Plane"/> | |||
=== Sarina distillery === | |||
Plane Creek was involved in the establishment of the Australian National Power Alcohol Company during the 1920s. The adjoining Sarina distillery commenced operation in 1927, initially producing power alcohol from molasses and other feedstocks. | |||
The distillery subsequently developed into a major producer of industrial and fuel ethanol. It is now operated by Wilmar Sugar and Renewables and processes molasses from Queensland sugar mills. Plane Creek Mill supplies steam and electricity to the facility.<ref name="WilmarSarina2025"/> | |||
The modern Sarina Distillery produces approximately 55 megalitres of bioethanol annually for fuel and industrial applications.<ref name="WilmarSarina2025"/> | |||
=== Ownership === | === Ownership === | ||
Unlike a number of other Queensland central mills, Plane Creek did not become a grower-owned co-operative. The Plane Creek Central Mill Company Limited continued to own the mill until 1974. | |||
In June 1974, the company was taken over by [[Pioneer Sugar]] Mills Limited. Pioneer Sugar Mills, including Plane Creek, was subsequently acquired by [[CSR]] Limited in 1987. | |||
In 2010, CSR's sugar and renewable energy business, Sucrogen Limited, was acquired by the Singapore-based agribusiness [[Wilmar International]]. Plane Creek has since operated as part of Wilmar's Australian sugar business.<ref name="Wilmar_Mills">Wilmar Sugar. "Our Mills". https://www.wilmarsugar-anz.com/what-we-do/mills</ref> | |||
=== Very Low Colour sugar === | |||
In 1995, CSR commissioned facilities at Plane Creek for the production of Very Low Colour (VLC) raw sugar. The specialised product was intended to reduce processing requirements for refiners and was produced at Plane Creek during the following years. | |||
CSR later concluded that there was no longer a viable market for the product and wrote down the assets associated with VLC sugar production in 2003. | |||
== Infrastructure == | == Infrastructure == | ||
=== Milling === | |||
Plane Creek Mill processes an annual average of approximately 1.3 million tonnes of sugarcane and produces approximately 173,000 tonnes of raw sugar.<ref name="WilmarSarina2025"/> | |||
The mill also produces molasses and renewable energy from [[bagasse]], the fibrous material remaining after cane crushing. Steam and electricity generated by the mill are also supplied to the adjoining Sarina Distillery. | |||
=== Tramway === | === Tramway === | ||
Plane Creek Mill operates an extensive 610 mm (2 ft) gauge cane railway serving the Sarina district and cane-growing areas to the south. Wilmar's 2025 regional statistics list approximately 163 kilometres of cane railway, eight locomotives and 2,424 cane bins in the Sarina region.<ref name="WilmarSarina2025"/> | |||
The southern cane supply area developed in conjunction with both mill tramways and the government-owned North Coast railway. Cane from areas around Koumala, Carmila and Flaggy Rock was historically transferred to Queensland Government Railways wagons for transport to the mill. The last Queensland Rail cane train to Plane Creek operated from Carmila in December 1994, after which the mill's own narrow gauge network assumed the long-distance haulage. | |||
Plane Creek became particularly notable for the use of long distributed-power cane trains on its southern workings. These trains used a second remotely controlled locomotive positioned within the train to provide additional traction and braking on the long haul from the southern terminus. Distributed-power, or Locotrol, operation continued for many years but was discontinued from the 2020 crushing season.<ref>Light Railway Research Society of Australia. ''Light Railways'', No. 274, August 2020.</ref> | |||
The mill continues to operate long-distance cane trains on the southern network using conventional locomotive operation. | |||
== Production Statistics == | == Production Statistics == | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
! | ! Statistic | ||
! | ! Value | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | Average Annual Crush | ||
| 1, | | 1,300,000 tonnes | ||
|- | |- | ||
| Raw Sugar | | Average Raw Sugar Production | ||
| | | 173,000 tonnes | ||
|- | |||
| Bioethanol Production | |||
| 55 megalitres annually (Sarina Distillery) | |||
|- | |||
| Cane Railway | |||
| Approximately 163 km | |||
|- | |||
| Locomotives | |||
| 8 | |||
|- | |||
| Cane Bins | |||
| 2,424 | |||
|- | |||
| Railway Gauge | |||
| 610 mm (2 ft) | |||
|} | |} | ||
== Location == | == Location == | ||
<display_map>-21. | <display_map>-21.42734, 149.21522</display_map> | ||
== Rollingstock == | == Rollingstock == | ||
| Line 71: | Line 102: | ||
|db=locos | |db=locos | ||
|from=locos | |from=locos | ||
|where=current_mill LIKE "% | |where=current_mill LIKE "%Plane Creek%" OR purchasing_mill LIKE "%Plane Creek%" | ||
|data=name=name,builder=builder,model=model,serial=serial_number,year=year,current_mill=current_mill,notes=notes | |data=name=name,builder=builder,model=model,serial=serial_number,year=year,current_mill=current_mill,notes=notes | ||
}} | }} | ||
Latest revision as of 14:16, 5 October 2026
| Plane Creek Mill | |
|---|---|
|
| |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 21.42734° S, 149.21522° E |
| State | Queensland |
| Region | Sarina |
| LGA | Mackay Regional Council |
| Details | |
| Established | 1896 (130 years ago) |
| Owner | Wilmar Sugar |
| Gauge | 610 mm (2 ft) |
| Annual Crush | 1,300,000 tonnes (annual average) |
Plane Creek Mill is a raw sugar factory located in Sarina, approximately 35 kilometres south of Mackay. It is owned and operated by Wilmar Sugar and Renewables. The mill produces raw sugar, molasses and renewable energy and supplies steam and electricity to the adjoining Sarina Distillery, which produces bioethanol from molasses.[1]
History
Establishment
The Plane Creek district was settled by pastoralists during the 1860s. Henry Bell and Edmund Atherton established the Plane Creek pastoral run in 1864, and the Atherton and Bell families subsequently became closely involved in the establishment of the district's sugar industry.
The Plane Creek Central Mill Company Limited was registered in late 1893 and was brought under the Queensland Government's Sugar Works Guarantee Act 1893 in 1894.[2] Approximately 28,000 acres of shareholders' land was mortgaged as security for a £65,000 Queensland Government loan to construct the mill.[3]
In 1895, Walkers Limited of Maryborough was selected to supply the milling machinery. Construction proceeded under the supervision of G. Wolfe and J. B. Wood. The company also constructed an extensive 610 mm (2 ft) gauge tramway system, including a line approximately 15 miles long from Plane Creek to a wharf at Louisa Creek for the shipment of raw sugar.
The mill commenced crushing on 4 November 1896. During its first season it processed 3,579 tonnes of cane and produced 371 tons 14 cwt of raw sugar.[3]
Early operations
Plane Creek initially experienced financial difficulties and government guarantor directors were appointed to oversee the company. The mill subsequently expanded as sugar cultivation increased throughout the district.
The company's debt to the Queensland Government was fully repaid during the 1920–21 season.[2]
Development of the North Coast railway line south of Mackay substantially increased the area from which cane could be supplied to Plane Creek. The railway reached Sarina in 1913, Koumala in 1915 and Carmila in 1920. Cane from districts further south, including Flaggy Rock, was being transported by government railway to Plane Creek by the late 1920s.
Water supply was a recurring difficulty for the mill. A weir was constructed on Plane Creek in 1926, followed by a second weir in 1935.[3]
Sarina distillery
Plane Creek was involved in the establishment of the Australian National Power Alcohol Company during the 1920s. The adjoining Sarina distillery commenced operation in 1927, initially producing power alcohol from molasses and other feedstocks.
The distillery subsequently developed into a major producer of industrial and fuel ethanol. It is now operated by Wilmar Sugar and Renewables and processes molasses from Queensland sugar mills. Plane Creek Mill supplies steam and electricity to the facility.[1]
The modern Sarina Distillery produces approximately 55 megalitres of bioethanol annually for fuel and industrial applications.[1]
Ownership
Unlike a number of other Queensland central mills, Plane Creek did not become a grower-owned co-operative. The Plane Creek Central Mill Company Limited continued to own the mill until 1974.
In June 1974, the company was taken over by Pioneer Sugar Mills Limited. Pioneer Sugar Mills, including Plane Creek, was subsequently acquired by CSR Limited in 1987.
In 2010, CSR's sugar and renewable energy business, Sucrogen Limited, was acquired by the Singapore-based agribusiness Wilmar International. Plane Creek has since operated as part of Wilmar's Australian sugar business.[4]
Very Low Colour sugar
In 1995, CSR commissioned facilities at Plane Creek for the production of Very Low Colour (VLC) raw sugar. The specialised product was intended to reduce processing requirements for refiners and was produced at Plane Creek during the following years.
CSR later concluded that there was no longer a viable market for the product and wrote down the assets associated with VLC sugar production in 2003.
Infrastructure
Milling
Plane Creek Mill processes an annual average of approximately 1.3 million tonnes of sugarcane and produces approximately 173,000 tonnes of raw sugar.[1]
The mill also produces molasses and renewable energy from bagasse, the fibrous material remaining after cane crushing. Steam and electricity generated by the mill are also supplied to the adjoining Sarina Distillery.
Tramway
Plane Creek Mill operates an extensive 610 mm (2 ft) gauge cane railway serving the Sarina district and cane-growing areas to the south. Wilmar's 2025 regional statistics list approximately 163 kilometres of cane railway, eight locomotives and 2,424 cane bins in the Sarina region.[1]
The southern cane supply area developed in conjunction with both mill tramways and the government-owned North Coast railway. Cane from areas around Koumala, Carmila and Flaggy Rock was historically transferred to Queensland Government Railways wagons for transport to the mill. The last Queensland Rail cane train to Plane Creek operated from Carmila in December 1994, after which the mill's own narrow gauge network assumed the long-distance haulage.
Plane Creek became particularly notable for the use of long distributed-power cane trains on its southern workings. These trains used a second remotely controlled locomotive positioned within the train to provide additional traction and braking on the long haul from the southern terminus. Distributed-power, or Locotrol, operation continued for many years but was discontinued from the 2020 crushing season.[5]
The mill continues to operate long-distance cane trains on the southern network using conventional locomotive operation.
Production Statistics
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Average Annual Crush | 1,300,000 tonnes |
| Average Raw Sugar Production | 173,000 tonnes |
| Bioethanol Production | 55 megalitres annually (Sarina Distillery) |
| Cane Railway | Approximately 163 km |
| Locomotives | 8 |
| Cane Bins | 2,424 |
| Railway Gauge | 610 mm (2 ft) |
Location
Rollingstock
| Name | Builder | Model | Serial | Year | Current Mill | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria | Walkers | GH500 | 599 | 1968 | Plane Creek Mill | Converted by Tulk Goninan - 1994 |
| Dalrymple | Clyde Queensland | HG-3R | 70-709 | 1970 | Victoria Mill | Usually used as full yard loco |
| D4 | Commonwealth Engineering | FA | FA1037 | 1960 | Plane Creek Mill | |
| D12 | E.M. Baldwin | DH32B | 6890-1-10-76 | 1976 | Plane Creek Mill | |
| Allan Page | Walkers | GH500 | 594 | 1968 | Plane Creek Mill | Last rebuilt Pioneer Mill 2020 |
| Karloo | Walkers | GH500 | 632 | 1969 | Plane Creek Mill | Last rebuilt Bundaberg Foundry 1995 |
| Koumala | Walkers | GH500 | 651 | 1970 | Plane Creek Mill | Last rebuilt Pioneer Mill 2019 |
| Carmila | Walkers | GH700 | 676 | 1971 | Plane Creek Mill | Last rebuilt Proserpine Mill 2018 |
| D8 | Commonwealth Engineering | FC | FC3777 | 1964 | Plane Creek Mill | Transferred from Plane Creek on 9 December 2019 and stored at Pioneer Mill by June 2020. Listed again with the Plane Creek fleet as stored in 2024. |
| Kalamia | Clyde | HG-3R | 67-569 | 1967 | Invicta Mill | |
| 1 | Clyde | DHI-71 | 56-101 | 1956 | Out of service | Transferred from Plane Creek Mill to storage at Pioneer Mill by 8 June 2020. |
| 2 | Clyde | DHI-71 | 57-147 | 1957 | Out of service | Out of use by 1997; dismantled by 1999. |
| 3 | Commonwealth Engineering | FA | FA1036 | 1959 | Out of service | Out of use by 1997; dismantled by 1999. |
| 5 | John Fowler | 18801 | 1930 | Out of service | Preserved; LRRSA recorded with Benny Rachwel at Menangle Steam Park, Campbelltown NSW (2011). | |
| 6 | Ruston Hornsby | 30DLU | 371381 | 1954 | Out of service | Preserved; LRRSA recorded with Graham Chapman, Narangba QLD (2011). |
| 7 | Commonwealth Engineering | FC | FC3776 | 1964 | Plane Creek Mill | In active service. Last seen 11/10/2026 in the Dawlish, Mackay area. |
| 9 | Ruston Hornsby | DH15 | 6-825-1-5-64 | 1964 | Out of service | Ruston & Hornsby 100DLU locomotive rebuilt by E.M. Baldwin in 1964 on the frames of a 915mm-gauge locomotive ex Snowy Mountains Scheme contractor; Baldwin rebuild no. 6-825-1-5-64, Model DH15. Out of use by 1997 and sold in 1999; LRRSA later recorded a possible subsequent location at Emerald QLD in 2011, but this was uncertain. |
| (Blank) | F.C. Hibberd | 2333 | 1940 | Out of service | Preserved; LRRSA recorded with Graham Chapman, Narangba QLD (2011). |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Wilmar Sugar and Renewables. Sarina Region – At a glance. June 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Griggs, Peter. Global Industry, Local Innovation: The History of Cane Sugar Production in Australia, 1820–1995. Peter Lang, 2011.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Mackay Historical Society. "Plane Creek Sugar Mill, 1896-". http://www.mackayhistory.org/research/sugar_mills/plane_creek.html
- ↑ Wilmar Sugar. "Our Mills". https://www.wilmarsugar-anz.com/what-we-do/mills
- ↑ Light Railway Research Society of Australia. Light Railways, No. 274, August 2020.