Tully Mill

Tully Mill
Steam rising from the Tully Sugar Mill with loaded cane train in foreground, 2016
Location
Coordinates	17.93480° S, 145.92674° E
State	Queensland
Region	Northern Region
LGA	Cassowary Regional Council
Details
Established	1925 (101 years ago)
Owner	Cofco
Gauge	610 mm (2 ft)
Annual Crush	2,400,000 tonnes average

The Tully Sugar Mill was the last of the government-built mills in Queensland. Following the Sugar Works Act of 1922, the Theodore State Government approved the construction of a mill on the banks of Banyan Creek. The site was selected by the Bureau of Central Mills, and the township of Tully (originally surveyed as Banyan) was established specifically to support the mill workers and service the facility.

The tender for construction was awarded to Walkers Ltd of Maryborough in August 1923. The mill conducted a trial crushing starting on 5 November 1925, with its first full season commencing in July 1926. It quickly proved efficient, becoming the first Australian sugar mill to crush over 200,000 tonnes of cane in a single season in 1927.

In 1930, the Tully Sugar Works Act authorised the transfer of the mill from government control to a grower-owned cooperative. The Tully Co-operative Sugar Milling Association was formed in March 1931, and the growers purchased the mill from the government later that year.

Expansion and Modernisation (1960s to 1990s)

The mill underwent its first major technical upgrade in 1963 to handle increased cane supply from the Riversdale expansion area. This expansion saw new assignments granted to soldier settlers and new farmers. By 1983, the mill celebrated its first million-tonne crush season.

In 1990, the structure of the organisation changed significantly. The cooperative was dissolved, and the entity was incorporated as an unlisted public company named Tully Sugar Limited. This change allowed for greater capital investment and modernisation of the milling train and transport infrastructure.

Recent History and Foreign Acquisition (2000s to Present)

The early 21st century brought challenges, including severe weather events. In February 2011, Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi (Category 5) crossed the coast near Mission Beach. The mill suffered significant structural damage, and the surrounding crop was devastated, with losses estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars for the district.

Following the cyclone, the mill became the target of a takeover bid. In July 2011, the Chinese state-owned agribusiness COFCO (via its subsidiary Top Glory) acquired Tully Sugar Limited for approximately AUD 136 million, outbidding competitors such as Bunge and Wilmar. This ended 80 years of local grower ownership.

Under COFCO, the mill has continued to upgrade its infrastructure, including the installation of a new 18MW steam turbine generator in 2023 to export renewable power to the grid.

Location

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Rollingstock

Name	Builder	Model	Serial	Year	Current Mill	Notes
1 / Charlotte	E.M. Baldwin	DH8-PS	6-1082-3-2-65	1965	Tully Mill	Workshop shunter. 2025.
Tully 2 / Priscilla	E.M. Baldwin	DH8-PS	6-1082-2-2-65	1965	Tully Mill	Navvy duties. 2025
3 / Coolies	E.M. Baldwin	DH8-PS	6-1082-1-2-65	1965	Out of service	Static display at mill gates
Tully 4	Walkers	GH500	622	1965	Tully Mill	Converted by Walkers - 1996
Tully 5	Walkers	GH500	650	1969	Tully Mill	Converted by Walkers - 1993
Tully 6	Walkers	GH500	653	1970	Tully Mill	Converted by Walkers - 1993
Balmoral	E.M Baldwin	DH32B	10684-1-4-83	1983	Marian Mill	Was Tully 7. Swapped 2008.
10	Commonwealth Engineering	AD	AD1341	1960	Tully Mill	Navvy duties. 2025.
Tully 11	Commonwealth Engineering	AD	AD1347	1960	Tully Mill	Paired with Tully 16. 2024
Tully 12	Commonwealth Engineering	AD	AD1351	1961	Out of service	Stored at Tully Mill. 2025
Tully 14	Commonwealth Engineering	AK	AK2663	1963	Tully Mill	Navvy duties. 2025
Tully 16	Commonwealth Engineering	AH4484	AH	1964	Tully Mill	Paired with Tully 11. 2024.
Tully 17	Commonwealth Engineering	AH	AH42100	1966	Out of service	Stored at Tully Mill. 2025
Tully 18	Commonwealth Engineering	AO	AO60113	1977	Tully Mill	Navvy duties. 2025
No. 9	Clyde	DHI	DHI.4	1954	Out of service	Converted to brake van BV1
Tully 3	Walkers	GH500	643	1970	Tully Mill	Converted by Tully Mill - 2013
Tully 7	Walkers	GH500	657	1970	Tully Mill	Converted by Tulk Goninan - 1994
Tully 8	Walkers	GH500	606	1969	Tully Mill	Converted by Bundaberg Foundry - 2004.
Tully 9	Walkers	GH500	618	1969	Tully Mill	Converted by Tully Mill - 2010
Tully 15	Commonwealth Engineering	AK	AK3574	1964	Out of service	Stored at Tully Mill. 2025
Tully 2	Walkers	GH500	586	1968	Tully Mill	Converted by Tully Mill 2024.
No. 1	E.M. Baldwin	DH8-PS	6-1064-4-2-65	1965	Out of service
No. 2	E.M. Baldwin	DH8-PS	6-1064-3-2-65	1965	Out of service
No.3	E.M. Baldwin	DH8-PS	6-1064-2-2-65	1965	Out of service
No. 8	John Fowler		21912	1936	Out of service	Rebuilt by E.M. Baldwin - 5-90-9-63
No. 17	Commonwealth Engineering	AH	AH52100	1966	Out of service