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 Coast Regional Council
Details
Established	1925 (101 years ago)
Owner	COFCO
Gauge	610 mm (2 ft)
Annual Crush	2,400,000 tonnes (average)

Tully Sugar Mill is a sugar mill located in Tully, approximately 140 kilometres south of Cairns. It was the last of the government built mills in Queensland and operates one of the largest cane railway networks in the country. Since 2011, it has been owned by the Chinese agribusiness COFCO.

History

Establishment

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 Limited 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.

Operational History

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.

The mill underwent its first major technical upgrade in 1963 to handle increased cane supply from the Riversdale expansion area. By 1983, the mill celebrated its first million tonne crush season.

In 1990, 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.

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 to the cooling towers and storage sheds, and the surrounding crop was devastated.

Ownership

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 136 million dollars, outbidding competitors such as Bunge and Wilmar. This ended 80 years of local grower ownership.

Infrastructure

Tramway

Tully Mill operates one of the largest cane railway networks in Australia, utilising 610 mm (2 ft) gauge. The network extends over 200 kilometres and services the high rainfall areas of the Tully Valley, Euramo, Riversdale, and El Arish.

A significant engineering feature of the network is the bridge crossing the Tully River, which allows cane to be transported from the southern sectors. The network is known for its "town running" sections where cane trains navigate through the built up areas and across the Bruce Highway.

Technical Upgrades

Under COFCO ownership, significant investment has been made into the boiler station and power generation capabilities. A new 18 MW steam turbine generator was installed to improve energy efficiency and export renewable power to the national grid.

Production Statistics

Tully Mill consistently ranks as one of the highest throughput mills in the Northern Region.

Statistic	Value
Average Annual Crush	2,400,000 tonnes
Primary Transport Mode	610 mm Tramway
Network Length	>200 kilometres

Location

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Rollingstock

Name	Builder	Model	Serial	Year	Current Mill	Notes
Tully 1 / Charlotte	E.M. Baldwin	DH8-PS	6/1082.3 2.65	1965	Tully Mill	Workshop shunter (2025). Carries incorrect builder's plate 6/1064-4-2-65; correct builder's number is 6/1082.3 2.65.
Tully 2 / Priscilla	E.M. Baldwin	DH8-PS	6/1082.2 2.65	1965	Tully Mill	Navvy duties (2025). Carries incorrect builder's plate 6/1064-3-2-65; correct builder's number is 6/1082.2 2.65.
Tully 3 / Coolies	E.M. Baldwin	DH8-PS	6/1082.1 2.65	1965	Out of service	Static display at mill gates. Carries incorrect builder's plate 6/1064-2-2-65; correct builder's number is 6/1082.1 2.65.
Tully 4	Walkers	GH500	622	1969	Tully Mill	Ex QR DH40; rebuilt by Walkers in 1996.
Tully 5	Walkers	GH500	650	1969	Tully Mill	Ex QR DH63; rebuilt by Walkers in 1993.
Tully 6	Walkers	GH500	653	1970	Tully Mill	Ex QR DH66; rebuilt by Walkers in 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 out of use at Tully Mill as of August 2023.
Tully 14	Commonwealth Engineering	AK	AK2663	1963	Tully Mill	Navvy duties. 2025
Tully 16	Commonwealth Engineering	AH	AH4484	1964	Tully Mill	Paired with Tully 11. 2024.
Tully 17	Commonwealth Engineering	AH	AH52100	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 in 1989 to a six-wheel brake wagon using the locomotive frame; recorded stored out of use at Tully in August 2023.
Tully 3	Walkers	GH500	643	1970	Tully Mill	Ex QR DH56 and Cooks Construction CC03; rebuilt by Tully in 2013.
Tully 7	Walkers	GH500	657	1970	Tully Mill	Ex QR DH70; rebuilt in 1994. Ex Balberra, Racecourse Mill; transferred to Tully in 2008.
Tully 8	Walkers	GH500	606	1969	Tully Mill	Ex QR DH24 and Cooks Construction CC05; rebuilt by Bundaberg Foundry in 2004.
Tully 9	Walkers	GH500	618	1969	Tully Mill	Ex QR DH36 and Cooks Construction CC06; rebuilt by Tully in 2010.
Tully 15	Commonwealth Engineering	AK	AK3574	1964	Out of service	Stored out of use at Tully Mill as of August 2023.
Tully 2	Walkers	GH500	586	1968	Tully Mill	Ex QR DH4 and Cooks Construction CC01. Rebuilt/converted by Tully in 2024.
No. 8	John Fowler		21912	1936	Out of service	Rebuilt by E.M. Baldwin as 590-9-63 in 1963; preserved at Illawarra Light Railway Museum, Albion Park NSW.