New South Wales

The Northern Rivers of New South Wales form the southernmost commercial sugar-growing region in Australia. The industry is concentrated along three major river valleys: the Tweed River, Richmond River and Clarence River, each of which contains an operating raw sugar mill.

The cooler climate of northern New South Wales distinguishes the region from the tropical sugar districts of Queensland. Cane growers use a combination of one- and two-year cropping cycles to maximise production under conditions which can include low winter temperatures, frost, flooding, drought and poor drainage.

The three mills at Harwood, Broadwater and Condong were purchased from the Colonial Sugar Refining Company by local growers in 1978 through the newly formed New South Wales Sugar Milling Co-operative Limited. Since 2015, the mills and Harwood refinery have operated as Sunshine Sugar, a 50/50 partnership between the grower-owned NSW Sugar Milling Co-operative and the Australian family-owned Manildra Group.

Harwood Mill

Located on Harwood Island beside the Clarence River, Harwood Mill commenced crushing in 1874 and is the oldest continuously operating sugar mill in Australia.

Originally operated by CSR, Harwood became grower owned with the formation of the NSW Sugar Milling Co-operative in 1978. The mill currently has a crushing capacity of approximately 210 tonnes of cane per hour and processes cane grown across approximately 10,500 hectares of the Clarence Valley.

The Harwood site also contains the Manildra Harwood Sugar Refinery. Established through a partnership between the Co-operative and Manildra Group in 1988–89, the refinery has an annual production capacity of approximately 260,000 tonnes and produces white, brown, liquid and specialty sugars for Australian markets.

Broadwater Mill

Broadwater Mill is situated beside the Richmond River at Broadwater and commenced crushing in 1881. Its cane-growing area covers approximately 14,900 hectares, the largest production area of the three Sunshine Sugar mills.

For much of its first century the factory relied heavily on the Richmond River and its tributaries for cane transport, with harvested cane carried to the mill aboard punts towed by steam and later diesel vessels. River transport was replaced by road haulage during the 1970s.

Broadwater currently has a crushing capacity of approximately 270 tonnes of cane per hour.

Adjacent to the mill is the Broadwater biomass power station operated by Cape Byron Management. The 38 MW plant burns bagasse and other approved biomass fuels, supplying steam and electricity to the mill while exporting renewable electricity to the National Electricity Market.

Condong Mill

Condong Mill is located on the Tweed River near Murwillumbah and commenced crushing in 1880, making it the second-oldest continuously operating sugar mill in Australia after Harwood.

The mill processes cane grown across approximately 6,900 hectares of the Tweed Valley and has a current crushing capacity of approximately 185 tonnes of cane per hour.

Historically, Condong used a combination of river punts, a 610 mm (2 ft) gauge cane railway and the New South Wales Government Railways network to transport cane and mill products. Its cane tramway eventually extended for approximately 58 kilometres before closing after the 1974 crushing season. Cane is now delivered entirely by road.

The adjoining Condong biomass power station is operated by Cape Byron Management. The 30 MW facility uses bagasse and other biomass fuels to provide steam and electricity to the mill and export renewable electricity to the national grid.