Mourilyan Bulk Sugar Terminal

The transition to bulk handling at Mourilyan Harbour commenced in 1960. Prior to this, raw sugar from the region was transported in bags and loaded onto lighters (flat-bottomed barges) to be ferried to ships waiting in deeper water. The construction of the bulk terminal involved significant dredging of the harbour entrance to allow larger vessels to berth directly alongside the new wharf. The facility was designed to consolidate exports from the Innisfail and Tully districts, receiving sugar via the dedicated cane railway network and the North Coast Line.

The terminal has played a strategic role in the rationalisation of the local industry. Following the closure of the Goondi Mill in 1987 and the Babinda Mill in 2011, the facility continued to handle increased throughput from the South Johnstone and Tully mills. It also serves the Tableland Mill, with sugar transported down the range by road trains to a rail siding for final delivery to the port.

In March 2006, the facility was in the direct path of Severe Tropical Cyclone Larry. The cyclone caused extensive damage to the terminal infrastructure and the nearby Mourilyan Mill. While the mill sustained structural damage that led to its permanent closure later that year, the terminal was repaired and resumed operations to ensure the region's crop could be exported. The facility is currently operated by Sugar Terminals Limited (STL) and has recently diversified to handle other bulk commodities, including woodchips and magnetite, alongside its core sugar operations.