Tableland Mill

Tableland Mill
Tableland Sugar Mill, 2016. Kerry Raymond.
Location
Coordinates	17.12026° S, 145.34653° E
State	Queensland
Region	Northern Region
LGA	Mareeba Shire Council
Details
Established	1998 (28 years ago)
Owner	MSF Sugar
Gauge	Nil. Road transport only.
Annual Crush	775,000 tonnes

Tableland Mill is a sugar mill located at Arriga, approximately 20 kilometres south west of Mareeba, Queensland. It is currently owned by MSF Sugar and is unique among Australian sugar mills for operating exclusively via road transport, without a cane railway network.

History

Establishment

The Tableland Mill is the youngest sugar mill in Australia. Constructed by Bundaberg Sugar in 1998, it was the first new sugar factory built in Queensland since the expansion of the industry in the mid 1920s. Its establishment marked a significant shift in the geography of cane growing in Far North Queensland, proving that sugar cane could be successfully cultivated and processed on the Atherton Tableland, an area previously dominated by tobacco, dairy, and other horticultural crops.

Technical and Operational History

From a technical perspective, the mill was unique upon its commissioning. It featured a crushing tandem consisting solely of two roll Bundaberg High Extraction Mills (BHEMs), rather than the conventional three or four roll mills found elsewhere in the state. This design was intended to maximise extraction efficiency while reducing maintenance and energy consumption.

In 2005, the mill expanded its cane supply base significantly when growers in the Julatten area (traditionally suppliers to the Mossman Mill) elected to send their cane to the Tableland Mill. This shift was driven by economic factors and transport logistics, placing pressure on the coastal Mossman Mill but bolstering the throughput at Arriga.

Ownership

Ownership of the mill changed in 2012 when Bundaberg Sugar sold its Tableland assets, including the mill and associated farms, to MSF Sugar (a subsidiary of the Thai based Mitr Phol Group). This acquisition consolidated MSF Sugar's position in the region, as they also operated the Mulgrave Mill and South Johnstone Mill.

Infrastructure

Green Energy Power Plant

In recent years, the mill has evolved beyond simple sugar production. In 2018, MSF Sugar completed the construction of a Green Energy Power Plant (GEPP) at the site. This 24 megawatt biomass facility cost approximately 75 million to 100 million dollars and was designed to burn bagasse (sugar cane fibre) to generate electricity.

Unlike traditional mill power stations that only operate during the crushing season, the Tableland GEPP allows the mill to generate renewable baseload power for the national grid year round. This project made the Tableland Mill one of the most energy efficient sugar processing sites in Australia.

Transport and Logistics

The mill does not operate a railway. Cane is delivered 100 per cent by road transport. The logistics operation relies on a fleet of B Double trucks that haul bins from pads located on farms directly to the mill weighbridge. The tipping station at the mill is designed to handle these road vehicles rapidly to ensure a continuous supply of cane to the carrier.

Production Statistics

The Tableland Mill processes cane harvested from the Atherton Tableland and Julatten regions. The crushing season generally runs from June to November. Sugar produced is transported by road to the bulk sugar terminal at Mourilyan Harbour for export.

Statistic	Value
Average Annual Crush	700,000 to 850,000 tonnes
2024 Season Crush	742,377 tonnes (CCS 13.86)

Location

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Rollingstock

Note: Tableland Mill operates exclusively via road transport and does not possess a locomotive fleet.

Name	Builder	Model	Serial	Year	Current Mill	Notes