Tableland Mill
| Tableland Mill | |
|---|---|
|
| |
| 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. Cane transported by road. |
| Annual Crush | 742,377 tonnes (2024) |
Tableland Mill is a sugar mill located at Arriga, south-west of Mareeba, Queensland. Commissioned in 1998, it is Australia's newest operating sugar mill. The mill is owned by MSF Sugar, part of the Thai-based Mitr Phol Group.
Unlike most Queensland sugar mills, Tableland Mill does not operate a cane railway network and receives its cane entirely by road.[1]
History
Establishment
Tableland Mill was constructed for Bundaberg Sugar and commenced operations in 1998. It was the first new sugar mill commissioned in Queensland for more than 70 years and remains Australia's newest sugar mill.[2]
The development established a local processing outlet for the expanding sugarcane industry on the Atherton Tableland. Cane had already been grown commercially in the district before construction of the mill, with Tableland-grown cane previously transported considerable distances to coastal mills including Mossman Mill.
The mill was officially opened in November 1998.[3]
Technical and operational history
Tableland Mill was unusual in its original design. Its crushing tandem consisted entirely of two-roll Bundaberg High Extraction Mills (BHEMs), rather than conventional three or four-roll milling units. The system was noted for comparatively low final bagasse moisture and modest specific power consumption.[4]
When commissioned, Tableland was not equipped to manufacture crystal sugar. Cane was crushed at Arriga and processed into syrup, which was transported by road to coastal mills for crystallisation.[1]
In 2012, MSF Sugar commenced a major expansion of the factory to enable raw sugar to be manufactured on site. Following an upgrade valued at more than $40 million, Tableland Mill produced its first batch of raw sugar in August 2013. Until that time, syrup produced at Tableland had principally been transported to South Johnstone Mill for crystallisation.[5]
Cane supply
Prior to construction of Tableland Mill, substantial quantities of cane grown on the Atherton Tableland were supplied to Mossman Mill. Mossman had encouraged the development of Tableland cane from 1989, and by 1996 approximately one-third of Mossman's record throughput originated on the Tableland.
In 2005, following changes to sugar industry regulation and amid increased transport costs and depressed returns, Tableland-area suppliers who had been supplying Mossman elected instead to supply the nearby Tableland Mill at Arriga. The loss of this cane significantly reduced Mossman's throughput.[6]
Following the closure of Mossman Mill after the 2023 crushing season, growers in the Julatten district signed a multi-year cane supply agreement with MSF Sugar's Tableland Mill. Julatten growers supplied 18,632 tonnes of cane to Tableland during the 2024 season.[7]
Ownership
Tableland Mill was originally developed and operated by Bundaberg Sugar.
In 2010, Bundaberg Sugar and Maryborough Sugar Factory Limited, later renamed MSF Sugar, formed the Northern Milling Joint Venture covering Bundaberg Sugar's Tableland and South Johnstone milling assets.
MSF subsequently exercised its option to acquire Bundaberg Sugar's remaining interest in the joint venture. The acquisition was completed in April 2011, giving MSF full ownership of Tableland Mill and South Johnstone Mill.[8]
In 2012, Thailand's Mitr Phol Group acquired MSF Sugar. Tableland Mill has remained part of MSF Sugar under Mitr Phol ownership.[9]
Infrastructure
Green Energy Power Plant
Construction of the Tableland Green Energy Power Plant began in May 2017. The bagasse-fired cogeneration plant was commissioned during 2018 and has a generating capacity of 24 megawatts.[10]
The plant burns bagasse, the fibrous residue remaining after sugarcane crushing, to produce steam and electricity. Electricity is used by the mill and surplus generation is exported to the electricity grid. MSF Sugar currently describes the development as a $100 million investment capable of producing 24 MW of electricity.[11]
Transport and logistics
Tableland Mill has no cane railway. All harvested cane is transported from farms to the mill by road.[1]
Road haulage is coordinated to maintain a continuous supply of freshly harvested cane to the factory during the crushing season. Heavy articulated vehicles, including multi-lift and B-double configurations, are among the types of vehicles used within the road-based Queensland cane transport system.[1]
Unlike mills with extensive cane railway yards, Tableland's cane supply system is based around direct road haulage between growing areas and the factory.
Capacity expansion
In 2024, MSF Sugar announced a $13 million upgrade intended to increase Tableland Mill's annual crushing capacity from approximately 850,000 tonnes to one million tonnes. The project included upgrades to the milling train, juice and syrup processing equipment and cooling-water systems, and was scheduled for completion before the 2025 crushing season.[12]
The expansion was undertaken in response to additional cane plantings and interest from new and existing growers in increasing supply.
Production statistics
Tableland Mill generally operates from approximately May or June until November, depending on crop size and seasonal conditions.
| Season | Cane crushed | CCS | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 742,377 tonnes | 13.86 | Season completed 23 November.[13] |
| 2026 | 900,000 tonnes | — | Season estimate; crushing commenced 18 May 2026.[14] |
The 2024 season ran for approximately 28 weeks and was the lowest crop recorded for the Tableland district at that time.[7]
Location
Rollingstock
Tableland Mill does not operate a cane railway and has no cane locomotive fleet.
| Name | Builder | Model | Serial | Year | Current Mill | Notes |
|---|
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics. Freightline 3 – Australian sugar freight transport. 2015.
- ↑ Bundaberg Walkers Engineering. Aussie Sugar Mill Refresh – Tableland Mill Capacity Upgrade.
- ↑ CANEGROWERS Queensland. 1998 Annual Report, Tableland district report.
- ↑ Chohan, P. and Garson, C. Performance of a tandem of Bundaberg two-roll mills. International Sugar Journal, Vol. 111, No. 1330, 2009.
- ↑ ABC Rural. Historic first sugar for Queensland's newest mill. 16 August 2013.
- ↑ Far Northern Milling. Mossman Mill – History.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 CANEGROWERS Queensland. Annual Report 2024–2025, Mossman and Tableland district reports.
- ↑ MSF Sugar Limited. Appendix 4E Preliminary Final Report – Year Ended 31 December 2011.
- ↑ CANEGROWERS. Submission to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Regulation of Australian Agriculture. 2016.
- ↑ MSF Sugar. MSF Sugar's Green Energy Power Plant on Track for Mid-Year Completion. 16 February 2018.
- ↑ MSF Sugar. Tableland Green Energy Power Plant.
- ↑ The Express. Mill expands crushing capacity. 29 August 2024.
- ↑ Queensland Cane Agriculture & Renewables. Crush Statistics, 13 January 2025.
- ↑ Cairns Local News. Big crush gets started. 13 June 2026.