The first Mulgrave Mill crush of 13,973 tonnes of cane was from October 1896 to March 1897. The rate of 1,500 tonnes in the first month bears little comparison with the current rate of 450 tonnes per hour. The Mill was established under the Sugar Works Guarantee Act where the landholders mortgaged their lands to the government as security against the mill loan. The Mulgrave Tramway was operational for the second season and continues as the efficient mode of transport for cane to this day.

The book titled "By strong Arms" was written for the Mulgrave Mill centenary in 1995 by local author and canegrower, Clive Morton, and provides a wealth of information on the social, economic and business experiences of the local sugar industry.

From some 260 pages, a few milestone facts that set the scene are informative - bearing in mind that Mulgrave Mill now typically produces significantly more than one million tonnes of cane per year.

YEAR	MILESTONE TONNES	TONNES PRODUCED
1917	100,000	108,650
1929	200,000	207,857
1936	300,000	353,538
1962	400,000	405,488
1964	500,000	551,155
1975	600,000	638,954
1984	700,000	768,678
1988	800,000	844,919
1992	900,000	1,327,981
Source: "By Strong Arms" p.230

The impact of the World War years is apparent in the above data - just as external influences continue to impact on the industry.

Mulgrave mill 1897 - Photo: John Oxley Library

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