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Hambledon Mill at Edmonton was established in 1881 and closed in 1991 with the cane being transferred to Mulgrave Mill for crushing. The closure of Hambledon Mill was the result of urban development pressures around Cairns resulting in significant losses of good quality agricultural land. The significance of sugar to the early development of Cairns is encapsulated in the following extracts for Clive Morton's book relating to late 1890s (source: "By Strong Arms" C. Morton, 1995). "He [Dalrymple] recommended that the coastal country between the Johnstone and Daintree be opened for selection 'to launch this magnificent district upon a brilliant future to be developed by stong arms and indomitable energies that have, in less than a century, made Australia what it is…" (p.6) "The opening of Mulgrave Mill brought dramatic increases in service industries, including the mechanisation of the means of preparing horse and cattle feed… This was only one of the manifold benefits, including stability of population, incomes and medical facilities which followed. Meanwhile an ongoing search for viable industries took place and all except sugar were to fail." (p.20)
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