For nearly 150 years, the Rocky Point sugar mill has been a quiet anchor of Queensland's Gold Coast, binding farming families to the land through seasons of abundance and hardship alike. Now, with a terse letter and no explanation, that anchor has been lifted — 50 canegrowers left adrift, their futures uncertain as a once-mighty industry continues its long contraction. The silence from the mill's owner speaks to something larger than one family business: it reflects the slow unraveling of a regional agricultural identity, and the question of what fills the space when the cane fields finally go
Gold Coast sugar mill terminates contracts with 50 growers, leaving industry in limbo
50 farming families face financial and logistical uncertainty regarding their livelihoods and agricultural operations following mill closure.
We're not going to lie down and throw our hands in the air
Mark
Why would a mill owner give notice with no explanation? That seems deliberately opaque.
Mimi
It might be. Or it might be that Heck himself doesn't have clarity yet—he said he'd have more information in September. But from the growers' perspective, the silence is the message. No explanation means no negotiation, no hope of changing his mind.
Mark
Is there actually a viable alternative with this mill in New South Wales?
Mimi
It's possible, but it's not the same. Transporting cane 100 kilometres adds cost and complexity. You lose freshness—sugarcane degrades quickly after cutting. It's a survival option, not a good option.
Mark
The article mentions developers circling. Is the mill closure actually about the land value?
Mimi
That's the unspoken question. The article doesn't say Heck is selling to developers, but the timing is suggestive. Rocky Point sits on prime real estate. A mill owner facing declining volumes might look at the land beneath his feet and see a different kind of opportunity.
Mark
What happens to the 50 growers if they can't get cane to Condong?
Mimi
That's the fear keeping them awake. Some might try to shift to other crops. Some might sell their land—likely to developers. The agricultural heritage of the region could disappear within a generation.
Mark
Is this unique to Rocky Point, or is Queensland sugar in general collapsing?
Mimi
It's both. The industry is contracting—Mossman Mill liquidated just two years ago. But Rocky Point is particularly vulnerable because it's close to urban development pressure. A mill in a remote region might survive on lower volumes. Rocky Point can't.
Il Polso
- Fifty canegrowing families received termination notices with no reason given, leaving them financially exposed and without a clear path forward before the 2027 deadline.
- The closure echoes the 2024 liquidation of Mossman Mill, signaling that Rocky Point's loss of critical processing volume may be terminal rather than temporary.
- 290,000 tonnes of cane produced annually now has nowhere certain to go, threatening not just individual farms but the broader Gold Coast agricultural economy.
- A working group is urgently investigating whether cane can be hauled 100 kilometres south to Condong Mill in New South Wales — costly, complicated, but not yet ruled out.
- Developers have long eyed the region's last major undeveloped land corridor between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, and the mill's silence may be the signal they have been waiting for.
- Local council is already drafting contingency plans, caught between protecting farming heritage and managing the inevitable pressure to rezone prime agricultural land.
For nearly 150 years, the Rocky Point sugar mill has been a quiet anchor of Queensland's Gold Coast, binding farming families to the land through seasons of abundance and hardship alike. Now, with a terse letter and no explanation, that anchor has been lifted — 50 canegrowers left adrift, their futures uncertain as a once-mighty industry continues its long contraction. The silence from the mill's owner speaks to something larger than one family business: it reflects the slow unraveling of a regional agricultural identity, and the question of what fills the space when the cane fields finally go quiet.
In June, the owner of Rocky Point sugar mill sent letters to around 50 canegrowers on Queensland's Gold Coast, informing them the mill would stop crushing their cane after the 2027 season. The notice met the contractual deadline — but offered nothing else. No reason, no context, no indication of whether the mill would close permanently. When pressed, owner David Heck said only that he would have more to say in September.
For Greg Zipf, chair of the Rocky Point District Canegrowers association, the silence was as troubling as the news itself. The region produces roughly 290,000 tonnes of sugarcane each year, and the loss of its only local mill would send shockwaves through farming families and the wider Gold Coast economy. Yet Zipf admitted the writing had been on the wall. Queensland's sugar industry has been shrinking for two decades, and Mossman Mill's collapse into liquidation in 2024 was a recent and painful reminder of what happens when a mill loses the volume it needs to remain viable. Rocky Point, he said, had simply run out of critical mass.
Still, the growers are not giving up. A working group has begun exploring whether cane could be transported to Condong Sugar Mill in northern New South Wales — roughly 100 kilometres away. It would be expensive and logistically demanding, but growers and industry body Canegrowers are determined to find a workable solution rather than accept defeat.
The announcement has also sharpened a long-simmering tension. The Rocky Point cane fields occupy some of the last significant undeveloped land between Brisbane and the Gold Coast — land that developers have watched closely for years. Gold Coast deputy mayor Mark Hammel acknowledged the commercial pressures facing the mill and the industry, while stressing that the council's priority would be protecting farming families and managing any transition carefully. Whether that transition preserves agriculture or opens the door to development may depend on what the mill's owner finally says in September.
In June, David Heck, who runs the Rocky Point sugar mill on Queensland's Gold Coast, sent letters to about 50 canegrowers telling them the mill would stop accepting their cane after the 2027 season. The mill has been family-owned since 1878, grinding sugarcane through nearly 150 years of Queensland agricultural history. Now, with a single notice and no explanation, it was signaling an end to that era.
Greg Zipf, who chairs the Rocky Point District Canegrowers association, said the growers were devastated. The contract terms required the mill to give notice by a certain date if it intended to terminate—and Heck had met that deadline. But the letter itself offered nothing: no reason, no context, no path forward. "There was no reason, which is very, very odd," Zipf said. When asked whether the mill would close permanently, Heck declined to say, offering only that he would have more information in September.
The Rocky Point region produces roughly 290,000 tonnes of sugarcane each year. The loss of the mill would ripple outward—not just through the farming families who depend on it, but through the entire Gold Coast economy. Zipf acknowledged that the closure was not a complete shock. Queensland has watched its sugar industry contract for two decades, mills shuttering one by one. The most recent casualty was Mossman Mill in Far North Queensland, which collapsed into liquidation in 2024, leaving farmers there stranded with nowhere to send their crop. "Sugar milling is a volume game," Zipf explained. "They need tonnes through their factory to make it pay. Rocky Point has lost its critical mass."
But the growers are not surrendering. A working group of canegrowers and industry stakeholders has begun investigating whether cane could be transported to Condong Sugar Mill in northern New South Wales, about 100 kilometres away. It would be expensive, logistically complicated, and far from ideal—but it might be possible. "We're not going to lie down and throw our hands in the air and say, 'We're done,'" Zipf said. "We're going to be proactive about it and see if we can come up with a resolution." Owen Menkens, chairman of Canegrowers, the peak industry body, said the organization was working with affected growers to explore options. "It's obviously distressing, this period," he acknowledged, "but I have faith in the growers to be able to come up with a solution."
The timing of the mill's announcement has exposed a deeper tension in the region. The Rocky Point cane fields sit on some of the last major undeveloped land south of Brisbane, sandwiched between the Gold Coast and Logan. Developers have circled for years, waiting for the moment when agriculture would no longer be viable. Now that moment may be arriving. Mark Hammel, the Gold Coast deputy mayor and area councillor, said the council was preparing for what comes next. "The commercial realities facing both the mill and the industry are well understood," he said. "While we all hope to see the strongest possible outcome for growers, we also have a responsibility to prepare for what comes next." The council's focus, he said, would be on managing any transition in a way that protects farming families and preserves the region's agricultural heritage—even as the pressure to develop the land intensifies.
Citazioni salienti
Sugar milling is a volume game, and they need tonnes through their factory to make it pay. Rocky Point has lost its critical mass.— Greg Zipf, Rocky Point District Canegrowers chair
While we all hope to see the strongest possible outcome for growers, we also have a responsibility to prepare for what comes next.— Mark Hammel, Gold Coast deputy mayor
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