800,000 Tons Of Sugar: The Immense Production Scale Of Australia's Sugar Capital

Australia is the 6th largest country in the world and home to twenty-one million people. It’s an enormous landmass with extensive resources and massive industrial operations underpinning its economy. It’s a country where big ideas are dreamt and then built.
In Big Australia, each episode highlights some of the mega projects and operations that shape the country. It demonstrates the sheer scale and brilliance of these projects and covers the various stages from concept through to completion. This series takes innovation to a whole new level and takes viewers to the frontline of some of the nations' biggest industries and beyond.
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[@danmcguire7728]

Outstanding and well made video of a product the world over takes pure advantage of. Hearing the pride and dedication in the voices from the farmers to the mill operators simply shows they are in it for the long haul and are damned proud of it! I admire all of them for everything they do.

[@Errr717]

Very informative documentary. My grandfather immigrated to Hawaii from the Philippines in early 1900 to work for Hawaii Sugar Planters Association for over 25 years. Looking at how fast the machinery can cut I'm thinking that it can probably cut more sugar cane in one hour than my grandfather cut in his whole life. It is absolutely stunning what technology has done for humanity.

[@ctdieselnut]

It's hard to overstate the importance of hugely efficient farming technology. If it weren't for those massive machines, all of humanity would be bogged down trying to grow enough food for the family. Without those ag advancements, society wouldn't be free to work on other things and everyone would be just trying to survive, the way it used to be. Even a common combine is fascinating to me, and I'm not a farmer.

[@HarmanSingh-lw9ut]

Shakkar (sanskrit) -to sugar was a special spice for royals of europe a few hundred years ago. Kapaas kaatan (hindi) - cotton was also sent to the rich of europe. But greed took over and they started emptying continents(natives) for farming of cotton and sugar. People from India were taken as slaves to Americas and other places. African people were treated worst than animals. Now with machines white people can work but they also stay under economic pressure. Greed cannot be satisfied with money but the climate will sure put everything back to what it was before the machines. This time things won't stay the same because the weather won't allow.

[@samuelanketell8190]

Great documentary it's made me want to move north out of Brisbane and work in the sugar mills

[@uncle7162]

Well then you need to come up to either Mackay where my family’s been living growing cane for 140 years or the Burdekin where the SC is so big that the cane falls overs by itself

[@Westerstar-cx9vd]

Yep I know what you feel I’ve got family that own farms in bundy and I live in brissy to I love going up but hate coming back to brissy

[@myriapoveda9598]

@@uncle7162 6

[@kaptainkaos1202]

I used to live in Hawaii way up on a mountain above the cane fields. It was CRAZY when the started burning the fields. BIG cane rats would come swarming out of the fields like a nightmare.

[@oscarmapalad2053]

Not only rats but snakes as well...

[@javieraviles6314]

That’s awesome. I’m from Puerto Rico and we grow sugar cane and I enjoyed the time when I stepped inside the refinery and see how it was going to be done. I use to fill the trucks with canes . Long canes which chains bondles .

[@pnwRC.]

AWESOME video!

[@JS50108]

Lots of respect for hard working Chook, Bark and Brumby. I can understand their concerns.

[@michaelblake2668]

I can't believe it took them that long to work out leaving the mulch of the cane on the floor and plowing it in would help hold moisture in the soil, fertilise the ground + all the other benefits mentioned. I recall learning that in Biology class in High school in Victoria Australia when I was 15 years old, which was 39 years ago. I thought that was common gardening and farming knowledge. A Revolution of green farming???

[@velocecarriola9214]

We sold out of the sugar cane industry 20yrs ago just before the mill closed in Nambour on the sunshine coast. Two main factors preventing cutting the cane green was the variety of cane and a machine to cut it. We were able to cut it green for many years due to planting suitable varieties and access to a machine to do so, Austoft harvesters were the first to successfully cut the bigger heavier varieties on a larger scale. it requires big horse power to handle the cane, while non traditional cutting method was used to the old school Massey Ferguson harvesters. Harvesting cane is significantly more demanding on machines than say corn.

[@Dropbear237]

Sugar cane regrows it a type of grass, you leave the trash on top to reduce weeds and keep moisture for the cane to regrow. It's mostly done to paddocks that dry out easily, if done to a paddock that is damp most of the time the cane can rot. Plowing is done to a paddock that doesn't grow or produce sugar well anymore.

[@skippy5712]

Harvesters that could harvest green cane had to be developed first.

[@m2heavyindustries378]

@@velocecarriola9214 Thanks for the first hand account, much more useful than the Op's speculation

[@carlmenzel8744]

If the cane is to be getting another crop off it the following year it's fine but if the plants have allready produced 4 or more crops it's more suitable to burn because the amount of organic matter is to the extent that if you plow it in and replant the newly planted cane will just rot and the amount of nitrogen it takes to break down doesn't help either but by all means it has its place to leave the trash as mulch

[@joejoe01]

I grew up in and around the cane fields of south Louisiana. Love seeing the way other countries do it

[@kaptainkaos1202]

At time 41:53 they got things backwards. The generator is labeled turbine and vice versa. You notice the turbine blades on the “generator” and the rotor vanes on the “turbine”. The turbine turns the rotor in the generator to make electricity. I was so excited to notice this and told my partner what I found. Response? “Cool story bro.”.

[@kingofrivia1248]

Thats a good industrie that stops sugar importation and generates a lot of interesting and diverse jobs - and sugar is always needed so its not a unnecessary industry - so very nice to see

[@antonioaraujo3029]

Parabéns belo vídeo. 👏👏👏👏🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@tarzanswe2901]

love at 6.11 he says that making bad helth choices ( eating 40 kg of suggar/ year) is equvilant to beeing a developed economy

[@mikeandrews6543]

Very interesting video I once worked on a sugarcane cultivation in the laboratory doin surveys on the cornfields so I have an appreciation for what goes on from the planting to the harvesting and beyond.

[@yandenuts]

Curious Sugar consumer: 20+ years back I started buying sugar off the supermarket shelf for my little business. Back in 1998, we were mostly paying $AUD1.12 / kg. Fast forward 22 years and the price has now been stable at $AUD 0.90c / kg for the past 10 years. This month the price increased a few cents. Regardless Sugar remains cheaper than it was 20+ years ago. I know no other product like this. It's great for me, not so much for the growers. But that is Australia for ya! Anyone care to explain the sugar pricing history for me?

[@rockonable]

Beautiful content and great making I enjoyed every minute of it. Thank you guys and great job .

[@MrUnfamilia]

The factory looks old school but it seems the machines they are using are still at par with the current times

[@molnarriki4876]

I love that country.if i would be in my20 s again i would start my life there.but when i was in my 20 s it was war in jigoslavia and i stucked there.destiny

[@kostasangisoulaki912]

Sugarcane farmers deserve respect as its a difficult job. Queensland farmers been doing sugarcane farming since colony days 1850

[@nkosikhonantuli8268]

Farming and engineering... very fantastic

[@syedsarwarhussain7316]

India should learn from this revolution where hard earned crops of farmers let to rotten in open skies without the shelter basically Indian food corporation is corrupt

[@Nativemetalfreak]

until unless the politics drama clears it will never happen they need to work for the country rather than what they believe in

[@syedsarwarhussain7316]

@@Nativemetalfreak I don't know what we Indians see in politicians and leaders to vote them....bhashanbaazi art of lieying is key skill...

[@miltononyango]

australia has a lot of potential , they can produce ethernol , sprits , and sell there is more than just producing biomass and i forgot bio -gas amazing documentary ..

[@bobeden5027]

I remember the cold mornings driving an open cab tractor gratefull for the warm air coming back from the engine, and the cursing it by 10am!

[@alvanrigby6361]

In Upper Egypt some of that "mulch" is fed to cattle, buffalo and sheep.

[@SublimelyRelaxingMusic]

awesome doco. great to see end to end of this highly efficient industry. 41:52 the animation of the steam turbine and generator are interchanged

[@kongming2005]

Forgotten to mentioned that Australia is also big in following USA footsteps and instruction like no one else you ever seen before. It is so big, so big until not many people sees it.

[@aubob2360]

must really suck to be a ccp lover.

[@aliohiraa]

wow not much seen part of Australian greatness Loved every bit of it keep up the good work boys and girl

[@nickzila4641]

BORY AND GIRL LOOOL

[@islamshahidul0]

Great farmers. Love your work guys. I am from Perth and love to have farming experience.

[@DaniMrtini]

Such a nice place. Always wanted to visit or live in Australia it is too far from my family for the 10-16 hour flight. Maybe if that time got cut down to 5-7 hours sure

[@throughmylens5582]

Great job and was an interesting video.

[@gugenberg342]

Well done guys - deadly nice !!!

[@kizzjd9578]

Video is about mackay, but it shows Townsville port lol.

[@davidhobbs5679]

Because if you listened to the narration you'd understand that townsville is the export port that CSL uses. The video is about the sugar industry. Not Mackay

[@coleomo]

Why did I watch this? idk honestly.......... I guess im amazed at how big of a sugar cane industry Australia has. didn't know it was grown in aussieland at all. Neat.

[@GeoHvl]

Here's the difference the US cane growers in Florida are own by 2 corporations no independent farmers. They work together and set the Cane Sugar price in America.

[@zico739]

Always nice to see people doing their jobs.

[@GoBlue79]

Fascinating - I'd love to watch this in person.

[@jp-um2fr]

I too was lucky for a while. Some work to live - others live to work. One must not forget those people who love sugar the most - Dentists LOL Great video, thanks from the old country.

[@carlmautner4462]

Great videos on Australia.

[@bennorris8325]

I miss working around the mills and the smell of the sugar. It's great how they use the biogas to make power, but I remember seeing them bring coal in from the mines as well to feed the boilers and seeing it on the ground under conveyor belts on the way to to the mill from surge bins. Still cleaner then most power stations and very proud to call Mackay my home town 🙏

[@Heavy-metaaal]

Very good to see all the supply chain of sugar cane production.

[@pennyoflaherty1345]

Fantastic encouraging report - this takes me bk to earlier tv with more educational shows as well as non twisted reports. 👍

[@timmyjones1921]

Dang Good Video , Cheers To Australia Sugar.

[@ajit52]

Beautiful presentation

[@juandiego9164]

I really like the fact they have the biogas plant and everything but what happens when we run out of fossil fuels to run the equipment for harvesting and taking the trains to the mills

[@safetymikeengland]

When Ford Motor Company started making farm tractors in the US back in the 1920s we thought they were going to use alcohol. So we could survive. But I think it would be a HUGE change - like maybe without fossil fuels we could not produce enough food for everyone - if the oil in the ground dried up I think the global population would simply have to contract. It's an interesting topic.

[@GoonRider19]

They could use the biomass for gasification and fermentation, with this two processes you can produce all the different products with are now made by fossil fuels. In this processes you can use all different kinds of biomass, the potential is endless. At the end you can run your normal gas and diesel engine with gas or fuels. Diesel run his Diesel engine with vegetable oil and ford made a car out of hemp and a engine with was running on hemp fuel. We don’t have the infrastructure so that everyone can drive a electric car and it’s also difficult to store and ship electricity. For gases and fuels, we already have everything developed.

[@GoonRider19]

Michael England there is enough space for even more people, BUT for that we have to stop with bad farming and eating habits. Stop producing meat, sugar, palm oil, Soja and start producing more hemp. Hemp is a power plant, hemp can be processed in over 50.000 different products, it can be processed into paper, plastic, bio fuels, bio gases, textiles, food , construction materials and medicine and that just the big industries. And there are endless benefits in growing hemp as a crop. BUT do people want to satisfies their life for the next generations? I guess not. So yeah some people will have to die, if we don’t change.

[@vasudevakotti2894]

Loved watching brothers

[@greenesttechnologies3278]

Please cut down the ads. It's ridiculous to watch an ad every 7 minutes. Education shouldn't be like this.

[@aussiejim1616]

use an ad blocker.

[@rayj9]

Start video. Scroll to end of video. Then replay video and ads will be gone.

[@southaussiegarbo2054]

Thats youtube not this poster

[@0fficialdregs]

i'm watching this video while i play farming simulator

[@Toppradd]

I’m sorry ...

[@0fficialdregs]

@@Toppradd ??

[@edmo43]

Great video documentary. 👍👍

[@mushro0m914]

33:10 why is there randomly just some guy welding?😂

[@NathanChisholm041]

The government sells the water to the highest bidder!

[@jasonjamrs7413]

Don't you dare take a bucket of water

[@bitsnpieces11]

Turning the crushed sugar cane into power?? In South Florida the cane mills RUN by burning bagasse to make steam to power the entire plant.

[@skippy5712]

They do the same in Australia.

[@bitsnpieces11]

Skippy: Yep, I commented too early. I saw that later in the video, at first it seemed they used a different power source.

[@Anudeep842]

I love Australia, because more free air more land , good freedom, good strong rules , infrastructure , roads , too much for solo travel lovers I think... I love Australia news. . . Beautifull healthy peoples.. I wish my diploma in para medical course in alternative medicine get a job in Australia, sweet video thankyou, too much for tourism... I always miss my sisters son who is very cute lovely kind , I love playing with him. . . He is in Melbourne

[@nandanm3826]

Nice. A country and a continent of desire.🙏

[@robertwoodliff2536]

33.12...., what is going on there? It looks more like iron smelting?

[@dddsss2023]

they got the wrong sequence from the archive

[@MindTech91]

That’s awesome.

[@MrMopar413]

Great video, I didn’t know they grew sugarcane in Australia and how big the industry is.

[@shaunwood2714]

Yeah it's china's 😂🤣

[@brendanmorin9935]

@@shaunwood2714 what?

[@sergeant5848]

They used to grow massive crops in Papua New Guinea too, until Oil Palm was valued higher due to the Asian market influence. Now massive tracts of land are deforested each year to make way for more Oil Palm plantations. Sad.

[@billybob1092]

How many ads do you guys need. Are you competing with network television to see who can show the most ads?

[@SpiderF27]

Ad Blocker is the answer. Hello we're in 2020...

[@mbburry4759]

Couple of theirs are pretty obnoxious. KZbin premium is quite worth it if you use it alot - you dont have to deal with adds and creators still get paid, although i thought it used to be cheaper still better than paying for cable TV that still gives you adds despite paying

[@workonitm8]

Wonder how many snakes are harvested and processed with the cane ?

[@robnunya572]

A goodly number.

[@hyric8927]

If there's a ready supply of ammonia on hand, the CO₂ from burning sugarcane bagasse can be converted to urea. Australia imported 567 million USD's worth in urea in 2019, primarily sourced from the Gulf states.

[@kiruibenjamin406]

Inspirational

[@beatbox20fmj]

Australian farmer, also known as the best mechanic in the world

[@MisteriosGloriosos922]

nice video!

[@craigcorcoran3463]

Why is there still a shortege of White sugar on the supermarket shelves in Brisbane it is very hard to get. During this corona time ?

[@sbm1978]

41:50 they appear to have the animations for the Generator and Steam Turbine mixed up

[@johnvale6992]

Ah, you are correct! They have the flow chart right but the turbine picture should be on the left. Good catch!

[@nickzila4641]

@KHAN SPENCER YU HUI ON WEED OR SOMTING BUDY

[@michaelmertin4018]

Yep,Generator Drives Turbine........

[@karlszihn6511]

John Vale +

[@Paolo-v9k]

Muchas Gracias y un saludo. Bon dia

[@bobeden5027]

Did three seasons carting cane at Mt Charlton, great fun!

[@peterhatch1583]

Looks like a great place to work

[@jeremykwong2]

I’m not too sure if Mackay still holds the title of the largest producer of sugar in Australia, I know from living in both the Burdekin and Mackay regions that their similarly on par with one another as far as sugar production is concerned. It would have been cool if they went through the labs to show how they measure the purity in cane juice and sugar. Alas this documentary is pretty old though.

[@mrpotatoaim6969]

After reading some comments i feel blessed to work at a canefarm

[@robertwilliams2623]

Most people forget were the food comes from if not for the framers we would all go hungry.

[@gagarinone]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing! Please try to avoid to using any music.

[@josephrasberry3850]

Cool video we have a lot of cane farming in Louisiana in North America

[@seanconnery1277]

I like this video very much.Pl. produce more videos.Thank you.Greetings.India

[@grahammewburn]

I live in Alberton surrounded by sugarcane farms. They are not getting enough rain.

[@kunu98]

Looks like being energy independent is a good thing...

[@hdj81Vlimited]

minute 42. Cole is also CO2 neutral, trees absorbe CO2 and make wood, to cole.

[@ericwingseeto3246]

Very interesting to see how sugar mills work and at the end sugar comes out in a paper pac amazing nice work austrailian

[@syedadeelhussain2691]

I'm not an economist, but it seems to me that out of G7 Economies, Australia has the greatest dependency on commodities and Agribusinesses such as crops?

[@magnushartmann1819]

Yes they do

[@francesmcdonald8145]

We have sugar cane farming in the Philippines,but human population is taking over the farm land something has got to be done,I salute you Australian sugar cane farmers

[@collinwhites9833]

Given the fact it is a major Southern Hemisphere country it may have good synergies with Abraham Accord nations in the Arabian gulf and North Africa.

[@toni4729]

While the world's appetite for sugar is increasing we are getting sicker and sicker.

[@GeoHvl]

There's a 4 part docu on Netflix about the sugar of the world. Americans are screwed by Big Sugar here in the US. We pay $5 to $7 for a 3-pound bag of sugar where the rest of the world pays less than half that.

[@arrowb3408]

Aha... this is the sugar I use everyday comes from. Now I learn a granule of sugar crystal travels so far into my mouth. And also I can recognize the bright green square patchs down beneath the plane are sugar farm while it was passing Queensland Mackay this spot.

[@Hypnopotimus27]

Stop consuming sugar please, we care about your health.

[@johnevans6399]

Well done you Aussies. 🇬🇧🍺

[@eugenemusakhi6552]

There is a big market in Kenya. Please think of setting up a mini-factory in Kenya.

[@oliverwabwire2836]

The need to buy off completely one of the mismanaged giant mills like Mumias or Chemelil.....to counter Rai's stranglehold....and the government's inept morass!

[@arthursabila2260]

Hey my kenyan brother, uganda has a lot of sugar surplus

[@arthursabila2260]

Uganda is blessed by a good condulsive climate suitable for sugar growing

[@meraboy8322]

*Monocultural agriculture: one of the main factors affecting climate change*

[@the51project]

The sugar capital of Australia is CANEberra.

[@the51project]

@David You're from Bovine Excreta. Wow - I grew up near there!

[@michaelblake2668]

Ha Ha thats actually a funny comment, you made me laugh, good on ya mate.

[@boringbastard4920]

Big mountain of sugar, and in norway we pay 2.5 US dollar per kg. Give that price to aussie farmer and they be billionar

[@tommash.r.2606]

You can buy sugar for less than that in Norway, but I get what you mean. The sugar tax increase in Norway was a bad move. And FYI, most of the sugar in Norway are not from sugarcane, but from sugar beet (Dansukker etc.)

[@skippy5712]

Over double the price it sells for in Australia. Last time I bought some I think it was about $1.60US for 2kg in Oz at Aldi. . The cost of subsidised agriculture in Europe. Australian Farmers would all be multi multi Millionares if not for protected and Subsidised agriculture all around the world.

[@gulabsinghsingh7248]

Oh my God We buy in Australia only 80 us cents per kg

[@mbburry4759]

Geez its like 25-50 cents a lb here. But either way its pretty mind blowing what all goes into making sugar crystals.

[@jasonjamrs7413]

We pay about same eg no name sugar cost 1.50kg csi name cost 3.00 kg

[@chakriyalife3066]

Australia is modern farm. But my country do not develop yet . So a farm in my country is not modern , I love Australia from Cambodia.

[@hdj81Vlimited]

Big company.... without the farmers you are NOTHING..........

[@navdasone4710]

Sugarcane was introduced to Australia from Mauritius!

[@royormonde3682]

Hold on, I thought the longest coastal shoreline of one country went to Canada which is the third largest in the world.

[@Kendils-Tv]

hi this is cool .. come to my country, i am a sugar cane truck driver from Indonesia

[@albertcampbell9385]

I need a work in that area

[@kingjames4886]

actually canada has the longest coastline beating australia about 4 times over... australia is 7th. off to a good start.

[@czar89031]

really,.!

[@alec4672]

Australia has the most linearly. Canna has the most if you follow the coastline directly because of all the bays and sounds plus all the islands are included in Canadas data as well.

[@alec4672]

@@czar89031 depends how you look at it

[@kingjames4886]

@@alec4672 lol ok, if you're an 8 year old with a marker and a map australia wins maybe...

[@alec4672]

@@kingjames4886 no there two different ways to measure coastline linear and actual. Imagine two islands the exact same size perfectly circular let's say islands one has a coastline of 5 miles, now island 2 needs a port so they excavate a u shaped indent into the island, now all the sudden island 2 has more coastline even though both islands still see the same amount of ocean. Most coast guards will use a linear measurement vs an actual measurement to judge how many recourses to apply to an area. Off shore fishing is regulated based on linear coastline and see area. Linear and actual measurements both have there place.

[@petermordan8449]

What about the Cane Toads ?

[@Dropbear237]

You don't want to know how many animals are killed during the crushing season, from insects in the ground to birds flying around and sometimes swooping in at the wrong time.

[@jefferymatthias7794]

cane toads ... they to get sucked in by the harvesting machine and processed ... they the one that gives the sugar its sweetier taste ....

[@tcain1995]

Sugar is a dying industry in Mackay. Been going down over 10 years.

[@richardjellis9186]

The next mega project should be to pump all the spare water into huge ponds, ready for when there's a drought.!🤔🧐!

[@skitzochik]

those machines look like they could use a good cleaning. i wonder if everything is sticky in those factories.

[@billcoley8520]

How would you clean them? They are kind of like a lawnmower. You never wet them

[@UnyahPe1601]

Yes,Even women are Sticky and sweet. 🤫🤫🤫🤔🤔

[@kippstirling5459]

I hope they are clear of Monsato.

[@applesucks2633]

Kipp Stirling Extra Monsanto on mine!

[@thomasritter3159]

Why??

[@peacemonger2070]

@@thomasritter3159 Monsanto Seeds laced with Roundup and other healthy gear. NOT

[@imey8281]

What if the ship that carries thousand of tons of sugar would sink, will it change the flavor of the ocean?

[@aureliaandris8240]

Orcas, Piranhas and sharks would loose all their teeth ...

[@jasonjamrs7413]

Sharks got very bad dental insurance

[@dddsss2023]

@@jasonjamrs7413 why? Didn't know sharks are from US

[@francesmcdonald8145]

@Aurelia Andres I like your humor 😁

[@oscarmapalad2053]

I don't think so as long as the container are tightly close but for sure there will be oil and diesel spill that will change it's original flavour...LOL

[@kdm1234gmail]

this process is astounding. I got my paws on some sugarcane seeds and gonna try growing it. I only hope i will be able to find a way to safely and cleanly turn it into a bit of my own sugar. I've loved making things using things i've grown or made myself.