ABSTRACT
The coastal Queensland region of the tropical north has been a successful crop-producing area for over 100 years, with sugar cane as the major crop. Other valuable crops include tobacco and a wide range of tropical horticultural crops such as banana, mango and many soft fruits. Water storage impoundments such as those at Mareeba and in the lower Burdekin were specifically developed to support these crops, highlighting the limitations of the natural environment of the north for reliable year-round crop production. Sugar cane production is a major component of Australia’s rural output and makes a significant contribution to the country’s export earnings. The cane crop normally grows for 12 to 16 months before harvesting (usually between June and December, when the sugar content is high). Aside from sugar cane, most of the other broadacre crops that are now grown in the tropical north owe their success to the development of the necessary infrastructure for water storage and crop irrigation.
