Another beautiful dry season day in the Douglas region and here’s a classic north Queensland image to complement it.

Sugar cane harvesting has been underway for approximately the past six weeks in an industry that has sustained local families for generations, well before tourism became the mainstay of the region.

This picture was taken near the intersection of Captain Cook Highway and Shannonvale Road last week, with the majestic mountains in the background and the ubiquitous cane train being loaded up to go off the Mossman Mill for the cane to be crushed.

After a slow start to the crushing season, operations are now well and truly in full swing at the Mossman Mill, according to a spokesman.

A total of 258,804.93 tonnes of sugar cane has been crushed this season to August 28, with 31,194.96 tonnes crushed in the past week alone.

On average to date, about 13 tonnes of commercial sugar is produced per week.

Home page photo by Louise Fossilo.