<p>Sugarcane is a vital crop for Australia’s agricultural sector and regional economies. Although climate warming is expected to enhance sugarcane growth and yield in subtropical New South Wales (NSW), eastern Australia, it remains unclear how adaptive management strategies can be optimized to fully capture these potential benefits and maximize both production and profitability. This study applied the well-validated QCANE model, driven by downscaled projections from 27 global climate models under two Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5), to evaluate sugarcane responses to planting date and irrigation adaptations in the major growing regions in northern coastal NSW. The results indicate that, without adaptation, future climate conditions were projected to increase sugarcane yield by 7–29% and gross margin by 3–40% relative to current levels (102–119 t ha⁻¹; 2,180–2,818 AU$ ha⁻¹). Additional gains could be achieved with increased irrigation and later planting relative to current practice. Under both emission pathways, the optimal adaptation of combining targeted irrigation and delayed planting, substantially increased yield (38–82%; 157–190 t ha⁻¹) and gross margin (31–98%; 2368–4487 AU$ ha⁻¹) by the end of the century, with improvements primarily driven by enhanced water availability and elevated CO₂. These findings provide evidence-based guidance for growers to implement irrigation and planting adjustments to optimize yields, and for industry stakeholders to adapt operations in anticipation of shifts in peak harvest periods, thereby supporting the future productivity and profitability of the sugarcane sector under changing climate scenarios.</p>