The remains of the Invicta Mill site, on the banks of the Kolan River, are a reminder of the area’s rich sugar growing history and is listed in Bundaberg Regional Council’s Register of local heritage places.
Visible remains of the mill operation are a brick enclosure on private property close to Mill Road, and the remains of tram tracks leading to the mill site, crossing the Invicta Road in the northeast.
According to the site’s heritage place card, previous studies also listed concrete foundations and underground tunnels on site, as well as remains of an old barge on both banks of the Kolan River.
Establishment of mill
The Invicta sugar mill was established by Frederic Buss and crushed sugar cane from 1895 until 1918.
Frederic was a prominent Bundaberg businessman who owned interests in a number of other sugar and juice mills in the region as well as retail interests, often in partnership with other family members, however he was sole owner of Invicta Mill.
The mill was established with second-hand mill equipment purchased from defunct mills on the Richmond River in New South Wales, as well as new equipment.
The engineer, G. G. Francis, supervised the erection of the mill and as part of the process, he moved the Kolan sawmill, then located at Booyan, to the mill site to manufacture timber for its construction.
Frederic offered local farmers 10 year leases in order to grow sugar cane, which was delivered to the mill via punts and tramways, and by road.
By its second year the mill crushed more than 300 tonnes of cane and appeared to rival the bigger mills of Millaquin, Fairymead and Bingera.
Difficulties with supply of cane
Invicta Mill continuously suffered from an undersupply of sugar cane, particularly as many of the potential suppliers were just as close to large mills such as Fairymead and Bingera.
The mill tried a number of strategies to increase supply including offering a high price for cane and supplying punts for transporting cane along the river.
In 1911, a 14 km tramway was built to connect the mill with Avondale to the north.
Existing, earlier tramways to the mill were also extended to Bucca and Norbrook, located on the southern side of the Kolan River.
Still the mill struggled to meet capacity and it was sold to a co-operative of farmers from north Queensland and dismantled in 1918.
The mill was reestablished on the Haughton River, south of Townsville and the community of Giru grew around it.
In 2021, Wilmar Sugar celebrated 100 years of Invicta Mill operating at Giru with a community event and the dedication of the refurbished Invicta locomotive, on display at the mill’s entrance.
Heritage significance
The site remains are an important demonstration of the evolution of the region’s history, particularly the establishment of sugar mills in the former Gooburrum Shire.
The site also demonstrates the pattern of the region’s history, in particular the competition between mills for the limited sugar cane grown in the district, eventually leading to the demise of smaller local mills such as Invicta.
Other sites in the area developed due to the mill’s establishment including Bucca Hotel in 1897 and the improvement of Bucca Crossing, which was funded by Fredric and Mr Johnstone of Colanne Station in 1896.
The Invicta Mill site has the potential to yield further information that will contribute to an understanding of the region’s history, in particular the relationship of the mill to the Kolan River and how the river was used during the mill operations in addition to tramways.
