View source for Victoria Mill

{{Infobox Mill
| name        = Victoria Mill
| image       = VictoriaMillSept25.jpg
| caption     = Victoria Mill, taken from Danger Camp Road. September 2025
| coordinates = [https://www.google.com/maps?q=-18.649978092640023,146.20096229521337 18.64997° S, 146.20096° E]
| region      = [[Herbert & Burdekin Region|Herbert River]]
| lga         = [[Hinchinbrook Shire Council]]
| established = 1882 ({{#expr:{{CURRENTYEAR}}-1882}} years ago)
| closed      = 
| owner       = [[Wilmar Sugar]]
| gauge       = 610 mm (2 ft)
| crush       = 3,000,000 tonnes (seasonal average)
}}
'''Victoria Sugar Mill''' is a sugar mill located in [[Victoria Plantation]], approximately 5 kilometres east of [[Ingham]], [[Queensland]]. Established in 1883, it is one of the largest sugar mills in Australia, frequently vying with [[Invicta Mill]] for the highest crushing capacity. Currently owned by [[Wilmar Sugar Australia]], it is a key industrial hub for the Herbert River district.

== History ==
=== Establishment ===
The history of Victoria Mill begins with the expansion of the [[Colonial Sugar Refining Company]] (CSR) into North Queensland. In 1880, CSR General Manager Edward William Knox visited the Herbert River district to survey land for potential sugar production. Following the passage of the ''Sugar Refinery Act 1881'', CSR purchased 12,000 acres in the Herbert Valley.<ref name="CSR_History">CSR Limited. "Victoria Mill: A History".</ref>

Construction commenced in 1882, representing a massive capital undertaking of over 200,000 pounds. The mill officially began crushing in 1883 and was named after the Victoria Sugar Company, a Melbourne based associate of CSR.

=== Operational History ===
During its early years, Victoria operated as a "plantation mill," supported by a single massive estate owned and managed by the company. The workforce relied heavily on indentured South Sea Islander labour. By 1892, CSR shifted its strategy away from the plantation model, subdividing the Victoria Estate into smaller farms for independent growers.

The mill underwent continuous modernisation throughout the 20th century. By the 1950s, it was the centre of a thriving community, handling a booming cane supply approaching 1 million tonnes annually. In 1976, Victoria Mill retired its last steam locomotives, becoming one of the last mills in Australia to transition fully to diesel traction.<ref name="LRRSA">Light Railway Research Society of Australia. "Sugar Cane Railways".</ref>

=== Ownership ===
For decades, Victoria Mill held the title of the largest sugar mill in Australia, until the expansion of Invicta Mill in 1999. In 2010, the landscape of the industry changed when CSR sold its sugar division (Sucrogen) to the Singapore based agribusiness [[Wilmar International]] for 1.75 billion dollars. Consequently, ownership transferred to Wilmar Sugar Australia.<ref name="WilmarSale">ABC News. "Wilmar acquires CSR sugar division". 5 July 2010.</ref>

== Infrastructure ==
=== Milling ===
Victoria Mill is a powerhouse of the industry and is one of only three dual milling train factories in the Wilmar group. This configuration gives it a massive throughput capability, allowing it to process approximately 3 million tonnes of sugarcane per season.

=== Tramway ===
The cane railway system servicing Victoria Mill is one of the most complex and extensive in Queensland. It is integrated with the network of the nearby [[Macknade Mill]], creating a combined Herbert River district network.

* '''Gauge:''' 610 mm (2 ft).
* '''Network Size:''' The combined Victoria and Macknade network comprises over 560 kilometres of permanent track.
* '''Sugar Haulage:''' Unlike most other mills that use Queensland Rail to transport product to port, Victoria and Macknade utilise their own tramway system to haul raw sugar to the [[Lucinda Bulk Sugar Terminal]]. This task is performed by locomotives hauling rakes of specialised 11 tonne bulk sugar boxes.

== Production Statistics ==
Victoria Mill consistently ranks as one of the highest throughput mills in the country.
{| class="wikitable"
! Statistic
! Value
|-
| Average Annual Crush
| 3,000,000 tonnes
|-
| Average Sugar Production
| 400,000 tonnes
|-
| Milling Configuration
| Dual Train
|-
| Primary Export Route
| 610 mm Tramway to Lucinda
|}

== Location ==
<display_map>-18.64997, 146.20096</display_map>

== Rollingstock ==

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    <th>Serial</th>
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    <th>Current Mill</th>
    <th>Notes</th>
  </tr>
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== References ==
<references />