Millaquin Mill

Millaquin Mill
Millaquin Mill. 1950. State Library of Queensland.
Location
Coordinates	24.85653° S, 152.36638° E
State	Queensland
Region	Southern Region
LGA	Bundaberg Regional Council
Details
Established	1882 (153 years ago)
Owner	Bundaberg Sugar
Gauge	610 mm (2 ft)
Annual Crush	1,200,000 tonnes, seasonal average

Millaquin Mill

Millaquin Mill is a raw sugar factory located on the southern bank of the Burnett River in Bundaberg, Queensland. Established in 1882, it is the only remaining operational sugar mill in the Bundaberg district following the closure of the Fairymead (2005) and Bingera (2020) mills. Owned and operated by Bundaberg Sugar, the mill processes all sugar cane grown in the region, with a crushing capacity of approximately 1.2 million tonnes per season.

Origins and Establishment

Millaquin was established in 1882 by Robert Cran and Company, who had previously operated the Yengarie Sugar Refinery near Maryborough. Unlike other mills of the era which crushed cane grown on their own estates, Millaquin was originally designed as a central juice factory. It received cane juice pumped through underground pipes from surrounding plantations, including Doolbi, Woongarra, and Spring Hill.

The name "Millaquin" is derived from the mill's technological innovation at the time. It is a combination of "Mill" and "Quin," referring to the quintuple-effect evaporators installed at the factory—the first of their kind in Queensland. This advanced evaporation technology allowed the mill to process juice more efficiently than its competitors.

By the 1890s, the juice pipe system proved problematic due to fermentation and maintenance issues. Consequently, Millaquin transitioned into a conventional crushing mill, installing heavy crushing machinery to process whole cane delivered by tramway and wagon.

Expansion and Consolidation

Throughout the 20th century, Millaquin expanded by acquiring the cane supply areas of smaller mills that closed in the district. Notable consolidations included the absorption of the Qunaba Mill supply area in 1985.

The mill's location on the riverbank adjacent to the Bundaberg Sugar Refinery (which refines the raw sugar into white sugar for the retail market) gave it a strategic advantage. It became the hub of Bundaberg Sugar's operations, integrating the milling and refining processes in close proximity.

Modern Era

Following the closure of Fairymead Mill in 2005 and Bingera Mill in 2020, Millaquin became the sole operational sugar mill in the Bundaberg region. This consolidation necessitated significant infrastructure investment.

Most notably, a rail connection was required to transport cane from the northern side of the Burnett River (formerly Bingera and Fairymead territories) to Millaquin on the southern side. In 2020, Bundaberg Sugar commissioned a rail corridor across the river, utilising the former government railway bridge to link the northern tramway network directly to the Millaquin weighbridge.

Seasonal Crush

Millaquin Mill processes the entire cane crop for the Bundaberg region. The average seasonal crush varies significantly depending on rainfall and irrigation availability.

• **Historical Peak:** In the late 1990s, the combined region (serviced by three mills) produced over 3.5 million tonnes of cane.
• **Current Average:** Since becoming the sole mill in 2021, Millaquin typically crushes between **1.0 million and 1.2 million tonnes** per season. In the drought-affected 2020 season, the regional total was approximately 1.05 million tonnes. The mill has a rated capacity to crush up to 360 tonnes of cane per hour.

Tramway Network

Millaquin is the centre of a massive 610 mm gauge tramway network that extends to Gin Gin in the west, Avondale in the north, and Elliot Heads in the south. The network is unique in that it integrates the former independent networks of the Bingera, Fairymead, and Qunaba mills.

The fleet consists primarily of 24-tonne diesel-hydraulic locomotives, including extensively rebuilt Comeng and Eimco units. Since 2021, the network operations have been centralised, with cane from the entire district hauled to the Millaquin yard.

Location

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Rollingstock

Name	Builder	Model	Serial	Year	Current Mill	Notes
Vulcan	E.M. Baldwin	DH24B	5317-1-11-73	1973	Millaquin Mill
Calavos	E.M. Baldwin	DH24B	4983-1-7-73	1973	Millaquin Mill
Barolin	E.M Baldwin	DH24B Mk6	6456-1-11-75	1975	Millaquin Mill
Elliott	Bundaberg Foundry	SDH650	002	1991	Millaquin Mill
Fairydale	E.M. Baldwin	DH28B	10048-1-6-82	1982	Millaquin Mill	Rebuilt by ??? 2024. Seen in service 2025.
Tegege	Commonwealth Engineering	HD	FD4799	1966	Millaquin Mill
Perry	E.M. Baldwin	DH18	6-1576-1-8-66	1966	Millaquin Mill	Navvy duties.
Bucca	E.M. Baldwin	DH24B Mk 3	6104-1-8-75	1975	Millaquin Mill	Based at Fairymead Depot. Last FB siting 2022.
Margam	Clyde	DHI-71	57-159	1957	Labasa Mill
Damo	Clyde	DHI-71	65-441	1965	Labasa Mill	Refurbished in Innisfail by IBS Engineering before shipping to Fiji. 2013
Thistle	Commonwealth Engineering	AA	A1207	1955	Millaquin Mill	Stored at Millaquin
Sharon	Commonwealth Engineering	AE	A1935	1959	Millaquin Mill	Stored at Millaquin
Delan	E.M. Baldwin	DH26B	5800-3-7-75	1975	Millaquin Mill
6	Bundaberg Foundry		6	1952	Out of service	Unknown location
8	Bundaberg Foundry		3	1952	Out of service	Unknown location
3	Perry		1850.46.1	1946	Out of service	Was Qunaba Skipper