One of the original crushing units from our Pioneer Mill in the Burdekin region has been given some love, care and a fresh coat of paint.

The 50-tonne unit dates back to 1884 when the mill was established, having been transported by boat up the Baratta Creek to be installed in the mill. The unique piece of sugar milling history has held pride of place at the entrance to Pioneer Mill since it was retired in 1975.

In the 91 years the unit was operating in the mill it crushed more than 19 million tonnes of cane in total, some of that being fed into the rollers by hand. Mechanical pushers were later introduced to improve efficiency and safety.

Our Cane Supply and Transport team saw a recent wet weather stoppage as a perfect opportunity to give the crushing unit some maintenance, in the form of wet washing, scraping and repainting.

The new paint has given the 138-year-old unit a new lease of life, and the team at Pioneer were very proud to have helped restore this piece of history.