Giru

History

The name of the town and the locality derives from the railway station name, assigned on 31 March 1916, derived from "goru", a type name for a species of sugarcane from New Guinea which was successfully experimented with and widely grown in the district. The Invicta Sugar Mill was originally located on the Richmond River in New South Wales. In 1906, it was relocated to Bucca near the Kolan River near Bundaberg. In 1919, it was moved north to the Haughton River in the Burdekin district, where the township of Giru grew around it. It commenced crushing there under the same name on 4 August 1921. On Saturday 1 May 1926, the School of Arts Hall was officially opened with a dance. The Giru Post Office opened by 1922. Giru State School opened on 1 October 1924. The school celebrated its golden jubilee (50th anniversary) in 1974. St Joseph's School opened in 1945 and closed in 1998. The Palm Creek Folk Festival was an annual event held in Giru on the Queen's Birthday public holiday, and spanned four days. It commonly featured known and up-and-coming bands from several music genres, ranging from folk to alternative.

Geography

Giru is mainly sugarcane farms. The Invicta sugar mill in Giru is owned by Wilmar Sugar Cane Limited with three iconic chimney stacks. The Bruce Highway bypasses the town.

Most-observed species

• Peaceful Dove

  Geopelia placida Gould, 1844 · Aves
  506
• Masked Lapwing

  Vanellus miles (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  470
• Whistling Kite

  Haliastur sphenurus (Vieillot, 1818) · Aves
  428
• Black Kite

  Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  414
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  370
• Great Egret

  Ardea alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  365
• Bar-shouldered Dove

  Geopelia humeralis (Temminck, 1821) · Aves
  343
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  310

Most recent

• M 4.1 — 2025-03-01
  0 km SE of Kelso, Australia
• M 4.3 — 2011-09-17
  44 km NNW of Collinsville, Australia
• M 4 — 2011-04-16
  45 km NNW of Collinsville, Australia
• M 5 — 2011-04-16
  Queensland, Australia