We’ve been around a while, ever-evolving and striving for excellence and efficiency
Roche Bros was the foundation of the current business and has an extensive history in mining and major civil earthworks projects throughout Australian and Asia.
Roche Bros continued to provide civil contracting services throughout Victoria during the 1930s. In February 1936 Roche won a major contract to remove 20,000 cubic metres of overburden from the limestone deposit at the Geelong cement works.
During the war, Roche Bros’ work ranged from preparing foundations for army buildings, constructing camp sites and building protective earth bunds around important installations to digging silt trenches and air-raid shelters and stripping overburden from quarries.
In 1941, the company expanded to South Australia with a limestone quarry in Angaston.
In 1948, Roche Bros diversified into mining with the signing of a ten-year, in-principle agreement to mine, transport and distribute coal from the Wensley Bray coal mine in Victoria.
Roche Bros also owned and operated the nearby Winchelsea coal mine, which led to the discovery and operation of the neighbouring Anglesea coal mine.
As the 1950s progressed, Roche Bros delivered a broad range of contracts, including civil works for the Shell Refinery at Geelong, various jobs associated with preparations for the Olympic Games, and roadworks to support the development of Melbourne’s South Eastern Freeway.
The 1950s also saw Roche Bros founding Transwest Haulage, which ultimately grew from an inventory of three haul trucks for transporting coal from Winchelsea coal mine to a fleet of 52 vehicles, including 33 tippers.
In 1956, the company won the East Goulburn Main Channel contract – involving more than five million cubic metres of excavation over 50 kilometres.
In the 1960s, Roche Bros emerged as a prominent civil contractor in Victoria and South Australia, undertaking diverse projects like runways, dams, piers, railway lines, and drainage works. Their success led to a 25-year gypsum mining contract with Waratah Gypsum in Penong, South Australia. This era marked Roche Bros’ growth and expansion into the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, and Tasmania.
The 1970s saw Roche Bros expand into Queensland through owning and operating the successful Mount Carbine tungsten mine. The company was also engaged on various projects in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley region and in 1975 commenced work on a Morwell River diversion near the adjacent open-cut coal mine.
In the 1980s, Roche Bros solidified its position as Australia’s premier contract mining company. Operating on the east coast, it contributed to major coal terminal projects in New South Wales and Queensland. Heavy investments in mining equipment positioned the company as a key player in Western Australia’s expanding gold industry, pioneering hydraulic backactor excavators at the Whim Creek mine. Notable contracts included the North Kalgurlie mine and the Super Pit for Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines.
In the early 1990s, Roche Bros embarked on its first significant international project, constructing a major part of the Hong Kong Airport platform. Despite this, the company remained focused on mining.
Projects included the Cosmo Howley and Granites gold mines in the Northern Territory and contracts at Newlands and Saraji coal mines, the Century Zinc Joint Venture, Red Dome and Mount Leyshon gold mines, and the Kunwarara magnesia mine in Queensland.
Roche Bros secured contracts at the Kalgoorlie Super Pit and successfully secured projects in Western Australia, including Mount Keith nickel mine, Sunrise Dam gold mine, Wodgina tantalum mine, and Yarrie iron ore mine. The company developed its underground mining capabilities during this time through purchasing Faminco Australia.
In 1996, the Roche family sold the company to New Zealand’s Downer Group. In 1999, Roche Bros became known as Roche Mining.
The first half of the 2000s saw Roche Mining investing in skills and technology to grow its business. At the turn of the millennium, the company established its successful Blasting Services business. The following year, Roche purchased Mining Technologies, which then became Roche Mineral Technologies.
By the mid-2000s, Roche operated major mining projects nationwide, spanning gold, coal, nickel, tantalum, zinc, copper, and diamond mines. In 2003, exploration drilling services commenced at Ok Tedi in PNG, and in 2006, Roche bolstered its international presence by acquiring Otraco International, a respected tire management company.
In 2007, Roche Mining’s name was changed to Downer EDI Mining and continued to provide leading exploration drilling, open-cut and underground mining, blasting, crushing, and tyre-management services to clients throughout Australia and overseas.
BUMA Australia was established in 2021 to acquire the Open Cut Mining East business of Downer. This acquisition included the transition of all people, mining services contracts, assets, systems and intellectual property from Downer Mining. BUMA Australia is an operational subsidiary of PT Bukit Makmur Mandiri Utama (“BUMA”).
Operations included prestrip services at Goonyella and Blackwater mines and full service contracts at Commodore and Meandu.
BUMA has continued to provide services as a leading Mining Services provider focused on the Queensland Coal industry and has expanded its operations through extension and expansion of the Goonyella and Blackwater contracts and the addition of contracts at Broadmeadow East, Burton and Saraji.
We are focused on growth and diversification of our services offering with a view to expanding our commodity and geographical footprint in Australia.
