Hi everyone, I hope you and yours are doing well.
When we last visited South Australia in 2013, we were amazed to see a mass of windmills clustered in a paddock along the edge of the Eyre Highway. Known as “Windmill Flat” the 26 windmills are located on the eastern edge of the town of Penong, 75 kilometres west of Ceduna, on the edge of South Australia’s grain growing region and the Nullarbor Plain.
Wells were first sunk between 1868 and 1884 and the windmills pumped water from the Anjutabie water basin and were important for the town on Penong.
Being on the edge of the Nullarbor Plain it is not surprising that water is an issue for Penong. Wells were first sunk between 1868 and 1884 and windmill bores were later sunk to pump water from the Anjutabie Water Basin. Each windmill is privately owned supplying water for domestic and stock use.
The above photo is from 2013. When we travelled through Penong in 2019 a few changes had been made.
In 2000 a “windmill museum” idea was hatched by Tim and Jenny Hardy and Bob and Jill Oates over a few Friday afternoon drinks. Tim started sourcing the plans for an 8 foot Riddle wooden windmill (designed by William Riddle) and many months later he had built a complete replica (you can see it in the collage above).
The word soon spread and people started delivering or offering windmills of all descriptions and states of repair. Bob and Tim decided to try and restore a windmill of every type that had been used throughout Australia.
A historical 35 foot Comet Windmill was discovered by three locals from the “Windmill Warriors” group on an outback trip. One of the biggest windmills ever built in Australia, with a span of 35 foot, the Comet was capable of drawing one million litres of water per day from 152 metres underground. Only 15 of these windmills were ever constructed, and only two erected outside of Queensland. The windmill was transported to Penong on two semi-trailers from Kultanaby Station near Kingoonya in outback South Australia, and restoration of Big Bruce began.
The Windmill Warriors erected the first
restored windmill in 2015 and by the time of the official opening in September
2016 there were nineteen windmills on the site, including Big Bruce.
The windmill museum is an interesting stopping place for visitors. Some of the windmills include an Adelaide Challenge Windmill from the late 1800s donated by Anna Creek Station near William Creek, and a seven foot windmill on wheels. An ingenious construction built by farmers from scrap metal, the windmill could be moved from one underground tank to another.
These days solar power is replacing the use of windmills, so the windmill museum preserves and celebrates an important part of farming history.
Where is it? Corner of West Tce and Government Road, Penong, 75 kms west of Ceduna.
Free entry. Donations can be placed in the
donation pillar.
More information @ ABC.net - windmills brought back from the grave
Morawa Museum.org.au - Australian windmill manufacturers
My article about the Penong windmill museum was published in Curious Australis column, On The Road magazine, April 2020.
