The Steel Price Rise and You
What’s causing the increase in steel prices? Manufacturing steel Due to Iron Ore being quite brittle in its natural state, thanks to the presence of a high number of iron oxides, it wasn’t until the advent of the coal furnace that the strength of Iron was truly realised. Steel itself is produced by smelting Iron […]
Historic Windmill: 1924 Mendooran 7.3m Windwheel
In 1997, the Paynes of Mendooran donated this 7.3m Southern Cross windwheel and tower to the Gilgandra Museum and Historical Society. Mrs Payne’s grandfather, Mr R Gavin of “Fernside” Mendooran, purchased the windmill almost a century ago, in 1924, where it stood proud for 73 years atop a 12m (40’) windmill tower. The assembled windwheel was transported by wagon, over […]
What are windmills used for?
The original renewable energy source In rural Australia, windmills used for pumping water and for generating electricity are a common sight, and are a technology that has been around for generations, and continues to evolve and be used today in a variety of uses. Windmills were the original source of renewable energy and process automation, with the […]
History of Windmills
What Australians and Americans affectionately refer to as a windmill, is in reality a windpump, as it does no job milling grain like the larger windmills of Europe. However windpumps still have a long and storied history that led to the icons of the rural landscape as we know it today. Origins in the Middle East The […]
Windmills to Pump Water
When European settlers were first building homesteads and settlements across Australia, one of the biggest issues was that of how to develop reliable access to water. For a long time, this kept much of Australia’s new settlements close to the coast – in fact, to this day 85% of Australia’s population lives within 50km of […]
How Do Windmills Work?
Windmills and windpumps The structures typically referred to as windmills in Australia would be more correctly called a windpump, as they are not utilised for milling grain like the large windmill silos that are found across Europe and the Middle East. Australia has been utilising windmills to source water in areas where it is less accessible for almost […]
Where Are Southern Cross Windmills Manufactured?
Straight Outta Withcott All Southern Cross Windmills are currently manufactured out of our state of the art manufacturing facility in Withcott, and even our friends over at Southern Cross Water Tanks are just down the highway in Loganholme. We think it’s important as an iconic Australian company that we keep all of our manufacturing and administration Australian based, […]
Longstanding Toowoomba icon celebrates massive milestone
ALONE they stand, thousands across the nation, nurturing and protecting — they are windmills. And this year marks the 150th birthday of the most famous windmill of all, the Southern Cross, which started its life as a Toowoomba Foundry brand name in 1871. It wasn’t until 1903 that the foundry manufactured its first commercial windmill, […]
Windmills Near Me
Looking to buy a new windmill? If you’re looking to have a brand new windmill installed for your property, you’ve come to the right place. Not only have Southern Cross Windmills been manufacturing and installing windmills for over 150 years, we have contacts across Australia who can get the job done for you. The installers […]
Can Windmills Be Recycled?
The gentle giants of the Aussie Outback Over the last two hundred years, tens of thousands of windmills have been installed on farms, rural properties and communities all across the Australian outback. They were, for a long time, crucial to living in the harsh climates that Australia possesses away from the coastal regions. While there […]
