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Southern Cross Windmills have been supplying windmills Roma families can rely on for over 100 years.
People of Roma can rest assured that they have the backing of over 100 years of experience, from Australia’s oldest windmill manufacturer.
Queensland families know how important reliable water harvesting systems are in the Australian outback, and this is why people all across the country continue to depend on a Southern Cross windmill.
Roma is a town in the Maranoa Region, Queensland, Australia. The town is named after Lady Diamantina Bowen (née di Roma), the wife of Sir George Bowen, the Governor of Queensland at the time.
Our windmills are available in a range of sizes. The Southern Cross Windmill can be fitted with a windwheel between 6′ and 14′, and mounted on a tower between 20′ and 60′.
Our experts can help determine what wheel and tower sizes would best suit your windmill, based upon the landscape you wish to have it built on, and the level of wind your property receives.
The Southern Cross “FA” Series Windmill Towers are available in the following heights:
The minimum recommended tower height for each windwheel size, is as follows:
Wind power is the oldest renewable energy source mankind has harnessed, and for thousands of years it has been employed to power our boats and mill our grain.
Windmills have been a part of rural living in Australia for more than a century, and is a great renewable energy source, in addition to being an Australian icon. For well over a hundred years, rural Australians in towns like Roma have relied on windmills as a renewable energy source, and the humble windmill has become an Australian icon.
Still one of the best and most environmentally friendly water harvesting solutions, a windmill can be erected and effective anywhere there is access to water, whether that be underground in a well or bore, or drawing from a river or dam.
Australia is a notoriously arid and tough country, and water has always been difficult to come by for rural Australians – so much so that 85% of Australia’s population lives within 50km of the coast.
Before the introduction of the modern windmill to rural Australia, many pastoralists and graziers were restricted by water supply, but when these windmills were introduced, they had the capacity to set up large stations and pastoral runs well inland.
Most windmills are used to draw water from underground aquifers deep below the surface, but they can also be repurposed to redirect water from a river or creek, or pump it into or from a dam.
The solar water pump has recently presented itself as the latest challenger to the windmill, as water harvesting technology looks to modernise.
While solar pumps look promising, they certainly aren’t as tried and tested in the long run as the conventional windmill, with many properties across Australia featuring windmills that have been pumping water for more than 50 years.
Windmill accidents make up less than 1% of all accidents on rural properties, so while solar pumps are often regarded as a safer option, they contain a dangerous current, and also pose risk of injury or death.
Southern Cross has been providing windmills that Australian families can rely on for over a century, and all of our windmills have a 30+ year design life.
Our windmills are hot dip galvanised, and backed by more than 100 years of successful windmill design, and Australian innovation. Since 1903, we’ve built over 250 000 of our iconic windpumps.
Every Southern Cross Windmill includes our 3 year windmill warranty.
At Southern Cross we pride ourselves in the design and integrity of our Windmills. We specialise in the design, manufacture, installation and servicing of top-notch windmills, across Australia and around the globe.
Designed to thrive in even the most harsh Australian climates, all Southern Cross Windmills are designed and engineered in house.
Authentic parts are available for Southern Cross “IZ” windwheels and “FA” towers. Parts for the retired A, J, R & Z Pattern Windmills”, “J” Series Windmill Pumps, Troughs, Check Valves, Pump Heads and Pump Jacks may still be available upon request.
With the first windmill decorated with the Southern Cross name rolling off the Toowoomba Foundry line all the way back in 1903, Southern Cross has unrivalled experience in dealing with water harvesting needs.
The first windmill built by the Griffiths family was produced in 1876, based on designs by Daniel Halladay, which were improved upon for Australian conditions.
The introduction of windmills to the Australian outback allowed rural families and pastoralists to populate more arid areas of the country, causing towns and pastoral runs to begin popping up across these areas.
Much like another Toowoomba icon – the lamington – Southern Cross windmills have become an Australian classic. However unlike the lamington, the Southern Cross Windmill originating in Toowoomba is not up for debate.
Southern Cross still operates out of Queensland to this day, and is an Australian owned and operated company, servicing Australians all across the country, helping graziers, irrigators, families and more access reliable water harvesting infrastructure.
This stunning 9 meter R Pattern windmill sits out the front of Pumps n Solar in Roma on a 15 meter tower, and catches the eye of many a passer by. It is the largest commercially operational windmill manufactured by Southern Cross Windmills.
Originally constructed in 1950 at the Toowoomba Foundry on a property called Dalmally, roughly 30km south of Roma, it was given a new lease of life when it was moved to its current location.
Despite being eligible for the aged pension and well past retirement age, this windmill still spins freely in the wind, making it an iconic installation and piece of history in the town.
Ray Meagher, famous for his role in Home and Away as Alf Stewart – the only original actor still with the series after over thirty years – was born in Roma, and raised on a nearby sheep and cattle station.
If you’re a fan of Australian history, Roma is a good town for you, with the Big Rig and Oil and Gas Museum being a great visit if you’re spending a day in the area. The now-closed Romavilla Winery is the oldest in Queensland, built in 1878. There were plans to reopen the historic winery in 2013 by the new owners, the Katarzyna Group, however the winery currently remains closed.
Roma is also known for its bottle trees, a succulent tree famous for its bulbous trunk. There is a bottle tree located in the town of Roma with a girth of a whopping 9.51 meters, which is promoted by the town as a tourist attraction.
