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The Southern Cross Windmill is the original Australian windmill pump. In 1876, the Griffiths family, led by George Washington Griffiths introduced the first windmill pumps to the rural Australian public, based on blueprints by American inventor Daniel Halladay.
These pumping systems helped greatly improve the way of life for rural Australians, and in the early 1900’s, the Griffiths family decided on the name Southern Cross for these wind pumps.
Over a century later, many Australians still rely on these windmills to provide adequate water for livestock or crops, and ensure their way of life.
The Southern Cross Windmill is available in a range of both windwheel and windmill tower sizes, and our experts can help you find the windmill pump that best suits your needs.
Our ‘FA’ Series towers come between 20′ and 60′, and the ‘IZ’ windwheels are available in sizes starting at 6′ all the way up to a 14′ wheel. The dimensions of your windmill pump, tower and wheel will be determined by your surrounding landscape.
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:
For centuries, we have used wind to power our boats, mill our grain and pump our water. Wind power is the first renewable energy to be harnessed by mankind.
Windmills have been a part of rural living in Australia for well over a century, and is a great renewable energy source, along with being an Australian icon. For well over a hundred years, rural Australians in have relied on windmill pumps 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 constructed and functional 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 pump 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.
While most rural properties use their wind pumps to draw water from bores or wells, windmills can also pump water from rivers and creeks, or into and out of dams.
As with any other sector, as technology improves, challengers will present themselves. The most recent challenger to the windmill pump is the solar pump.
Windmill pumps on some properties across the country have been reliably operating for over 50 years, and while solar looks promising, its life expectancy has not yet been proven.
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.
With a 30+ year design life, and over a hundred years’s experience in providing windmill pumps to Australian families, Southern Cross Windmills are a name you can rely on.
Our windmill pumps 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.
A 3 year warranty is included with every purchase of a new Southern Cross Windmill.
Southern Cross Windmills pride ourselves on the quality and integrity of our product. We specialise in the manufacture, installation and service of industry leading windmills and windmill pumps throughout the country and across the world.
We design and engineer all of our windmills in house, and they are designed to be hardy enough to survive in even the harshest of Australian climates.
Genuine Southern Cross parts for all current range windmills are available, as well as other parts for A, J, R & Z Pattern Windmills”, “J” Series Windmill Pumps, Troughs, Check Valves, Pump Heads and Pump Jacks may still be available upon request.
Southern Cross Windmills has unparalleled experience in dealing with rural Australia’s water storage needs, with the very first Southern Cross branded windmill pump being produced at the Toowoomba Foundry all the way back in 1903.
The first windmill pump built by the Griffiths family was manufactured in 1876, based on designs by Daniel Halladay, which were improved upon for Australian conditions.
The introduction of windmill pumps to the Australian outback enabled rural families and pastoralists to populate more arid areas of the country, causing towns and pastoral runs to begin growing across these areas.
One might never know if Lord Lamington ever sat near a Southern Cross Windmill, while enjoying a lamington at night under the light of the Southern Cross, but we do know that these things are iconically Australian. And unlike the lamington, we know the Southern Cross Windmill was born in Toowoomba.
Operating out of Queensland to this day – in our Withcott factory – Southern Cross is an Australian owned and operated brand, servicing Australians from all across the country, from irrigators and graziers to rural families and households.
This Southern Cross windwheel – a massive 7.3 m – now takes up residence at the Gilgandra Museum and Historical Society, and was initially supplied by Southern Cross Windmills in 1924.
While now used purely for display purposes, the Windmill pumped tirelessly and faithfully for 73 years before it was donated to the Gilgandra Museum and Historical Society by the Payne family in Mendooran.
This ageless windmill pump is now closing in on 100 years old, and serves as a testament to the resilience and dependability of a Southern Cross windmill. At its last service, all that was required was an oil top up to keep it running smoothly.
Have you recently bought a new rural block? Maybe you’re looking to rely less on mains or rainwater supply?
The Southern Cross Windmill Pump is can help you meet your specific water storage needs.
Call us today on (07) 4612 7202 for an obligation free quote.
