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 the coast.
Southern Cross: Helping Australians access water for over 100 years
The Griffiths Brothers who produced those first windmills designed to pump water from aquifers deep below the ground, would go on to produce these windmills under the name of Southern Cross in 1903, and the brand has since endured, becoming an icon of the Australian outback. In almost any rural area, if you look hard enough for long enough, you will inevitably find a Southern Cross windmill pumping water for a family in order to protect their livelihood.
Southern Cross remains Australian made and operated, with all windmills still being assembled in our Withcott factory, just down the road from our ancestral roots in Toowoomba, and recently the Southern Cross name became Australian owned once more.
Pumping water with windmills is still something many Australians rely on
Many things about rural living in Australia have changed, but one thing that hasn’t is the need for reliable access to water. For many Australians having a functional pump on their property to keep their tanks or dams full, and their cattle or sheep with access to drinking water is a matter of life or death.
The advantage of a Windmill is that no fuel is needed to run it, and it doesn’t need to be hooked up to the home’s electricity in order to pump water, needing only a light breeze to pump day or night – unlike solar pumps which need the sun to be out to continue pumping water.
Many of the windmills you see around rural Australia have been pumping water for decades, some for over 50 years. A retired windmill that was donated to the Gilgandra Museum and Historical Society is still in full operating condition 96 years since it was built – and was even pumping water in Mendooran up until 1997.
A piece of Australian culture
If you’re looking to have a windmill installed on your property to ensure you can pump enough water for your needs, give us a call today on (07) 4612 7202.
