End of an era for South Australian windmills as contractors leave industry

The South Australian Windmill Contractors Association has called it a day as the icons of rural Australia slowly vanish from the landscape.

Former association treasurer Leon Yates said the number of contractors across the state had gone from about 25 businesses to five or so operators to repair and maintain the windmills that were still standing.

“Contractors are retiring, dying, and there’s no one replacing them,” he said.

Mr Yates said the dangers associated with climbing up to maintain a windmill deterred many from entering the industry.

“The average windmill found around the south-east has a 9-metre tower with a 3- to 4-metre head – the bit that goes round,” he said.

Dangerous work

Although he has never fallen off himself, Mr Yates appreciates the dangers that are present when working on windmills.

“You get a sudden wind change and the fan can swing around and knock you off the platform boards, so you have to be very conscious of where you are and the situation you are in,” he said. 

Mr Yates entered the industry in the late 1980s when there was plenty of work around for contractors.

“Through the 90s and into the 2000s, it was probably at its peak in this area,” he said. 

“A lot of the windmills at that stage were 30-40 years old, in need of repair and maintenance.

“From the early 2000s, solar pumps began taking over pumping water for stock and irrigation.

“It’s become more reliable and easier; obviously it’s all at ground level and easy enough to install that most farmers could do it themselves if they wanted to.”

Lasting legacy

Across large areas of Australia, windmills played a vital role, allowing country with no surface water to be opened up for grazing.

Damien Ryan, assistant manager at Telopea Downs north of Kaniva in western Victoria, said the country could not have sustained agriculture if not for windmills.

“Back in the 1960s, a lot of the properties didn’t have a power source to power electric pumps, so we relied wholly and solely on the windmills,” he said. 

“It would have been a massive job to get the windmills up and running as the water table here is about 84 metres below ground level.

“If the windmill did break, it could be three or four days before we could get it fixed, so we’d have to move all our sheep out to the next section where there was a windmill operating.

“The sheep will never starve, but they will die of thirst very quickly on a hot summer’s day in Telopea Downs.”

Telopea Downs general manager Drew Maxwell said windmills had been replaced by solar-powered submersible pumps, each replacing up to four windmills.

“Even in the winter, with the solar set-ups you’re still getting at least four hours of pumping and it’s not wind-affected at all,” he said. 

However, Mr Ryan said he did miss seeing windmills in the landscape.

“There’s nothing better than seeing the windmill ticking away with the sun setting or the sun rising behind it,” he said.