The
Albany Wind Farm is the largest and newest wind farm in Australia.
The wind farm walk offers spectacular views of the twelve eco-friendly
turbines along the Torndirrup peninsula. The turbines lower WA's
greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 77,000 tonnes per year.
(hooray!)
The wind farm is open to the public every day of the year and is
free to visit. A large car park, information panels and both paved
and board walked pathways make this a delightful trip for everyone.
Walk
a small section of the Bibbulmun Track which winds it's way west
in front of these spinning giants (see videos below). The
lookout (pic below) is ideal for spotting Southern Right and Humpback
wales between the months of May and October. Bring your binoculars.
The
Bibbulmun Track winds along the coastline. There are many curcular
walks from the carpark which take you across wooden walkways and
paved trails through this magnificent ecologically friendly solution
to our carbon footprint.
This is one of my favourite photographs.
Descending the Torndirrup peninsula
from the Bibbulmun Track
near the Albany Wind Farm.
The Wind Farm is run by Verve Energy. South West of the Wind Farm is the Torndirrup National Park, which has The Gap and Natural Bridge granite formations. This section of the coastline is nature at it's rawest. It is both awe inspiring and humbling.
Albany Map
All the sights around Albany including the Windfarm, the Brig Amity, Farmers Market, Emu Point, Middleton Beach and Albany Town Centre. Visit Albany MAP
There are a few clips to
share. The first is our family at the beautiful
Windfarm lookout. It was mid winter and the weather was beautiful.
The second is from the lookout just east
of the windfarm. This clip gives a sense of scale like no
other. The others are from our walk through the turbines.
Click Play to watch.
Whale Watching An ideal whale habitat, the sheltered waters are ideal for young whales preparing to take the journey south to the southern ocean surrounding Antarctica. We recommend Whale Watching
You can view the Albany Wind Farm Construction on the Verve Energy Website. Though massive machines, the benefits are only now becoming more and more apparent. Their website says,
"In an average year the wind farm produces about 77,000,000 units of
electricity, though this does vary depending on how windy the year is.
In 2001, this amount of energy was equivalent to about 75% of the City
of Albany's electricity requirements and enough to supply about 15,000
average homes."
The way of the future? I think so. The ABC has only this September (2008) stated that Verve Energy intends to put an additional six wind turbines out at Grasmere in April 2009. Mayor Milton Evans is 'delighted'. The addition of six more turbines means that the windfarm will supply 90% of Albany's electricity needs. Go Albany!
More information about the Wind Farm can be found on Wikipedia.
EXTREME CAUTION:
the Great Southern Ocean coastline is prone to surges, and has VERY large waves. DO NOT go near the ocean along the Torndirrup Peninsula unless you are an experienced rock fisherman or climber. Always keep your eyes on the ocean. Your safety is your responsibility.
The Rainbow Coast is a national biosphere area and deserves our care and respect, please reduce your environmental impact when visiting the coast. Your safety while visiting the Rainbow Coast is your responsibility. Website photographs are copyright protected and are editorial in nature and are not for sale and may NOT be used without written permission. Maps coded using open source technology from Google. Videos are intended for educational and documentary purposes and are streamed using YouTube technology. Website Design and photography by our family of five living in the heart of the Rainbow Coast. This website is for informational purposes only and is a travelogue, weblog and a web resource for visitors to the south coast of western australia: Albany, Denmark & Welpole. Contact Us - Advertise -
You can view the Albany Wind Farm Construction on the