Windmills - Callington Mill - Harnessing the Power of the Wind

Callington Mill in Oatlands (Tasmania) is a working Georgian windmill and the only operating flour mill of its type in the Southern Hemisphere.
It was built in 1837 in the style of a Lincolnshire tower mill, and consists of a stone tower with a wooden 'cap' or roof, which can rotate to bring the four sails into the wind.

After falling into disrepair, the mill was fully restored and re-opened in 2010. Today it is the only working example of its type in the southern hemisphere.

The grain is ground in the traditional fashion using millstones. These are powered by the wind which turns the massive blades on the windmill. (The attached pic of a millstone is from Woolmers and not Oatlands.)

 Local farmers grow wheat, spelt and rye, which is harvested in January and February each year. The quality flour produced by the mill is sold to bakeries, restaurants and the public to create products with a unique provenance.

Wind Power, as demonstrated here, dates back centuries, but with the demand for clean energy, wind power is again important to us. Tasmania, being in the band of the Roaring Forties, is an ideal place for wind farms and generation of power from the wind.

Earlier today I published a short story e-book for children - Grandma's Windmills which introduces them to three forms of wind power, including the flour mill.