Farming The wind!

 We have realised that going around the most part of Australia is going to taker some serious moving on our part so it is decided to get going to the other side of Melbourne and onto the great ocean Rd and head up toward Ballarat and the then the Grampians. South Australia will soon be in our sights. Up early and drive away from Port Albert.

   Today we didn't think we would be in the car for 4 hours but it just turned into that. The drive was lovely through the dairy farms in this area and all of a sudden we noticed wind turbines in the distance. they got closer and closer.. til we read a sign that said "Toora wind Farm. Who knew that there was such a thing as a wind farm. These things looked huge from the bottom of the hill so it was worth investigating. We had to travel uphill for 10.7kms.We chose 1st gear on the truck and chugged for what seemed five minutes. A true test for the Toyota which is proving itself to me over time. Oh My God. so glad to have come up the hill. These things spinning in the wind high on the hill where amazing. i love this sort of shit!

  Check the video. Hopefully you can hear the whoosh of air that the turbines create. The specs are as follows:

Toora Wind Farm has 12 wind turbines

 with a total generating capacity of 21 MW. 

The wind farm was constructed by Vestas 

Wind Systems for Stanwell Corporation and 

was completed in 2002.

Height of turbine towers (to rotor hub):   67 meters

Length of blade:                                   33 meters

Number of blades per turbine:                3

Type of tower:                                     Tapered steel tube

Number of turbines for Toora Wind Farm: 12 (1.75 Megawatts each, and 21 Megawatts total)

Toora Wind will produce enough electricity to power more than 6,600 homes, and prevent the release of approximately 48,000 tonnes of greenhouse emissions per anum.

 if you click the 'you tube' logo the video will play larger

We then rolled back down the hill and kept going .. and going... and going through Stoney creek, Koonwarra, Leongatha and became closer and closer to Dandenong/Melbourne. 

Our intention was to get to the Puffing Billy Steam Train at Belgrave for the kids to ride on. BUT the afternoon was drawing closer and we didn't have a booking for the night. Frankston was on the coast and near to our destination so that's where we went. Puffing billy will have to go on without us today.

 The weather as we got closer and closer to Melbourne became worse and worse. After feeling lost again we booked into the BIG 4 Caravan Park at Frankston. This would have to be the worst stay so far. We where placed in a mud pit in the rain and charged premium pricing. The traffic here is shocking and we decide that Melbourne Sux. Can't wait to leave here tomorrow and get on the Port Phillip Ferry and then onto the great ocean road.which everyone tells us is amazing.

A good days travel with a yuk ending.