Where the Netherlands uses windmills to rid the land of water, [[Australia]] relies on them to supply water. About a third of the land - mostly the vast dry outback regions of central [[Queensland]] and reaching into the [[Northern Territory]], western [[New South Wales]] and northern [[South Australia]] lie atop huge artesian basins (underground water reserves). There are over 200,000 wind-powered bores bringing this water to the surface, mostly to be enjoyed by sheep and other livestock (and, it sometimes seems, by [[galah]]s.) The "Comet" or "Southern Cross" windmill has been a feature of otherwise featureless Australian outback plains since the 1870s.
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==See also==
* [[Wind energy]]