Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges Landscape Guardians and SKWF 

There is a new organisation of concerned residents and landowners from the Keyneton, Eden Valley and Cambrai districts of South Australia. This group has been formed in response to a 57 turbine wind “farm” planned for the area.

We have formed The Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges Landscape Guardians whose primary task is to ensure that all those that will be affected by the Keyneton and Eden Valley wind “farm” will have the full picture of the personal and environmental consequences.

The Guardians is an umbrella organisation that gives us affiliation with other groups that have a similar purpose of protecting our natural heritage and the wellbeing of the inhabitants, be they human or animal.

Inherent in our branch of the Guardians is the Stop Keyneton Wind Farm or SKWF known locally as Skew Whiff whose literal meaning is “to turn aside or deflect a sudden puff of wind”.

SKWF exists as a consequence of our member’s desire to do what we can to prevent the implementation of the Keyneton and Eden Valley wind “farm” for the following reasons:

The impact of the construction and erection of the turbines will be devastating to the landscape and is quite disproportionate to the value gained by wind generated electricity. At risk also is the vestigial flora and fauna which have already been degraded by 150 years of heavy stock grazing. The local flora includes the threatened species Eucalyptus Odorata commonly known as Peppermint Box.

The planned wind “farm” straddles one of the proposed boundaries of the Barossa Valley Protection District, the very purpose of which is to prevent inappropriate development. We have made a submission to the Department of Planning to include all of our eastern ranges as far as the hill’s face above Cambrai and Sedan.

Anecdotal evidence and our own experiences have shown us that the low frequency vibration or noise emitting from turbines can be felt up to 10 kilometres distant. Since there are many of us living well within that range we believe the effect will be detrimental to our physical and mental wellbeing.

For example, Keyneton lies just over 3.5 kilometres from the northern cluster of 31 turbines while the town of Eden Valley is only 8 km from the southern cluster of 26. There are many small settlements in the North Rhine Valley and Mons Hill area that are considerably closer, some of which are only 1.2 km from the nearest turbine.

The layout of the turbines in a cluster means there is likelihood that the sounds and ill effects will be compounded by resonance from one turbine to another.

The visual impact of the 2 clusters of 145 metre tall turbines as well as the 2 planned substations will be unacceptable from an aesthetic point of view and will completely ruin the vista of our hills. The domination of all that is natural in the district by these huge alien machines will be severe.

Construction and operation of the wind “farm” or preferably “wind turbine industrial zone” will be vexatious and possibly dangerous to all local residents and could cause much grief and tension. The danger of wildfire will increase significantly during and after construction.

We have heard strong evidence from people forced to live with turbines that our chosen lifestyle will be overturned and destroyed without there ever having been any true consideration shown to us during the planning and proposal process. Apart from the lessors of the land in question no one was given the opportunity to approve or disapprove of such a domineering development.

It is a reasonable assumption that land and property values will fall substantiated by the simple logic that the purchase market will be reduced to only lovers of wind turbines.

It is our avowed intention to prevent the Keyneton and Eden Valley wind turbine industrial zone from being implemented by whatever legal means available to us and to help bring about an embargo on further such projects being forced upon our fellow unsuspecting country folk wherever they may be.

In gratitude and respect for the concern shown to us by others who are already afflicted by wind turbines we also resolve to do what we can to alleviate their conditions. We would like to ensure that the Government takes action to protect the quiet minority who are under threat of having their lifestyle overturned without proper consideration and forewarning of the true consequences.

It is our policy to welcome all comers, be they for or against this development, to our weekly meetings currently held at our Memorial Institute on Eden Valley Road, Keyneton every Thursday at 7.30 pm.

Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges Landscape Guardians Inc.

SKWF.

keynetonwindfarm@hotmail.com