Some ideas are set out on the following pages. Further input and ideas are welcome. You can comment on the blog at the bottom of the page or

Contact:
Forbes Spillman
PO Box 696
Geraldton
Phone: 08 9938 1361

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

THE MORESBY RANGES.

450 km north of Perth is what is known as the Batavia Coast .the main population centre is the city of Geraldton - Greenough .To the west are the Abrohlis Islands,a group of low lying coral reefs made famous by the wreck of the Dutch ship Batavia.

To the east is a less famous but equally significant natural icon , The Moresby Ranges. In years past when the earth was being formed the Moresby ranges were under the sea and then through the action of the sea retreating the ranges became exposed.

The general erosion over millions of years has created a range of flat topped hills approximately 150 to 300 metres in height which run from the Chapman River north to the Bowes River This range of hills is of specific importance to the city of Geraldton - Greenough as it forms the backdrop to the city and borders the urban areas.

Ever since Geraldton was settled the ranges have been under threat from development and especially from normal accepted farming practices, the main one being the grazing of livestock. Along with the clearing of the native vegetation traditional farming has left the ranges in a very susceptible state to both wind and water erosion.

The object of this web site is to encourage debate and to bring forth ideas as to how the Moresby Ranges can be preserved and developed so that future generations can enjoy them . Some ideas are put forward on the following pages.

A study is soon to be conducted under the planning brief of the shire of Chapman Valley and all these ideas can be put together and evaluated.

1.Wind turbines.

The ranges have been recognised as a viable site for wind turbines. This was done by a major energy provider measuring the wind potential of the ranges. One of the ranges' great natural resources has already been recognised - WIND.

With the current mind set that wind turbines LOOK terrible, I do not believe that enough value has been placed on the benefit to the environment. A government agency Auswind ran a series of meetings in Geraldton in early 2007. After attending these, I was disappointed that they were basically focusing on the negative aspects ie. What were the public's values of a particular landscape in regards to visual, cultural and emotional attachments. These values have little to do with the natural landscape and only address man's interpretation which is gained visibly or is conjured up mentally. The flora and fauna, the ground cover or climatic conditions are oblivious to what man thinks. The impact on the landscape of a single wind turbine is approximately fifty square metres, the ground upon which it stands. If this is multiplied by ten or twelve turbines on the top of the ranges, this would have a total impact of approximately 1 hectare. This equals .75% of a total of 1400 hectares of Wynarling farm. Current grazing and cropping land use impacts on 100% of the landscape of Wynarling farm. Wind turbines would then make available 99.25% of the landscape for other purposes e.g. revegetation.

Already green energy is being sold in the Geraldton region, Synergy`s uptake of green energy doubled in 2007 and customers can nominate if they wish to buy it. The wind turbines on the ranges could soon become a symbol of local people helping to preserve a local icon by the fact that every time someone turns on an air-conditioner in Geraldton, instead of knowing they are using fossil fuels they can look at the ranges, see the turbines and know that the power they are using is coming from the ranges and that the benefits are not only good for them but going back into the ranges to help restore and preserve them.
The ranges have been here for thousands of years. Technology is changing so rapidly that what is new today will be out of date in twenty years. This advancement also applies to wind technology. As technology changes, so will wind turbines. In the future what we perceive as not desirable in the landscape could be changed ie. If wind turbines are deemed unnecessary, they can be unbolted and taken away, leaving almost no disturbance to nature's landscape. Alternatively, new more efficient ones could be installed, but the wind resource and land form has not changed, nor will it for many thousands of years to come.

In the current period of mining development and the projected use of Oakajee for a deep water export port, there will be severe development pressures placed on the ranges. By exploring the uses of green energy and the power used for these projects, there could be huge benefits for the ranges. For example, a company which is mining our raw materials and shipping them overseas could gain tremendous public support, goodwill and financial benefits by using green power produced on and around the ranges. By the use of carbon credits, offsets and carbon sequestration, these companies could put resources back in to the ranges in the way of re-vegetation. Through this process, the people of Geraldton could benefit long after the mining resource is exhausted.