Windmills in the Bush

Another Aussie icon -- the windmill -- especially if it is made by a company called Southern Cross. Underground and artesian water is very important in Australia, and the survival of both stock and man depends on being about to reliably pump water. These utilitarian wind powered water pumps are everywhere in rural Australia. They may not be as snazzy as the éoliennes Bollée in Indre et Loire, but they do the same job. They are ideal for remote locations as they are robust, simple technology that requires little maintenance or expertise to erect and run.

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Ile de Ré Reflections: This road sign demonstrates an interesting quirk of French law. The road is designated as not accessible to vehicles except for emergency access to the boat ramp. However, oyster farmers' trucks are officially and openly 'tolerated'. This means that so long as they behave reasonably the oyster farmers can come and go to their oysterbeds via this road, but they do not have a legal right of way and the local authority has the right to withdraw their access at any time. Sometimes there will be an additional rider to these signs, saying that the road is not accessible except for residents (sauf riverains). This indicates that, unlike the merely tolerated oyster farmers, the residents have a right of way.