Wind turbine

Western Victoria, where I live, is known for its strong winds, so wind farms are springing up all around the district.

These attract sometimes fierce opposition, with complaints about their high visibility, their perceived ability to kill birds (frankly I think any bird that gets hit by a turbine blade was either not paying attention or had a death wish) and sleep and nervous disturbance caused by their low-frequency "infrasound."

Standing close to a wind farm built on solid volcanic rock, I didn't feel any vibration or discomfort (apart from it being a hot day), the only noise I could hear was an intermittent mechanical creaking from the gears in the nearest turbine. Maybe I'm just insensitive.

I find the turbines quite graceful as they turn lazily in even the strongest winds; while they are certainly visible for many miles around, I find them preferable to the smoke-belching coal-fired power stations in other parts of the state.

I chose this turbine for the image because it was frontlit, giving me a nice contrast with the sky, and as it loomed above a row of trees it somehow reminded me of the alien machines in HG Wells "War of the Worlds."

Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ80.