The Windy Hills Wind Farm near Ravenshoe is an example of alternative, eco-friendly energy sources being utilised in Far North Queensland.

Ravenshoe is located around two hours drive from Cairns on the southern Atherton Tablelands. 

It is the highest town in Queensland with an altitude of 920 metres.

The privately owned farm, located around 3km from the town is the largest facility of its type in Queensland and can produce enough electricity to power 3500 homes.

The fragile environment of the north means an increasing need for eco-friendly energy sources and the spectacular wind farm is but one of many initiatives operating in the North.

Hydro electricity is also extensively used, with Queensland's first turbine built at the historic tourist site Paronella Park, near Innisfail.

There are also large hydro stations on the Barron River outside Kuranda and at Tully Falls to the South.

Another emerging industry is ethanol made from one of the region's traditional crops- sugar.

Increasingly as the climate challenge debate continues to rear its head, people in the Far North are adopting more green-friendly practices.

This has resulted in a greater awareness of the issues affecting the fragile eco-system and a better understanding of how to manage this sacred natural environment.

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