Walkaway, Western Australia

Walkaway Western Australia
Population	222 (SAL 2021)[1]
Postcode(s)	6528
Area	113.1 km2 (43.7 sq mi)
Location	398 km (247 mi) N of Perth 37 km (23 mi) SE of Geraldton 11 km (7 mi) E of Greenough 28°56′20″S 114°48′07″E / 28.939°S 114.802°E / -28.939; 114.802
LGA(s)	City of Greater Geraldton
State electorate(s)	Geraldton
Federal division(s)	Durack

Walkaway is a small town in the City of Greater Geraldton local government area of Western Australia. At the 2016 census, Walkaway had a population of 270.

Its name is a corruption of the native "Wagga wah", referring to the bend in the nearby Greenough River, and was originally given to the railway station when a line was built from Geraldton in 1887.

In 1894 Walkaway was linked with the Eastern Railway at Midland Junction, 15 kilometres east of Perth, by a private land grant railway constructed by the Midland Railway Company. With the railway and an expanding agricultural area, the township grew. Decline set in with labour shortages associated with the First World War and the construction in 1915 of the parallel state government-owned Northern Railway, 50 kilometres to the east of the Midland Line.^[2]

A number of renewable energy generation projects are located near Walkaway. Current projects (2014) produce 162 Megawatts of electrical power. Additional projects along with upgrades to current projects are scheduled for construction.^[3][4] The Mid West region is identified as a potential location for developing renewable energy technologies that include additional wind and solar photovoltaic electricity projects, solar thermal, geothermal, bioenergy, and ocean energy.^[5]

The Walkaway Wind Farm, 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) east of Walkaway, was completed in August 2005. It consists of 54 turbines, each producing 1.8 megawatts (2,400 hp), 80 metres (260 ft) high, and with 40-metre (130 ft)blade spans. Development consent has been given for an expansion of the project to up to 400MW.^[6]

The Mumbida Wind Farm, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of Walkaway, is a 55 MW renewable energy project developed by a joint venture of Verve Energy and Infrastructure Capital Group (ICG). Mumbida was completed in 2013 and is now fully operational. Mumbida Wind Farm utilises the 2.5 MW General Electric 2.5xl wind turbines, the first time that this model of wind turbine has been used in Australia. The Mumbida wind farm has been designed to be expanded to 85MW in the future.^[7]

The Greenough River Solar Farm^[8] is the first stage of a 40MW solar photo voltaic (PV) electricity generator. Stage 1 currently produces 10MW and was commissioned in 2012. At the time of commissioning, it was the largest solar PV generator in Australia. Construction of Stage 2 is scheduled to begin in 2014 and will add an additional 30MW to the project, located 30 kilometres (19 mi) east of Walkaway and 50 kilometres (31 mi) southeast of Geraldton, on the Walkaway-Nangetty Road.

• Gunzburg, Adrian (1989) The Midland Railway Company of Western Australia – Locomotives Melbourne, Vic : Light Railway Research Society of Australia. ISBN 0-909340-27-7 (Includes a condensed history of the company from 1886 to 1964)
• Heritage Council of W.A. (1988) Greenough/Walkaway heritage trail : settlement of the Greenough River Flats : a Commonwealth/State Bicentennial Project. Perth, W.A.: Heritage Council of W.A..
• Heritage Council of W.A. (1999) Heritage trail, Greenough/Walkaway : settlement of the Greenough River Flats. East Perth, W.A. : Heritage Council of Western Australia. – Part of the Heritage Trails Network.