VLF Transmitter Woodside

The VLF Transmitter at Woodside is a radio facility in Victoria with a tall steel lattice mast reaching 432 meters into the air. The mast design included electrical insulation at the top guy cables to emit transmission signals across vast oceanic and continental distances.

The facility was first proposed for New Zealand but moved to Australia due to local resistance and started broadcasting in August 1982. It held the record as the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere until another building surpassed it in 2015.

The Omega navigation network was a standard tool for ships and aircraft needing to find their position across the ocean and sky. Local museums now display equipment and stories from this transmitter, showing how important radio technology once was for travel and safety at sea.

The facility is no longer operational but remains visible from outside, with the massive steel structure impressive from a distance. Visitors can explore the surrounding landscape on foot to appreciate the full scale of the tower from different angles and vantage points.

The installation used an unusual technical approach with electrical insulation at the top guy cables instead of ceramic insulators bearing the entire weight. This engineering choice set it apart from other radio transmitters of its kind around the world.