When bushfires or highway accidents roll through the rugged country around Black Springs, a basic phone call can be the difference between a swift emergency response and a tragedy.
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Local residents have been fighting to fix their poor reception that has had zero priority on major carrier infrastructure upgrades, but to no avail.
But it's all set to change now.
It didn't take a multi-million dollar federal blackspot grant or a new coverage tower to fix the issue. Instead, it took eight years of community persistence and a $5000 local wind farm sponsorship to do what major telecommunications companies hadn't.
This week, commercially available mobile repeaters finally went live at the Black Springs Community Hall and Recreation Ground on Abercrombie Road, opposite the Forestry Reserve camping area.
But while locals are celebrating, the project highlights a glaring systemic gap in how regional connectivity and safety infrastructure are delivered across rural Australia.
"Poor reception is something locals have learnt to live with, but when there's an emergency, you don't want residents, visitors or emergency responders having to worry about whether they can get a signal," Black Springs Community Association (BSCA) president Andrew Sempell said.
"For us, it's about knowing that locals and people visiting Black Springs now have somewhere they can go when they need to get connected. That's going to make a real difference."
The Pines Wind Farm community representative and long-time Oberon local Glen Stewart said reliable mobile connectivity was particularly important for smaller rural communities.
"Black Springs Community Association Inc has driven this from the beginning. They understood the problem, kept looking for answers and found a way forward that works for Black Springs," Mr Stewart said.
"Living in this region, you see firsthand how resourceful our smaller communities are. Sometimes local groups already know what they need and just need the support to make it happen - and that's exactly what this program is here to do."
Renewables boost coverage
As major renewable energy projects are built across the region, telecommunications providers will be offered financial incentives to expand and upgrade network infrastructure, to help tackle longstanding mobile and internet blackspots in local communities.
The Central West-Orana Renewable Energy Zone will deliver $14.5 million to improve telecommunications coverage over more than 900 square kilometres.
Thousands of residents, workers and visitors are also expected to benefit from better mobile phone signal strength as a result of this uplift.
Many of the region's telecommunications blackspots and restricted internet capacity are in sparsely populated areas where upgrades are often not commercially viable.
Telecommunications providers will be able to apply for grants covering up to 70 per cent of project costs. Applications that include contributions from industry or other partners will be encouraged.
"Regional areas suffer from too many telecommunications blackspots. This program will help fund the upgrades that communities have been calling for," NSW Climate Change and Energy Minister, Penny Sharpe, said.
"Better coverage means safer, stronger and more connected communities, whether it's farmers managing their operations, families accessing essential services, or emergency responders communicating when it matters most."
About the Pines Wind Farm
If given the green light, the Pines Wind Farm project would power 1.25 million homes in NSW, supplying around 10 per cent of the state's electricity demand, all without requiring additional investment in the state's transmission system.
Initial investigations began in 2024, and the project has now moved into the planning and approvals phase, expected to take three years, starting with the preparation of a project scoping report for the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.
The project is planning to erect approximately 250 wind turbines within the permit area, which includes parts of Mount David State Forest, Gurnang State Forest and sections of the Vucan State Forest, south of Black Springs.
The Early Community Sponsorship Program provides $50,000 in funding each year during the planning and approvals phase of The Pines Wind Farm to support community-led initiatives across the Oberon and Bathurst LGAs.
The grassroots Oberon Against Wind Towers (OAWT) group has been strongly campaigning against wind renewable projects in the region.
