Ayers Rock to Broome Trip in Jab 230D any advice?

[Tigerfish]

Iam looking to spend new years at Ayers Rock then will want to fly to Broome.

 

My concern is the vast beautiful empty space in between.

 

I will need at least one refuel to get there.

 

If anyone has done a similar trip I would love to hear from you.

 

Also, I live in Byron Bay and will have 4-5 days to get back from Broome.

 

What might track/detour would you suggest?

 

Cheers

 

Nick Bond

 

 

[Spin]

Advice; enjoy yourself and think of the rest of us poor suckers stuck at home! Take lots of photos and post them here.

 

Seriously though, give yourself some leeway for weather etc, 4-5 days from Broome could get awfully tight and gethereitis is sadly often a fatal disease.

 

 

[HEON]

Alice Springs-Halls Creek (via Wolf Crater?)-Broome should be within 230 range. There is a road house between AS-HC. Forgotten the name but fuel (drum=costs!) if required...eat and walk regardless. I did the reverse a few years ago in Lightwing Speed.

 

ESSENTIAL you check weather...Broome-Halls Creek around 310nm...no problem you say...add 35-40kt head wind as I had and it makes a considerable difference in range AND its not the longest leg.

 

Return? Broome(Horrozontal Waterfall/Prince Regent Sound)-Kununurra(Bungles)-E over NT(various options)-coastal vis Gulf-Burktown-Longreach-etc.

 

Good trip but essential you carry remote area gear as it is VERY remote.

 

I personally do not think this a summer trip due to potential poor weather(monsoon seasion). I would not do it in summer myself. Was great in winter

 

 

[vme]

Note that Broome is now a controlled airport.

 

 

[Tigerfish]

Are you suggesting I refuel at Halls Creek after departing Ayers Rock?

 

Will I need another refuel from Halls Creek onto Broome?

 

 

[Tigerfish]

Is there another airfield nearby in Broome that is not a controlled aiport?

 

What would you suggest?

 

 

[kaz3g]

I would also counsel against doing this trip in the summer.

 

Day time temperatures inland can exceed 50 degrees and the thermals have to be seen to be believed. The weather coastal will be hot and humid and cyclones are a distinct possibility. Crocs inhabit rivers a long way inland in the NW.

 

If you do go, take heaps of water. Water is life and you will need at least 10 litres per day. A good knife, torch and matches are essential as well as all the charts, ERSA, the ELT and camping gear. Start your flying day at first light and be prepared to be on the ground by mid-morning.

 

It's a bit further, but I suggest you follow major roads or railway lines on the inland section rather than travelling direct. Even in the pastoral areas there can be distances greater than 50 miles between homesteads. Roads are often the only hope of putting down without breaking things and they give you a better chance of being seen by someone in the event of a mishap.

 

Alice and Broome are both controlled during most of daylight hours - refer NOTAMs for hours of operation. Bond Springs is a very friendly spot just 10 miles north of Alice and had fuel and hangarage last time I went through there. I'm not sure if the Roebuck Roadhouse out of Broome has a strip now or not but you could call and ask.

 

Have a good and safe trip

 

kaz

 

 

[HEON]

Topic close to my heart has been touched on here.

 

With the closing of especially small (read outback) fuel depots, combined with the increase in controlled airspace, you do not have to be very paranoid to think "our" safety authority is trying to make our skys safer by us not being able to reach a lot of it...combined with stopping CTA for RA Aus...I MUST just be a paranoid old bloke..."THEY" would NEVER think of that...not!!

 

 

[kaz3g]

Topic close to my heart has been touched on here.With the closing of especially small (read outback) fuel depots, combined with the increase in controlled airspace, you do not have to be very paranoid to think "our" safety authority is trying to make our skys safer by us not being able to reach a lot of it...

Not just RA aircraft affected here. I have an absolute endurance of 210 minutes nil reserves and the distances between refuelling places made me turn south from Tennant rather than going north. Tennant to Alice is 252 NM and you don't need much of a head wind (or a broken plug insulator like I did) to run your fuel awfully low.

 

I paid for drum fuel at Maree and Barkley HS although at both I found another pilot willing to split a drum with me which saved me heaps... it's hard to fly off and leave 100+ litres in the drum!

 

Shell has pulled out of a number of places and I always try to support the local bloke when I travel rather than the big companies in the hope they will still be there.

 

kaz

 

 

[Tomo]

I know you already know, and others have mentioned it - but just watch the weather, can get pretty nasty pretty quick at this time of year.

 

Day temps at Broome recently have only been about 39-40 according to friends living in the area (well 350klm out of Broome in the middle on nowhere)

 

I'll no doubt be making the trip mid next year, though most likely in a C206.

 

 

[vme]

Is there another airfield nearby in Broome that is not a controlled aiport?What would you suggest?

TF .. Derby is about 80 miles from Broome and has an avgas bowser. You could stay there overnight and have some local flights around the coast. Just keep an eye on Curtin (RAAF). It takes out Derby when activated, but doesn't happen often.

 

If you leave Derby at first light, you will be able to make Broome before the 7.15am activation and get refuelled by the tanker and bail out early morning when it suits.

 

Derby is within easy reach of Halls Creek.

 

Good luck.

 

 

[Tigerfish]

All very good advice and I thank you all whom contributed.

 

I will take the advice of some and now will look instead of flying from

 

Ayers Rock down to SA on to Kangaroo Island!!??

 

Any hints and advice on this trip during early January?

 

I will leave Broome for the cooler months

 

 

[HEON]

Flinders Ranges worth a look. Think myself Adelaide Hills with a stop to do some wine tasting would be relaxing. After KI return up Murray River (stop/stay at some of old river ports) or via Vic SW and S coast (Great Ocean Road)

 

Can still get hot (fly early) but should be dry...this year however not real sure if "dry" is an approperate word...

 

 

[eastmeg2]

Hawker in the Flinders Ranges is the ideal base for doing a lap of Wilpena Pound, though the airstrip is about 5km out of town on the road to the pound. Talk to the local joy flight pilots for flight instructions and radio frequencies, when we were there they flew clockwise at 5,000ft and you'd likely want to do the same, though in trikes we opted for 500ft separation due to our speed difference.

 

Hawker to Port Pirie is nice and scenic and you could fly down the Yorke Peninsula and cross Investigator Straight (20Nm of water) to KI to remain outside Adelaide CTA, there's an R zone over the straight you'll need to check is deactivated with Melbourne Ctr too. Or go further east via Murray Bridge and cross Backstairs Passage from Cape Jervis to KI (7Nm of water). A few of the members here are locals in the area.

 

 

[Guest Mad Dave]

Arkaroola is VERY pilot friendly, and definitely worth a look

 

 

[kth_logan]

Good decision

 

Tigerfish,

 

Good decision that you have heeded the advice of people on this site regarding Cyclones.

 

Cyclone season is just starting and as mentioned inland the temperatures are excessive creating thermals.

 

I flew locally last week, temp was 38 degrees and thermals were throwing me up 400 ft in a few moments, That was in a Piper warrior. Very hard to maintain altitude.

 

Dest Devills or Willy Willys a problem that day, not very pleasant to fly through one of them. Gave me quite a scare. :ah_oh:

 

Did not see it as it had not picked up any dust. i was performing climbing turn at 500ft in the circuit, so you can imagine how I felt.

 

Just returned from a vacation in Adelaide...very nice country to drive around, next time it will be in the air.

 

What ever you do, take care.

 

 

[JG3]

Yes, Arkaroola is VERY aircraft friendly, and both premium unleaded and avgas fuel.

 

 

[Jabiru Phil]

The decision to leave until winter was spot on.

 

Rock to Either Cadney Homestead or Cooberpedy, Whyalla, Kingscote seems to be the easiest for fuel and distance, about 750 miles. Port Lincoln would be another choice (Cutting out Whyalla) except for the water crossing to be legal.

 

Have a good trip

 

Phil.

 

 

[Tigerfish]

Grounded, Wet, Desperate

 

You know the saying,"Best intentions of mice and men..." Well, I am up to my neck

 

in water. It has rained nonstop for over two weeks in the Northern Rivers area. So much for flying. My plans for the 'Rock' and Kangaroo Is. looks pretty much dashed at the moment. Should weather change and I am able to fly my plan I will post the *snip by mod*.

 

Meanwhile, hope you all have had a very Merry Christmas and here is to a bloody marvellous new year with lots of good and safe flying.

 

Cheers

 

 

 

[Tigerfish]

bad language slip up inserted by mistake. Freudian slp perhags

 

So Sorry, but did not intend to use the word b_tch!! Not sure what I was thinking.:black_eye:

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

So just go back to the original post and edit it. You can replace that horrendous word with something more appealing to the masses..... Today was the first day I saw sunlight in well over a week.... At least we dont have 2-3ft of water through the house like those poor buggers north of us....

 

Andy

 

 

[HEON]

I could be a bit flip on the weather halting your trip and say come and do a water hull course,but we are not able to run any at the moment on the Darling Downs as it is a bit hard working out if one should land on the most water...the lake, any paddock, or the sky!

 

 

[Guest ray]

If you contact Robin Heinrick on yoke peninsula Sth Aus he has done this trip in a j230

 

Regards

 

Ray Rhyne