rdarby Posted August 21, 2011 Posted August 21, 2011 Anyone been there? Its about 300 miles East of Brisbane and seems to be on the edge of the desert. Im thinking it could be a good introduction to an overnight trip. There is a little pub but I dont know if there is a servo. The strip is dirt, not sure who ownes it.
JG3 Posted August 21, 2011 Posted August 21, 2011 Anyone been there? Its about 300 miles East of Brisbane and seems to be on the edge of the desert. Im thinking it could be a good introduction to an overnight trip. There is a little pub but I dont know if there is a servo. The strip is dirt, not sure who ownes it. Bollon is nowhere near the desert, it's still mulga country all round. Bollon strip is a fair walk from town.... Dirranbandi is about the same distance out from Brisbane, and the strip is right beside town. Fuel and pub in town. I've never had problems camping there.
rdarby Posted August 21, 2011 Author Posted August 21, 2011 Looks dry to me. Whats mulga? I'll look at Dirranbandi. From Google Earth it does look more attractive, and fuel is important. I have found one post saying the servo is no longer in Bollon.
FlyingVizsla Posted August 21, 2011 Posted August 21, 2011 Any Western Qld town will have a Pub & fuel or they don't have an economy and reason to exist. Some have a pub and no town - like Betoota, Toompine, Cooladdi-Fox Trap, Middleton. Have not landed at Bollon strip, as I went to a cotton farming strip nearby. From recollection the Bollon strip is mostly gravel with bitumen ends and is out of town - about 2 to 3km. Doubt there is a taxi, but accommodation usually offer a pick up service. Bollon got flooded so I don't know what is still there. Abundant native birds. The edge of the desert? Well, the mulga scrub perhaps, vast areas of cotton farming and grazing properties measured in square kilometres. The natives are friendly. Sue
FlyingVizsla Posted August 21, 2011 Posted August 21, 2011 Mulga is a small tree, with quite a number of variations, sometimes multi stemmed, highly drought tolerant. It tends to grow in the red soil of Western Qld where nothing else survives. It is good fodder for sheep, so graziers used to break the branches so they hung down where animals could reach them. Now-a-days the mulga is pushed over using mechanical means. You can flatten them and they sucker up next season due to their deep root system. As most of the land out there is State owned and leased by graziers, they have to apply for a tree clearing permit (even though they are not really removing the tree) and routinely get granted permission for vast areas, some of which might not be used. Aerial shots of acres of mulga pushed over are what you see on TV when the greenies want to do a Shock - Horror piece, and total permit areas are what they quote when it comes to Shocking Statistics ie One Million Football Fields are Cleared by Farmers! Trees Gone Forever! No mention of them regenerating each year. Charleville has a Mulga Festival in honour of the plant that has prospered the district. Western Qld is a great tourist destination. Lots of towns with airstrips within walking distance of town, friendly locals who go out of their way to make you welcome, larger than life characters, lots of pilots who understand that aircraft noise is good for you and plenty to see & do that won't cost a fortune. Sue (spent my career West of the Divide) 2
JG3 Posted August 21, 2011 Posted August 21, 2011 Any Western Qld town will have a Pub & fuel or they don't have an economy and reason to exist. Some have a pub and no town - like Betoota, Toompine, Cooladdi-Fox Trap, Middleton.Sue Is Betoota pub open again??? JG
FlyingVizsla Posted August 21, 2011 Posted August 21, 2011 Sorry, Betoota is still closed (I think). Simon was the publican and total town population until his death in his 80's. He seemed to take a decline after being charged with keeping an unsecured rifle (he slept with it). After that there was talk of the pub being revived by the land owners - it sat on a property. The town was surveyed and subdivided eons ago and it surprises me that no one has bought it for a $1 and tried to flog it off to interstate investors. There's an airstrip and race course - races once a year around the same time as Birdsville & Boulia. If the social whirl is your thing then it is worth a fly-in, as lots of locals do. Unfortunately, floods, droughts and the Qld Govt Racing policy has killed off a lot of these outback attractions. Sue (I'll stop before I get too depressed)
rdarby Posted August 21, 2011 Author Posted August 21, 2011 Got confirmation the plane is booked for the middle of October, and will start phoning the pub at Dirranbandi tonight. And making a list of what to do, this is the first overnighter. I'll stop at Goondiwindi too. I'll save Dingo Roadhouse for later and do west this time. Thats for all the inside knowledge!
JG3 Posted August 21, 2011 Posted August 21, 2011 I'll stop at Goondiwindi too. Be aware that if you want fuel at Goon'di, the call out fee is $100 I was quoted once. Better check on weekends.... If you just want a bladder stop, Inglewood is a nice quiet strip along the same track. JG
rdarby Posted August 21, 2011 Author Posted August 21, 2011 If I can get premium in town at Dirranbandi and fill up there I should be fine to get back to Redcliffe, so will avoid the $100 fee. But I have emailed them to find out. I found the aero club details at Goondiwindi and have emailed them.
Ballpoint 246niner Posted August 21, 2011 Posted August 21, 2011 Anyone been there? Its about 300 miles East of Brisbane and seems to be on the edge of the desert. Im thinking it could be a good introduction to an overnight trip. There is a little pub but I dont know if there is a servo. The strip is dirt, not sure who ownes it. PM me Darby, I know the strip owner personally. Better get your sense of dirction sorted first though!
rdarby Posted August 21, 2011 Author Posted August 21, 2011 Yeah, I'm surprised I passed my nav's. You should see me with left and right too!
rdarby Posted August 21, 2011 Author Posted August 21, 2011 Booked the Dirran Pub. $70 a night for 2 people. The hotel there is full of roadworkers. The pub had an English girl on the phone and sounded busy. I suspect this really will be an Australian pub experience! Ryan
Ballpoint 246niner Posted August 21, 2011 Posted August 21, 2011 So Darbs... who's the special second POB??? Think we start a new thread.. Pubs I want to fly to one day... Nindigully, Cracow, Williams Creek, Noccundra hotel etc....:thumb_up:
Spin Posted August 21, 2011 Posted August 21, 2011 Think we start a new thread.. Pubs I want to fly to one day... Nindigully, Cracow, Williams Creek, Noccundra hotel etc....:thumb_up: I like the sound of that!
rdarby Posted August 21, 2011 Author Posted August 21, 2011 Just my brother. But I haven't seen him in 10 years, he is still back in the old country, and coming here permanently on the 31st August. This is big news for me, and I want to show him around and go for a fly too. I haven't seen an outback pub before myself! I called the pub again, and some bloke at the bar says there is premium fuel there. The backpacker doesn't have a car so just shouted out to anyone who was there. I'm trying to find a number for the servo itself. But seriously, we do need a thread like that. Pubs with airfields, as it's actually hard to plan cross country without knowing someone who has been there, like you guys!
JG3 Posted August 21, 2011 Posted August 21, 2011 Think we start a new thread.. Pubs I want to fly to one day... Nindigully, Cracow, Williams Creek, Noccundra hotel etc....:thumb_up: I reckon that's a great idea, but needs to be more than just a new thread. Threads get buried under more recent threads. Needs to be some sort of register that lists strips close enough to towns for an easy walk to the pub, food and fuel. Maybe something like the map I've done for fuel supplies at http://www.stolspeed.com/outback-fuel It would need to be easily accessible for additions and corrections. I don't know how to set up something like that, but hoping someone else does..... I know quite a few of such strips, and would be glad to contribute. JG 4
winsor68 Posted August 21, 2011 Posted August 21, 2011 I agree... I started a thread for the "$150dollar Hamburger" but it didn't seem to go anywhere. Nebo Pub up here(Whitsunday's Mainland) has a beautiful little airstrip next to it. I would also recommend Whitsunday Airport at Shuteharbour... http://www.whitsundayairport.com/aviation.php You need 100hrs minimum as PIC to fly in... The Flametree Caravan Park adjoins the airstrip with basic but very cheap accomodation... http://www.flametreevillage.com.au/ And there is the wonderful Beaver Bar overlooking the airfield... You are right up close within a quick stroll of the airstrip and bar... and Airlie Beach is a quick Taxi ride away...
Relfy Posted August 21, 2011 Posted August 21, 2011 I fly over Bollon strip all the time and it is quite a good strip but a fair walk from town. Hungerford is a great experience for anyone wanting a bush pub experience. It is about 3 ks from town but the pub will pick you up if you orbit town a few times. It's called the Royal Mail and is a great authentic outback pub. On another note, the Eulo Airstrip is right at the edge of town and is only a 50m walk from the pub but the shop next to it burnt down a few weeks back so fuel is not available there at the moment.
rage83 Posted August 22, 2011 Posted August 22, 2011 Just be carefull with the term premium fuel out west. The fuel quality usually isnt that good and premium is up to 95RON. Don't go expecting 98. Ill be honest I havent been to dirran but from what i found the further west u go the worse the fuel is. Cheers, Rob
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