Where to cross the Great Divide?

[old man emu]

I am looking at flying from Camden, NSW to Warwick, Qld so I can pick up my Pride & Joy.

 

When I just put YSCN and YWCK into the flight planner thingy on this site, it comes back with a Great Circle route that looks to be mainly along the ridge of the Great Divide. Not really excited about that route - too much tiger country.

 

I did look at a route Camden: Mudgee: Tamworth: Glenn Innes: Warwick. That will have me crossing the Divide over Katoomba.

 

Is there a route coastal to the Newcastle Area, then up the Hunter Valley and on to Tamworth?

 

OME

 

 

[coljones]

Get yourself VNC maps VNC-2 Sydney and 4 Brisbane - 1 sheet and VNC-3 Newcastle. Chase down DEX who lives at Scone to give you closer info around Murrurundi Gap, 2300ft. Tamworth is controlled airspace and if you want a wee break it might be worthwhile planning for a stop at Gunnedah, visit with Wayne Mathews.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

I haven't done too much flying east of the divide, but the trip from the central coast via YCNK and YSCN is nice.

 

I cross the Liverpool Range at the Cedar Brush, a low point directly between YSCN and YQDI. You probably need to skirt around the Tamworth steps; the western side seems to have much more landable country. You can track over YQDI to about Breeza then swing north to go around the steps and climb up high as you pass over Keepit Dam, where there are several strips.

 

It's dead straight over Inverell, with a couple of strips to choose from. There is some Yowie country around Pindari Dam and again north of the Border, but if you stay high you are always within gliding range of either a strip or some reasonable farmland. A beaut trip which I flew last November.

 

Enjoy your trip, Warwick has some nice people.

 

 

[old man emu]

I am looking for a route from the eastern side of teh Range to the western side.

 

OME

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

I am looking for a route from the eastern side of teh Range to the western side.OME

I don't understand the problem, OME.

The Liverpool Range is the divide, and a direct line from Scone to Qurindi airport is as good a route as you will find.

 

I'd avoid following the N.E. Highway, because it follows some rugged country and just east of Murrurundi the whole valley is full of very expensive racehorses.

 

A forced landing there might test out the capacity of the RAAus public liability insurance!

 

 

[Tomo]

Are you wanting to go RA or GA up Mark? If GA I'd just bung up the coast through everything to Casino then across to Warwick, passing Mt Superbus that will stand out boldly on your right.

 

 

[dazza 38]

If you go Tomo's way.You can see the wreckage of a Avro Lincoln that crash on top of it (Mt Superbus).Its a bit hard to spot though.If the sun is in the right place.You will get a reflection of the wreckage.

 

 

[facthunter]

The topography hasn't changed and I used to operate out of the Hunter Valley to the northwest , Armidale and Casino areas.

 

I always went out the western end of the valley. You can pick the lowest points on the ranges on the WAC chart. On a fine day everything is easy, and you can go anywhere and enjoy the scenery, however the entire area west of the ranges is very prone to thunderstorms/hail and you can get low cloud over the end of the valley. It is an area where you can get into trouble.

 

I would go further inland than the direct route. Tamworth is not a place I would go to. It's quite complex to operate into. Try to operate over the least Tiger country as landing in heavily timbered country is not at all safe. Used to avoid the Pilliga scrub too because it has no cleared ares in it. Nev

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

If you go Tomo's way.You can see the wreckage of a Avro Lincoln that crash on top of it (Mt Superbus).Its a bit hard to spot though.If the sun is in the right place.You will get a reflection of the wreckage.

Interesting, daz. Yonks ago a bunch of us walked up to have a look at that wreck, but had been given a bum steer: we were on the wrong ridge. The other blokes found it on a later trip. The story of that crash is very interesting and, of course, a great tragedy.

 

 

[dazza 38]

Interesting, daz. Yonks ago a bunch of us walked up to have a look at that wreck, but had been given a bum steer: we were on the wrong ridge. The other blokes found it on a later trip. The story of that crash is very interesting and, of course, a great tragedy.

If they missed that mountain, they would have had a relative clear run to Amberley.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Weren't they coming from Townsville?

 

My information is that they were a degree or so off course and overshot Amberley before encountering the mountains.

 

 

[dazza 38]

I think you are right Lyle. Come to think of it.The wreckage is on the North western slope, from memory. I forgot about that.Then the chances are they would have hit something else eventually.Alot of mountains around there.It was a aero medical flight from Townsville I think.I read the story about it a few years (Probably over 10 years ago.). Its a bit scratchy, I could google it I suppose.

 

 

[dazza 38]

I just Googled the crash. In a nut shell. the lincoln.Took off at approx 00.35 9th of April 1955 from Garbutt carring a baby and nurse.Destination was Brisbane Airport.They wanted to keep at a low Alt to be more comfortable for the baby. At approx 04.05 they where in contact with Brisbane.They said they where 10 minutes from brisbane and ask if they could decend to 5000 ft from 6000 ft. ATC said they could decend to 4000 ft after caboolture.ATC then they asked if they had Caboolture sighted. They never heard from them again.. (A witness living in Bell near Dalby heard the Lincoln circling over at Approx o3.50.)

 

They where way of course.

 

 

[rdarby]

Can you stop at Gunnedah? I thought it was security controlled?

 

 

[coljones]

Can you stop at Gunnedah? I thought it was security controlled?

OME and crew should have a red card to get out of Camden and this will allow them to be on airside at both Tamworth and Gunnedah. If he has CTA access he can fly into Tamworth as well as Gunnedah (where he doesn't need CTA access).

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

The Lincoln out of Townsville was crewed by a volenteer crew, as it was close to Xmas or something, and most everybody had stood down. As it was a medivac and involved an ill child, they grabbed whoever they could, not sure if the crew had even flown together before. The weather was foul all the way because of the wet season, and obviously there was a nav error made. Pity really as they were almost there, but that's flying in foul weather for you..................Maj...