Places To Camp?

[Louis Moore]

After finally finishing my Auster annual and doing a test flight this afternoon I am all pumped to get out there and knock up some flying hours and it just so happens it looks like I might be in line for a fortnight off in November.

 

Something I have wanted to do for a long time is a take a flying camping trip, so I thought I would pose the question here (might need to be under the trip section, sorry if it is!) does any one know of some nice, discrete little camping strip in Australia? Preferably grass or dirt, somehow going to a bitumen runway to camp at seems a little bit refined!!! If any one knows of any beaches that are suitable to land on and camp at for a couple of nights then I AM ALL IN!!!!!!!

 

Looking for the real deal, pitch a tent type of setup not a runway close to a motel!!!

 

I am based in QLD but would fly to S.A, NSW, VIC so any suggestions are welcome. Let's see what ideas people have, I am keen to get out there in Auster and spend a couple of weeks away from it all, my wife even said she is keen so I want to jump on the idea before she has a chance to change her mind.

 

So you guys help me with the location and I will bend my mind around figuring out how to fit the required supplies in the J2 and stay under MTOW!!!

 

 

[Ballpoint 246niner]

Check out the "Pubs I want to fly to one day" thread I started last year Louis. There's been some great input to it and John Gilpin has collated it all together in an awesome Google map.Yes as the theme suggests there are pubs close by( good thing!) but many have great camping areas as well.

 

Catch you by a river bank sometime...

 

 

[Guy s]

Hi louis,

 

As far as gear goes, I done a bit of overnight backpacking , so have a lightweight tent,sleeping bag,thin foam mat. Total weight of these about 2.5kilo's. Spare set of clothes etc. I am able to keep my traveling pack quite light in case no pubs or motels, being able to sleep under the wing.

 

Not sure if there's a section on here ,gear to take while traveling. Others people setups of what they take and maybe a photo of it layed out and total weight.

 

Maybe someone else knows.

 

 

[Louis Moore]

Thanks for the responses guys, gives me something to work with.

 

Ballpoint will dig about and find that thread as there might be some good info. Have to be honest though I am not looking to go on a pub crawl. My folks ran pubs all my childhood life, spent the biggest portion of my younger years at William Creek in SA. There where no fences back then so the planes would park in front of the pub. After years of running outback pubs my father then started doing pub crawls for people in his cherokee six. Long and short of it is I tend to stay away from bars now, spent my fair share of time inside them already and have done a few hours flying between the more iconic outback ones!!!

 

Guy s, Gear is a big issue for me and something I am looking into with avid interest. There is not a huge amount of space in the Auster due to a long range tank being behind the seats. As I am looking to find more isolated places I also have to consider food, water and other associated camping gear. Plus as I am taking my wife I am also going to need a good system for sleeping, something like an air mattress that is comfortable and still deflates to take up little space. Looking into all those things now. Plan on maybe storing the very light gear in a well secured location in the rear fuse, far enough forward as to not through out the CoG.

 

The ideal situation for the trip would be to purchase a nice set of tundras and find some clear spots to set down in open land some where, but there are so many risks with that option thought if I found some nice private little out of the way strips it would sort of have the same effect!

 

 

[captbigwings]

The Dig Tree, near Innaminka, getting pretty hot by November. You wouldn't need much camping gear, just a tarp over the wing. Steve

 

 

[Tonym]

Not sure how far you want to travel but maybe Camden Haven near Port Macquarie is what you are looking for? http://www.skycam.com.au/YCMH/

 

 

[Louis Moore]

Thanks Tonym. Camden Haven has hit the nail on the head and is precisely what I have been looking for.

 

Captbigwings, innaminka is out there, have not been out that way in a few years and it would deffinalty be a good spot, will look into that. Dalhousie Springs is another good one I know of too

 

 

[Tex]

Over the last few months I have slowly been adding to my collection of lighter weight camping gear with a view to doing a few camping trips. The light weight good quality stuff is bloody expensive... so have been adding to it all slowly.

 

Here is my Tent, inflatable mattress, Sleeping bag, Rain tarp and tripod stool.

 

 

Total weight is 6.2kg for this kit... of course a few items are missing: pillow etc.

 

Tent is 2.5kg (just under actually) and includes poles, stakes, ropes and even a floor saver which is not really needed. It is not a very big tent and you can just sit up straight in it, just long enough for those around 6'2" and plenty wide for one person... 2 if you are desperate. It is an Alps Mountaineering Mystique 2... I actually have two of them if anyone wants the second one (Brand new unused) I will sell it... $160 posted.

 

 

Sleeping Mat is 1.1kg; an Exped SynMat UL 7, expensive but very warm (insulated) unlike many sleeping mats, has a built in hand pump

 

 

Sleeping bag (1.1kg) is a Mountain Designs 'Kashagr 150' on special ATM for a reasonable price. I like this one because you can open it right out and use as blanket/doonah and with my sleeping mat that is the way to go...

 

Rain tarp/fly is just there for a shade cover while outside or to cover the pod, it is .7kg and is an ENO Profly

 

 

I still want to get a small cooker stove and am contemplating the Kovea Booster+1

 

 

 

[Louis Moore]

Hey Tex,

 

Love the post, really good info and great pics. Thanks for taking the time to put it up. I have been looking into hiking gear myself as it seems to be well built with weight and space in mind. Down side is the majority of hiking gear seems geared up towards the one person side of things. Seeing as my wife has willingly agreed to partake in this madness the last thing I want to do is set up two single person tents and air beds for us to sleep. Would not be a good look!

 

I have looked into some cookers too, I find the brick burning style generally take up less space and are a little safer to fly with, all be it useless to actually cook on!!!!!

 

 

[Ballpoint 246niner]

I spent years doing outback dirt riding trips. Tex's gear is almost identical to mine, light,small and good quality.great post Tex

 

 

[Tex]

No worries LM... nice thread and I have been wanting to discuss different equipment in this regard. Not a fan of the hexamine stoves either, terrible in wind and I always seem to infuse my food with hexamine taste...

 

 

[Yenn]

To really get away from it all you could go to Aeroplane Beach, which is to the North of Bustard Head S 24deg 01', E151deg 46' Right at the top of WAC3340 Brisbane.

 

Yuo can pull the plane above the high tide and will only get an occasional other plane, mostly at weekends. A short walk up to the lighthouse is well worth the effort and on the landward side of the peninsula is Pancake Creek, a yachties heaven. If you leave the ugly bloke behind you in the avatar you couls also drop in at Rodds Bay. Only joking, give me a ring on 0749750209 if you did want access to rodds bay.

 

 

[Louis Moore]

Yenn, I have to ask, are you serious? That is precisely the type of thing were looking/want to do. Looks perfect in every way, can we really land the aircraft on the beach without pissing people off?

 

Had quick look on google earth, guessing it is the small beach between the Bustard Head lighthouse and the larger Bramsten Beach?

 

Next question is if you are serious have you landed there? If so any chance if I drag my plane and me up there some time you could come with me a give me a few beach landing pointers (not done it before so would prefer some one who has to be there the first time!!!) if not any instructors over that way that would do it?

 

 

[ianwells]

Hi louis

 

If you want to go further afield check out the beaches of north Queensland, lots of long hard packed sand, many with no access other than aircraft or boat! Try to see the movies Charlie and Boots, and On a Wing and a Prayer.

 

Weve discovered the self inflating matresses, 3,5cm thick, (Black Wolf) are surprisingly comfortable, light and pack up very small.

 

Note:- The drifter was assembled on the beach for photograpic purposes only.

 

Cheers

 

Ian

 

 

 

[Louis Moore]

Hey Ian, Love the pic, which beach did you assemble the drifter on to take that shot? For reference only of course!

 

I have been looking into a lot of the black wolf camping line, seems great quality and fairly light weight. Surprisingly though I am finding that the air mattresses although a lot heavier than the self inflating take up a lot less room when packed down and are more comfortable when inflated! I can get most of the equipment like tents, bedding and cookware in a range that ways next to nothing so think I can sacrifice going for the heavier style of mattress!!!!

 

 

[ianwells]

I think that one is Mentmore beach, between Proserpine and Mackay, here's another great camping beach at Cape Palmerston, just south of Sarina.

 

 

 

 

[bushcaddy105]

Gooday Louis

 

I have spent a great night on the banks of the Murray, at the point where the Murrumbidgee meets the Murray. Land on a vehicle track across the floodplain, but not right now! My flight home from Natfly last week showed that there is a HUGE amount of water just upstream from from Balranald, so this campsite won't be available for some time.

 

 

[Camel]

Old Bar near Taree is a great spot, caravan park, beach next to it and shops all close by in easy walk.

 

 

[Yenn]

Yes I am serious.

 

At low tide and even half tide most beaches are ok to land on. Stick to the outer. seaward beaches on the islands around gladstone to bundaberg area. the inside beaches can be muddy. Land below the high tide mark where it is hard. By all means call me to show you where to go. Another beach I have used is just South of Cape Capricorn, but that one can be a bit tricky, a friend overturned his Jabiru there. It is usually easy to judge by doing a low slow flypast.

 

The Mackay area would be good as Ian says. Further North I have always fancied Hinchinbrook Island, but that is forbidden territory due to fish habitat.

 

the only problem with most beaches is lack of water. In my earlier life as a yachtie I used to be able to pick up water at Water Park Point, N of Yeppoon at about 22deg 55' South, where it just ran out of the hills onto the sand.

 

 

[Guest pookemon]

Re: Camp stoves - Are you allowed to take propane cylinders in aircraft?

 

I have a Metho powered camp stove - which I've found to be brilliant. It also contains the pots/frying pan as part of the complete package. And they're not too expensive IIRC (I've had mine for years now).

 

http://www.trangia.se/english/5612.25_series_ul.html

 

I think mine is the 25-1 UL. < 1kg

 

 

[Louis Moore]

Getting some great info guys. Can not wait for my new ASI to get here so I can start preparing for a test run somewhere!

 

 

[David Isaac]

Hey Louis,

 

Your Auster I take it is VH registered so weight shouldn't be too much of an issue should it? My J1B can haul 906 Kgs Max

 

 

[Louis Moore]

Hey David,

 

No the Auster is in RAA category so I am restricted the 600. But weight is not a big problem because the aircraft is a light little thing, the issue is space, I do not have much room at all to play around with!

 

It is worth noting that I own a J2, which is a lot smaller than most other Auster Variants. Basically a copy of the Taylorcraft, since I am clever and just figured out how to post pictures I will add some of the old girl below!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[David Isaac]

Nice Louis.

 

Basically a side by side Piper Cub after all. She looks in real good nick. Can you explain the military marking and history? Is she powered by a C65? Where did you find her?

 

 

[Louis Moore]

Thanks Dave, I must say I am extremely happy with Auster. Is the perfect little aeroplane for my needs and a ton of fun.

 

The military markings to the best of knowledge where put on by the last owner who has an Anzac school camp I think down near Helidon Spar, not due to any military service history but just for show being in the military style of camp. That is where I found it, a couple of years out of annual and just waiting for a new home!

 

J2's original where built with a C75, this one was upgraded to an O-235 (As most where) when it started doing some banner towing. As for history, I do not know a lot of it, it came in to Australia in 1950 as VH-BNP, after a few years in Britain, with the royal queensland aeroclub. Spent a lot of it's early life there and was re-registered to VH-RQK. In 1963 it was re-registered again as VH-PUK and went through several private owners, mostly up in QLD I think.

 

I bought it a couple of years ago and put it into RAA rego as 24-7588. I put a pic of it in 1954 as VH-BNP with it's original C75 engine. Is a fantastic photo to have of the old girl, it is part of the Ed Coats Collection and I give him credit for putting is wonderful photos on the net for us all to look at.