New member looking for recomendations

[Sophie TP]

Hi All

 

I'm new to the forum. We recently bit the bullet and made a purchase. We've done a fairly large tour before (www.flyaboutaustralia.wordpress.com), but looking for recommendations for weekend trips out of Sydney. Any suggestions welcome. 

 

Cheers

 

Sophie

 

 

[skippydiesel]

What you got Sophie?? Unfortunately you didn't purchase an ATEC aircraft from me but I wont hold that against you.

 

Back to your Q;

 

All depends on how long you want to fly for - I can recommend day trips down the south coast Mermimbula - Moruya both have great little airfield, very welcoming and terrific surrounding areas to explore. The NSW & Vic High Country has a host of beut airfields that you will be welcomed at. Then there is Scone , Cessnock, etc in the Hunter Valley. Rylstone to the NW  is a lovely private/open to fly in, airfield. I also like Mudgee & Cowra. Bit further west Parkes is very well apointed for GA visits. The list is endless. Have fun stay safe.

 

 

[old man emu]

Don't forget Dubbo for an overnight and visit to Western Plains Zoo. Or you could fly into Narromine for a look around, then see if you can hire a car to go to the Zoo at Dubbo.

 

Any flight down the coast to Moruya on a nice day is great. See if Jaspers Brush has the strip length for your plane.

 

A visit to Temora is also on the Must Do list.

 

 

[Kenlsa]

Gawler in South Aust. You are only 20 minutes from the Barossa and 45 from Adelaide. We have fuel and accommodation , but I'd rather stay in the Barossa.

 

Ken

 

 

[spacesailor]

Hoping you can get out of the Airfield, tour around the local area.

 

"Rylstone to the NW  is a lovely private/open to fly in, airfield."

 

And not far away is a beautiful spot called "Dunns swamp" It;s not a swamp but a Dam, in the National Park.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[facthunter]

 Pick your times  (weather wise) and places to cross the "Great Dividing Range" . Once you are inland there's (usually) much less cloud about. Your relative humidity (forecast) figures for a locality, will indicate cloud base to a great extent. Nev

 

 

[Garfly]

 Pick your times  (weather wise) and places to cross the "Great Dividing Range" . Once you are inland there's (usually) much less cloud about. Your relative humidity (forecast) figures for a locality, will indicate cloud base to a great extent. Nev

Could you expand on that weather tip a bit, Nev?  Are there some rough rules of thumb to apply to local forecast Relative Humidity and likely cloud bases?

 

And what range crossing spots do you tend to use?

 

 

[facthunter]

 Most of my experience  VFR is from Moruya to the top end of the Hunter Valley. ALL of it needs a good weather forecast and you can get caught out in either direction. Avoid strong winds and low cloud. (and icing  in winter) Your terminal forecasts will have cloud bases and wet and dry bulb temps. Cloud bases lower as the temp drops . Watch out for this near the coast, later in the day. Don't press on in deteriorating weather. Smoke from burning off can mask cloud forming. Learn about cold fronts in this part of the world. (Bottom half of Eastern Australia). Some of this terrain is not too friendly to outland on also Steep timbered slopes particularly..  PPPP .Proper Planning Prevents Pi$$ Poor Performance. Nev

 

 

[Garfly]

Thanks Nev.  For that route, say Moruya to Scone, I suppose, if you're able to get clearances you might head north coastal through the Nowra military zone, Sydney's Victor1 and then at Lake Macquarie hang a left via Cessnock and up the Hunter Valley. That'd be 275nm hike so you might need to stop at Cessnock but there's not much of the Great Dividing Range involved.  An alternative inland route - about the same distance - might be Moruya to Braidwood via the Araluen valley (a fair bit of landable country) then up to Mudgee via Goulburn and Bathurst and then across to Scone. That way, though, you've got some rough territory between the coast and Braidwood and again between Mudgee and Denman (at the head of the Hunter Valley).

 

Anybody have some better ideas for such a route?

 

In any case, trips like that that illustrate the desirability of RAAus getting some Class Charlie transit rights.

 

 

[facthunter]

 To the North west of Canberra ( Cullerin Ranges) the weather can be a bit ordinary and it often packs in all the way to Kandos and further North. on the western slopes. The top of the Hunter valley is always  a possible challenge, if the cloud base is low. When I've gone Melbourne- West Maitland you tend to go a bit further west for  easier cloud avoidance but you still have to get into the "Valley" at some stage. The way things have been lately it's pretty dry so low cloud is the least  of  your worries. All these distances are a fair way for some slower U/L's. . Give yourself time and don't make it so you MUST get there on  any particular  day.  Ive experienced some pretty big challenges in these areas over the years but I don't like flying over what I can't land on . You could just go  Camden Katoomba Mt Victoria Bathurst on a good day. The rough bit is over quickly. I don't know what the deal is getting through Nowra for RAAus planes. I did my first flight ever at Albion Park. in the fifties.. PPL to Commercial  Training starting  at Broadmeadows, (District Park)  then  Rutherford-Bankstown_-Rutherford so the Hunter Valley was my "oyster". Nev

 

 

[Garfly]

This is a recent thread discussing the Nowra lane,  The upshot seems to be: No-go for RAAus except when it's inactive.

 

Or the regs change to allow Class C passage.

 

 

[skippydiesel]

As a Sydney Basin based flyer heading due  north or west I usually  leave/return via Lithgow (avoiding Richmond air space) - minimal Tiger Country and I climb to max allowable for cruising alt (step is 7500 ft) to give plenty of thinking/gliding range. If only going to lower Hunter (or for a change) I use the Sydney Lane of Entry (max alt 2500 ft) however  this can be challenging during hot weather due to turbulence & terrain clearance.

 

South I always go in the general direction of Mittagong with on going track(s) to avoided Nowra/Canberra airspace.

 

Sydney Basin often has cloud however this normally dissipates west of the Range. Cloud bases commonly 3000ft  - tops may be as low as 4500ft (fly above/below) often stratified (fly between) main thing is to check out conditions at high points eg Katoomba & Mittagong

 

 

[skippydiesel]

Hoping you can get out of the Airfield, tour around the local area.

"Rylstone to the NW  is a lovely private/open to fly in, airfield."

 

And not far away is a beautiful spot called "Dunns swamp" It;s not a swamp but a Dam, in the National Park.

 

spacesailor

It was a swamp first, a dam/weir was constructed to create a lake to supply water to the Kandos cement works (long since decommissioned). The river supplying the swamp/dam is the mighty Cudgegong. The track (for that is what it is) from the locality of Ollinda - Dunn's is  rough dirt . My aged memory suggests that Dunns is about 25-30 km north of Rylstone. (so further again from Rylstone field)

 

In my day a busy holiday weekend would see about a dozen local family's at Dunn's, however friends in the area tell me its now worse than Picadilly Circus with 4x4's from" all over jammed packed into a very basic camping area".

 

Nearest landing ground was a private ag strip about 5 km upstream - dont know if it still exists/maintained.

 

 

[Sophie TP]

What you got Sophie?? Unfortunately you didn't purchase an ATEC aircraft from me but I wont hold that against you.

Back to your Q;

 

All depends on how long you want to fly for - I can recommend day trips down the south coast Mermimbula - Moruya both have great little airfield, very welcoming and terrific surrounding areas to explore. The NSW & Vic High Country has a host of beut airfields that you will be welcomed at. Then there is Scone , Cessnock, etc in the Hunter Valley. Rylstone to the NW  is a lovely private/open to fly in, airfield. I also like Mudgee & Cowra. Bit further west Parkes is very well apointed for GA visits. The list is endless. Have fun stay safe.

We fly a cirrus SR22 and have IFR so we have a lot of flexibility. Merimbula is certainly on the list - i think may be our first trip next weekend (either that or Mudgee). We LOVED flying into Milawa and visiting the brown brother vin-yard - any other highland destinations you would recommend. 

 

Thanks also for the Rylstone recomendation - its added to the hit list and their fly-in in May has been added to our "Ultimate Flying Calendar',

 

 

[Sophie TP]

Don't forget Dubbo for an overnight and visit to Western Plains Zoo. Or you could fly into Narromine for a look around, then see if you can hire a car to go to the Zoo at Dubbo.

Any flight down the coast to Moruya on a nice day is great. See if Jaspers Brush has the strip length for your plane.

 

A visit to Temora is also on the Must Do list.

OLd man - Yes, someone actually gave us a Dubbo visit as a wedding gift - must lock that in! We'll also look into Jaspers Brush. Has anyone flown in there before or know where the most up to date info is?

 

 

[Sophie TP]

Gawler in South Aust. You are only 20 minutes from the Barossa and 45 from Adelaide. We have fuel and accommodation , but I'd rather stay in the Barossa.

Ken

Hi Ken - Gawler look like a great base for exploring the Barossa. Any insight on Rawland Flat as an alternative? Saves us hiring a car...

 

 

[old man emu]

PM montmartz. He operates out of Jaspers Brush.

 

 

[Kenlsa]

Sophie, Roland Flat is 600m grass and a private strip, ( I would not recommend it in your aircraft ) you are still 5 minutes drive from Tanunda ( where I live) so will still need a taxi. Best bet is Gawler, then taxi from there as the Barossa is a large area. I don't know of any hire cars in Gawler. Tanunda is the centre of the region and there is a husband and wife taxi car business, they also have a plane of their own so can talk the lingo. As an alternative I think there is a local bus service, best check with the Information Centre about that. Ken

 

 

[Garfly]

For anyone in the Mudgee, Rylstone area, I think a side visit to Gulgong would be well worth it. Reading the Public Notes in OzRunways, it looks like the airstrip has been revitalised and that visitors are welcome. It seems that even temporary hangar space can be had.

 

 

And the town itself is very charming. I drove through last weekend and had a sticky beak at the airstrip.