Does Yalwal Aerodrome exist?

[Guest Ruprect]

Just looking at a VNC chart of the nowra area and was a little surprised to see an unregistered airfield at Yalwal, approx 8 NM west of nowras HMAS Albatros. Having spent a fair bit of time 4WDing in this area and never coming across an airstrip, I studied Google earth for a while and definately couldn't see an airstrip as they usually stick out like dogs bollocks. Can any of you guys buzzing around the skies confirm this aerodrome exists?

 

Just a curiosity thang!

 

 

[Guest tezza]

I have a 2004 AOPA National airfield directory and it does not mention Yalwal ( I looked under Nowra also). I know of a number of strips on the vic charts that dont exist also . It seems they are pretty slack at removing them.

 

 

[Guest tezza]

just had a squiz at google earth myself and it sure looks like a grass airstrip running about 30/12 about 660 m long centered at

 

34 deg 52 min 8.61 sec S

 

150 deg 27 mins 17.01 sec E

 

just above Burrier. about 6NM NW of Albatross.

 

 

[flie43]

Yep, that is a strip. Flew in there 2 years ago. Our club bought a gazelle of the guy there. A lovely fellow who was almost in tears parting with his lovely machine. It is called Burrier I think and not Yalwal. Needed a clearance from memory to get in and out.

 

Terry

 

 

[icebob]

Hi,

 

That strip as best i know of was closed in 1998, the original enterance gate was at 34 degrees.58.28S and 150.29.31.04E, the two strips were at 34.58.41.76S 150.29.41.16E.

 

There was two strips 02 at 750 feet and 31 at 900 feet. There should still be evidance of all the big trees cleared still, I have not had a chance to look yet.

 

Bob.

 

 

[Guest tezza]

Hi,That strip as best i know of was closed in 1998, the original enterance gate was at 34 degrees.58.28S and 150.29.31.04E, the two strips were at 34.58.41.76S 150.29.41.16E.

Can you please explain your coords Bob?

 

what is 150.29.31.04E?

 

I am familiar with 3 different formats

 

1. decimal degrees

 

2. Degrees, minutes, seconds

 

3. Degrees then decimal minutes.

 

I have never seen a 4 group number like that.

 

Tezza

 

 

[icebob]

sorry old habits die hard.

 

150.29.31.04E is 150 degrees and 29 minutes,31.04 seconds E oppps:sad:

 

When I used to send a coordinate on the radio it was the quickest transmission possible so you would just send 150.29.31.04E the operator at the other end would convert it so everyone could read. as i did the quick reply at the same time i was speaking to one of my old crew so things just flowed on - sorry.

 

 

[Guest Ruprect]

Thanks icebob, that would explain alot, next time I'm down there I will seek out where they were. Anyone familiar with the area would know its real tiger country and unless your aircraft has floats, you'd be hard up finding a place to put her down without doing major damage. yalwals history dates back to the 1800's and remnants of mines and mining equipment still remain so it hasn't undergone a name change. Shows how slack they are on updating the charts!

 

 

[eastmeg2]

Back about 5 years ago I saw a strip marked on the VNC, probably the same one. So on the way from Nerriga to Nowra and with the aid of a GPS and the said VNC in a Vitara soft-top I had at the time I took to the tracks between the Nowra-Braidwood Rd and somewhere just west of Huskison. I found what could have been a short airstrip in the past, by the side of the road. But even back then (Sept 2003) you'd have to be in a desparate situation to use it. It was not exactly smooth but could probably get a trike in and out of there ok if one was game but the undercarriage would take a beating.:yuk:

 

Cheers,

 

Glen

 

 

[icebob]

Hi Glen,

 

between 1940 and 1943 there were at least seven auxiliary airstrips built in that general area, however at the end of the war most/all were abandoned, some were maintained by locals while others just got swallowed up by vegetation. In the 1980's one old strip near Braidwood was used by the army and i think a few of thier aircraft did operate out of it for a week or so.

 

The strip you are talking about was not the real strip, that was the dispersal area for the strip and was the diversion strip for fighters and i am unsure but maybe the aviation museum at Nowra has photos of it, there were aerial photos taken in 1945 that I saw in the 1970's in the photographic section at HMAS Albatross but who knows where they are now is anyones guess????

 

 

[Guest Ruprect]

Hi,That strip as best i know of was closed in 1998, the original enterance gate was at 34 degrees.58.28S and 150.29.31.04E, the two strips were at 34.58.41.76S 150.29.41.16E.

There was two strips 02 at 750 feet and 31 at 900 feet. There should still be evidance of all the big trees cleared still, I have not had a chance to look yet.

Hmm, punching these co-ords into GE put the so-called abandoned strips about 4 kms off the end of Albatross's rwy 21. Not exactly yalwal and definately not where the VNC has them marked

 

I can also see what may have once been a strip at S35 06'40" E150 20'21" out acrross the road from Tianjara falls but again this isn't Yalwal. Maybe the strips being marked are a result of chinese whispers?

 

 

[icebob]

Hi,

 

The entry to the Yalwal strip was directly across the road from the Burrier fire trail, if you are coming from the Nowra direction it is about 1Km before Yalwal it self and went in about 40 meters to the strip.

 

There is a relatively flat area about 2-300 meters wide then the ground rises steeply to form a ridge, the strip roughly followed the ridgeline.

 

Bob.

 

 

[Guest Ruprect]

:thumb_up: Rigtht, got it, across the way from the old burrier fire trail on top of the escarpment, can roughly make out a strip, wasn't expecting it to be that overgrown. Thanks for your input

 

 

[icebob]

not a problem, that strip was last used by the Army in 1981 and has had no more activitiy after that.

 

There were a few trailbikes up there just after that and i know one group knocked down a stone wall on the South side of the strip and some of that wall strewn across the old strip.

 

the old road up is about 1/3 of the way along on the North East side and was a shallow W shape but I could not see it on Google earth?

 

Bob.