Tips on flying to the rock

[student_downunder]

Hi guys,

Thinking of planning a trip return trip to Ayers Rock/Alice Springs from Wollongong NSW - remote area might do me some good:ok:. I want to depart sometime in the next few months and i'm planning on flying a 172/Archer. I know all of the requirements regarding remote areas, but was wondering if people have any suggestions on routes (prefer as direct as can be), tips etc as i imagine this has been done before many times. Also is a rough guide of 7 hours flight time one way correct? Don't have access to all the required maps yet and can only go from secondary sources.

Thanks

[mcgrath50]

I'd go from Wollongong to Broken Hill, to Lake Eyre either Leigh Creek or William Creek. Overnight there, up to the rock the next day, maybe via YCBP if you are worried about fuel. Depending on how long you want to spend there either over night there or head on. Coming back, Alice Springs is an experience if you want to go that far north, otherwise birdsville is a good stop.

[Tonym3]

Depends on the length of leg you can tolerate and the weather. I chased a high around - some of these were lunch stops only...

Mungo Lodge
Broken Hill (fuel)
Cameron Corner (chicken burger and a coke - drive your plane on the road and park in the carpark)
Innamincka (not Innamincka Township, the other Innamincka - should be able to get fuel from Drum but you need to check)
Birdsville (fuel)
Alice (fuel)
Uluru (fuel)
Coober Pedy (fuel)
Over Lake Eyre (Check for the special CTAF over Lake Eyre. Not sure if it is in operation at the moment.)
Maree or Leigh Creek (apparently Fuel back at LC).
Rawnsley Park - Can substitute for any of the others in Flinders - Arkaroola, Parachinla, etc
Broken Hill (fuel)
Home by whatever western NSW town suits you and has fuel.

Make sure you take your Mr Sheen and rags to clean the windows of all the bugs for your photos - we forgot and it isn't always easy to get.

If you don't want to pay the high landing fees at Uluru, you could just do the scenic over Uluru and stay at Curtin Springs. I don't recommend that, stay at Uluru - hire a car and walk through Kata Djuta (Olgas) - in my opinion a fantastic experience.

My only other suggestion is to not book accommodation anywhere except ringing up the day before or when you can be sure of weather. That way you will not be tempted by getthereitis. It may mean you don't get to stay where you want but it is better than an ugly day fighting through a front.

Great fun. I would do the exact same trip again this morning if I had the time. Have fun. :ok:

[WannaBeBiggles]

I did a similar trip as part of my CPL hour building in a 182 and I cannot recommend it enough!

I flew from MB to Broken Hill and stayed the night at CBP.
As the 182 had long range tanks we did CBP with a scenic over Ayres Rock and the Olgas and then went on to Alice Springs.
The only thing I'd recommend with Alice Springs is to make sure you know how to track a VOR, but regardless the controllers were very friendly and even had a couple of the RFDS engineers help us out find a parking spot that had tie-down facilities.

From BAS we went to Broken Hill via a stop at Oodnadatta - interesting place... the burgers are great at the pink roadhouse!

I was pleasantly surprised with Broken Hill, a kind gent who flew in from a station with his Jab gave us a lift in to town and pointed us in the right directions to a good pub to grab some good tucka. :ok:

We were planning on heading over to Comeroo Camel Station, but due to the heavy rains in the outback at the time we couldn't make it.

I'd definitely recommend a high wing, especially in summer!

[mcgrath50]

When I went into Ayres Rock, as we were only stopping for fuel and toilets before the scenic and heading off to Alice they waived the fee for us, saved a fair bit of money from memory :D

[QSK?]

Don't forget that there is a Certified Air/Ground Radio Station (CA/GRS) Unit at Ayers Rock (radio callsign "Ayers Rock Radio"). Check your ERSA for the right procedures in terms of contacting these guys and also for doing scenic flights around both the Rock and the Olgas.

[Mike Litoris]

One piece of advice I was given when doing the trip for my CPL was to watch out for/avoid Mt Conner. Apparently a couple of students previously saw it from a distance on the Alice/Rock leg and thought it was 'The Rock' and headed straight for it.

We were told to ignore what we thought was 'The Rock' and keep on the heading we had planned. True to word we saw Mt Conner but kept to our planned heading and eventually saw the real Rock.

Lucky we did otherwise fuel may have been an issue!

Have a great trip!

Mike :ok:

[bentleg]

Kings Creek Station is a less expensive place for an overnight than Uluru.

http://www.kingscreekstation.com.au/

[Macrohard]

Leave the GPS at home, enjoy the view and develop your map reading skills

[Capt Claret]

Absolutely useless to you but nice to remenisce, I recall a group of us landing at the old strip at the eastern end of the rock, back in '83, as part of our commercial. Gravel. None of this soft ashphalt stuff.

Ah The Space Base. :}

[PLovett]

...........and don't fly over the Rock. It's culturally insensitive. :=

Actually, do please follow the recommended scenic pattern around both the Rock and the Olgas while also observing the height and recommended radio calls. It does make life a lot less worrying. :ok:

[belly tank]

Stop in and see Ian and Lynn at YKCS (kings creek) I flew the helo there in my younger years in 98 and a few hundred trips around the canyon and rock on tours!:eek:

magical place. there is an airstrip there and make sure you goto kings canyon resort for the disco of an evening, we used to go there every 2 weeks on a friday night, was an 30 min trip each way in the ol WB ute!!