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diddly squat
15th Aug 2012, 23:53
Anyone have any pic of the above before they closed it?

Tinstaafl
16th Aug 2012, 01:37
Wish I did. I've been there a few times. It was the nearest airstrip to Surfers.

VH-XXX
16th Aug 2012, 01:56
What about the Southport airfield, it's not far from Surfers at all, is that still there?

Jabawocky
16th Aug 2012, 02:07
Southport is still there.

The old Surfers strip went the same way as the old Surfers Raceway. Same development site if I recall. Now all built over. Houses, Golf Course/Resort or something.:sad:

I still to this day recall Peter Brock and John Harvey have another 1-2 in the last of the old Group C VK Commodores there. Just after the Bathurst 1-2.

Ahhhh them were the days!....... Geeeze ya sounding like an old fart Jaba! :ouch:

metalman2
16th Aug 2012, 02:27
Used to be a top venue, had the funny cars there pretty regularly and the drags for the young hooligans( yep me) and the airfield in the middle of the track. My boss lived across the road from the Dunlop bridge, all the locals got free tickets to all events, he had people knocking on his door all the time with petitions , he used to think WTF , I get to go by foot to world class events ( ZZtop, angels, rose tattoo) ,car racing go karts, drags and all for free ,are you kidding ,you want to stop it!!!
I'd like to see a pic of the old place to,,,,,,ahhh the memories!

DC3Qld
16th Aug 2012, 03:20
If you google Surfers Paradise international raceway you will find a couple of pics.
But for a blast from the past drop this into youtube "Brisbane TV 1985 - RaceCam at Surfers International Motor Raceway" and you will get a live aerial shot and footage of a Tiger Moth, VH-WAP, landing as well as a drive around and commentary.
IIRC I flew in there in the early '90's I think there was a maintenance organisation still there, the strip was getting a bit rough by then. Then got to ride what was left of the track a few years later when doing a motorcycle skills course.

Frank Arouet
16th Aug 2012, 03:25
Good memories from there. VH DQZ a C210 owned by Eric Neilsen. If you could shut the doors, it would fly, or so it was said. Eric also had a Beagle 206 which he said was the best aircraft in the world. 3000ft of sometimes long and sometimes wet grass. Now surrounded by a gladiatorial arena of some sort, and people, who complained about Surfers Gardens, now probably complain about that. Oh, and who can forget this was the home of DH, VH-WAP always flying, even doing aero's up and down the beach.

All that's probably illegal today.

Actually everything's illegal today.:*

rioncentu
16th Aug 2012, 04:34
DC3Q - Well done. Great video. I never made it to the track but I did make it to the waterslide at Grundys as a kid which featured early on !!

How good would it be to fly in and beat all the crowds and traffic hassles.

Yes Southport Alive and Well.

VH-XXX
16th Aug 2012, 05:49
I remember now, Southport is the one with the $25,000 joining fee and the $7k a year membership! (plus hangarage) No wonder I didn't see many people flying in and out of there when I was up there last week!

ebby1028
16th Aug 2012, 06:40
Southport flying club is a paradise for aviators......however the former president.....Roger......what a clown. He was really good at spending money and driving people away. Well done Roger

metalman2
16th Aug 2012, 09:37
Southport flying club is a paradise for aviators......however the former president.....Roger......what a clown. He was really good at spending money and driving people away. Well done Roger

Yeh, I found the club there to be about the unfriendliest aero club I've ever been near, made an enquiry about refueling a tecnam there on the way south, well I reckon the presidential visit would've been easier to organize,,,,ended up going in something that could overfly the whole lot.

Ovation
16th Aug 2012, 11:08
Mason's Field (YSPT) is a sealed strip 9M wide x 780M long with sealed overruns at each end, and only available to members and the occasional invited guest. The surrounding residential development has continued to encroach and noise complaints have forced the club to implement a "fly neighbourly" plan.

The most recent Membership Fee from the website is $22,000 including GST, which is a one off payment. Add to this a yearly renewal of $310.00 plus a hangar charge of around $500.00.

The reference to administration in an earlier post would have to have come from a current member not happy about the direction the club has taken over the last 6-8 years, and he would not be an orphan. The original incentive to join was the membership fee would entitle one to a plot of land to build a hangar, but that has not been honoured since around 2005, and this amongst other matters has been a source of disaffection.

Also, until 2007 there was a first class maintenance facility operated by the club which was efficient, inexpensive and profitable, but that seemed to fall in a heap because of personality clashes between the LAME and the committee.

For those interested, the club has a website here:

Southport Flying Club (http://southportflyingclub.com/)

Fliegenmong
16th Aug 2012, 12:19
Originally known as 'Surfers Gardens' Airfield I believe, I have a long history with the area, the service road used for the current day development is just North of the original strip which is now part of a lake.....

The area is now used by a bunch of eclectic old airline types flying RC aircraft every Sat-Sun Morn & Arvo, and for the retired Airline guys, just about every afternoon, beers in the BBQ hut watching the sunset over the lake after flying activities!

We have Ex TAA / QF staff, some current QF Staff, some Ex CX Guys, and an eclectic bunch of other aviation lovers, here are some videos of the current area...we're all enjoying as much as possible before the ridiculous Commonwealth games wreck it for everyone....anyways enjoy!!

Some good footage of our strip :O
Best Swiss F5 video - YouTube

A bit 'wobbly' but here you go, and Airbus at Emerald Lakes!!
CX 070512 Emerald Lakes - YouTube

And our 'Tower' at dawn, with some low level fog flying...
Emerald Lakes 20th May 2012.wmv - YouTube

Guptar
16th Aug 2012, 12:32
Honestly, I'm getting quite sick of people buying into new housing developments right next to an airport, then complaining about the noise.

Recently, I was having a drink in a local pub, a guy and his wife at the table started talking about how the resented the noise of the airport. I actually know their house quite well, I watched it being built. It's lieteally 200m from the threshold and about 20m off the extended centreline. I told them quite frankly that we had no sympathy for them and they should stop complaining. The house was built 4 months ago and the runway has been there since 1937.

Fliegenmong
16th Aug 2012, 12:37
Ha ha, with ya Guptar!, this strip did disappear though, more the pity, but it has lived on with a bunch of fanatical aviation fans at least as a thriving yet utterly informal 'club' of like minded individuals, oh, and we have a scanner listening out for any conflicting traffic :ok:

Jamair
17th Aug 2012, 01:15
I might get uncharacteristically energetic & scan some old pix of a much younger (and sillier) Jamjar racing motorcycles around Surfers....got one taken from under the bridge that shows the speedo on the Kwaka GPz900R proddy bike pegged on 240 + kmh.:eek:

Aeroplanes used to frequent the strip on race weekends, giving joyflights to racegoers. Local Aeromed helicopters were not in vogue then but during a couple of international events (Swann Series and International Touring Cars) there were private medivac helicopters stationed there.

I believe the japanese golf resort next door bought the circuit simply to shut it down, so they weren't disturbed while wacking little white balls......:sad:

Stationair8
17th Aug 2012, 03:23
Australian muscle car magazine did an article on racing at Surfers Gardens, including a plan of the race circuit and associated airstrip.

Tinstaafl
17th Aug 2012, 06:08
http://cfm.globalf1.net/?page_id=222. Low resolution aerial image. Looks like a video capture.

Aye Ess
17th Aug 2012, 10:15
Here is Surfer's Gardens Speedway with airstrip in the middle during a flood in 1976. The strip is totally submerged,you can just see part of the edge.

http://i1032.photobucket.com/albums/a401/alan_spears/surfersgarden2.jpg?t=1345198169

The aircraft were pushed to higher ground. The actual speedway is just visible under the water

http://i1032.photobucket.com/albums/a401/alan_spears/surfersgardens1.jpg?t=1345198027

I took these with my trusty Kodak Instamatic camera onto slide film,so quality not all that good.

Jamair
17th Aug 2012, 10:48
Jezzuz Fliegenmong have the fun police not caught up with you & yer mates yet?? Must be at least one miserable b@stard in those units who can hear your RC through the sealed windows, over the noise of the aircon & the soapies. Love yer work.:ok:

Worrals in the wilds
17th Aug 2012, 10:51
Honestly, I'm getting quite sick of people buying into new housing developments right next to an airport, then complaining about the noise.Absolutely. :ok:

Likewise, Brisbane yuppy wannabes who bought units in an entertainment/crime precinct known as The Valley because it was :cool:, then successfully lobbied to have all the noisy live music venues/crime shut down so it isn't :cool: any more, just full of drunken yuppies complaining about the lack of :cool:. :*

Being a total dag I went to the Ekka this year as always (more properly known as the Royal Queensland Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition, founded 1875) and viewed all the new unit block development plans (sorry, 'regeneration project' :yuk:)with dread. Sure, people will buy units at the Ekka, then they'll complain about the noise and the nasty smell (admittedly, it is a unique smell :ouch:) and before too long there'll be acres of nasty units and no Ekka. :(

Maybe it's a Queensland thing. :mad: Anyway, rant over. If you can't rant on the internet where can you rant? :\

Fliegenmong
17th Aug 2012, 11:49
Ha ha Jamair, yeah not yet for the fun police, so far all the security guys know us, and we wave to them, keep real low key as far as possible, never leave rubbish etc. etc so far so good and we've all signed indemnity waivers with Nifsan (The current developer)...been out there for about 5 years now....

It really is a magnificent facility for our informal gathering, right in central Gold Coast, the country's 6th (?) biggest city, everyday we're there we're thankful for it, but realise that when Nifsan hand it over to the Gold Coast City Council that GCCC will prohibit RC flying there, as would befit their short sighted view, and lack of respect of local heritage .

And I am sure that wonderful open public space that we use most everyday, and enjoy so much will be lost to us when the goddam commonwealth games come 'round:rolleyes::ugh::mad: ....a legacy of one of the city's worst ever mayors (Ron Clarke) and one of the states worst ever premiers (Anna Bligh)

But for now we'll enjoy it for all it's worth, and even night fly out there some nights! Yes yes, I am still married.....Mrs Fiegs is watching TV when we're committing RC Aviation Ha ha :p

Fliegenmong
17th Aug 2012, 11:51
Oh WitW!, I haven't been to the Ekka for 30 years!, I think I'd like to go to see the best cattle, chook, kelpie, sheep in the state though one day again!

hei yu
17th Aug 2012, 20:53
Landed there in '66.
Completely deserted.
There was an "honesty box" for the landing fee.
Hope they got my IOU.