Pera,
Additional civil ops in the current configuration are not going to work efficiently.
Agreed. So how about a parallel twy on the civvy side and high-speed exits on both sides? That would eliminate any civvy backtracking or crossing plus allow higher flow on the existing strip. A second strip would be expensive and probably wouldn't be needed for quite a while if some other work was done.
In any case, would it not be possible to 'group' the civil ops (eg. civvy arrivals to take place only in first 15 mins of every hour) so that the knucks aren't having to constantly thread through the civvy traffic?
Actually what might be interesting to ponder is, when (if?!) the F35s arrive, what the basing ideas are then - that is, will forces be split between a strike group (at Amberley) and a fighter group (at Willy), with one or two sqns at Tindal? If it's all to be one, big, happy family, then maybe a move to AMB would be on the cards - thus freeing up Willy anyway. AMB is where the tankers will be so maybe that's a pointer...
As for arguments that Willy is too far from the action - well, yes, so it'll be that much harder for a nasty coming in from the north, to successfully knock it out. They will have to get past the screen put up from Tindal (and possibly also Darwin, Curtin and Schergar, if things have been deteriorating long enough that forces have been deployed) and hope they don't run out of juice before getting to Willy. Having your main assets at the back, but facilities to operate forward, is not such a bad idea.
Converting Riccy to civil ops (or even just upping the level of civvy ops) might be easier to justify theoretically, but it's got more people around it than Willy (read: noise complaints, rather than catchment) and Macq Bank would probably invoke their poison pill on it.
Capt Arrr,
YPED is roughly half-way between the two oceans and a similar distance to the north coast. The next-best in that respect would be Alice.