Recommend a remote island only reachable by light aircraft

[paperplanepilot]

Hey Australia,

I've heard rumours throughout my fixed wing training that there are some cool small islands around Australia that have not-a-lot on them apart from some awesome landscapes / national parks and a small airstrip, so they'd only be reachable by say a light aircraft or a boat.

I'm not sure if this is just a wonderful fantasy island dream sold to me by zombie doomsday preppers, but does anyone have any more information about somewhere cool that is pretty much uninhabited that I could potentially flyaway to to explore or maybe even camp?

I'm talking SE <5700kg or PA44 size aircraft reachable.

[too_much]

When you start to fly out Melbourne for Flinders Island there appears to be a few uninhabited islands along route

Uncertain if there is a landing strip tho

Sounds fun, enjoy the adventure

[nonsense]

As the owner of a modest yacht, my first response was that most islands are accessible by boat, but I see you've covered that!

Gabo Island (near Mallacoota) has an airstrip and is pretty remote; Bass Strait tends to discourage most sensible boat owners from attempting to visit.

[Car RAMROD]

Torres Strait has lots of islands with strips, but they've all got communities on them so maybe no what you are looking for? Scenic flying around though.


Up and down Cape York there are a few other places with dirt strips and not much else.

[gerry111]

There's always Montague Island, off Narooma. That's further North of Gabo Island. It has a dirt strip. But you'd really want to know what you're doing before going there either by boat or aircraft.

[Fred Gassit]

Reevesby island, couple others down there in SA between Lincoln and Adelaide

[Toruk Macto]

Is it a requirement to takeoff as well ? If not then it really opens up a lot of options .

[illusion]

New Zealand, Tasmania........same thing really :p

[Aussie Bob]

Literally dozens in Bass Strait, most uninhabited, most with airstrips, use Google Earth. Passage Island was just sold for around $150K (leasehold)

[Mach E Avelli]

Get your hands on a Piper Cub or Savannah with fat tyres and dispense with airstrips entirely. Most of the more desirable islands have beaches. But invest in some tide tables.....

[Stationair8]

PA-44 probably won't be your best choice for a remote island airstrip.

[The Green Goblin]

Faure Island in shark bay? Dirk hartog Island? The Abrolhos islands.

The Venhard Island.

Anything toppend wise from northern wa to qld will be unpleasant in regards to biting insects and crocs.

I think your best bet is off the coast of wa.

[outnabout]

Flinders Island, off Elliston, SA. Rottnest, off Perth. Wedge island, off port Lincoln. Kangaroo island, off Adelaide :}

[Fantome]

dear P.P.P . . .. . . would you like to try the Maule on for size?

Go into some of the remotest places round Van Dieman's Land and the Bass Strait?

What sort of a camp cook are you?

What is your weight? What colour are your sox?

Is the petty cash up to it?

What are your political and religious preferences. . . if any?

[Squawk7700]

Fraser island in Gippsland. It's not remote, but it is an island :ok:

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=fraser+island+gippsland&hl=en&ll=-37.885828,147.936916&spn=0.012143,0.026157&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=49.490703,107.138672&t=h&z=16

[nonsense]

Fraser Island is privately owned, and I believe the runway has been closed and physically obstructed. It's not exactly inaccessible either, there's even a marked channel down the east side to Barrier Landing, south of Rigby Island, and on to Lakes Entrance. But if you want somewhere to go sailing, you can't beat the Gippsland Lakes.

[Squawk7700]

Not inaccessible? I'd like to see you drive your car there ! ;)
Yep, good spot the Lakes, there is / was also a strip at the Barrier Landing literally 3 miles away roughly; that's practically an island.

Lakes Entrance is pretty good now being served by the two strips in town.

[Howard Hughes]

New Zealand? ;)

[Strainer]

Fly into Hicks island, then a short boat ride across to Haggerston island. Situated on the northern end of the Great Barrier Reef, it's a great spot to spend a few days at.

[PA39]

Go into Lord Howe....bewdiful and a good flight, great people.

[Marauder]

Dum In Mirrie Island

Darwin 240/32 nm,

Don't know if Max and Marie are still there, surely the kids have grown up and moved on, but it used to be the most magnificent Robin Carusoe place, looked after by the best hosts

[Squawk7700]

Barrow Island off the WA cost. I have to go there in a few weeks I think :{ There's not much there and it sure is remote! Heavy on quarantine requirements too, it's like another country.

[Marauder]

Barrow Island,

Chevron controlled, you're not welcome unless you work there, bit like Mad Max country last time I was there

[chimbu warrior]

Dum In Mirrie Island :ok:

Don't know if Max and Marie are still there, surely the kids have grown up and moved on

The "boys", Croc and Maxie would have to be about 40 now.

[Cuban Eight]

If you're after an island national park camping trip around SEQ/Brisbane, there are a few good options. Although the following islands themselves aren't entirely uninhabited, you can easily be alone when pitching a tent behind the sand dunes. To be honest, there are some pretty awesome camping spots with nearby strips and basically all the water around these beaches has passing humpbacks breaching about at this time of the year.

I recommend Orchid Beach airstrip at the northeast of Fraser Island (different Fraser to the one previously mentioned in the thread). It runs parallel to the beach (really nice beach too) and about ten metres from it. Grass, about 700m, watch for dingoes (when camping, not just landing).
An Archer going in and out of Orchid,
Takeoff Runway 13 at Orchid Beach Airstrip (YORC), Fraser Island - YouTube (http://youtu.be/vK5es9R9uqc)
Landing Runway 13 at Orchid Beach (YORC), Fraser Island - YouTube (http://youtu.be/WT8lzeCsaHE)

Just south of Fraser Island is Rainbow Beach with a grass strip just in from the beach camping spots. It's really only used by a jump plane or two I think but about 150m longer than Orchid Beach.

There are strips on Moreton (right by the beach and some neat wreck diving/snorkelling spots nearby. Strip's run by the resort though) and North Stradbroke (about 8km's from the beach, so worth hiring a 4WD or getting a cab, nice beaches).

You could venture further north towards the reef where Great Keppel and Lady Elliot islands have strips. I have no idea about their accessibility/permissions though.

Totally recommend a fly-in camping trip with some mates. Best fun around. :ok:

[kookaburra]

Trefoil Island just off North West of Tassie.

Interesting strip, cliff one end, massive slope the other.
Ended up there on a rescue mission for someone who smacked an oleo into the wing on the upslope on landing

Nothing there but shacks for mutton bird hunting?
Be careful walking around as you'll do an ankle in one of their nest holes or bitten by a snake in it as runner up....

[Flying Arch]

Does anyone have air strip details for the strips on the Abrolhos Islands? In particular East Wallabi? Strip length, width, services, orientation etc?

[Car RAMROD]

Norfolk???

:E:E:E

[Supermouse3]

Abrolhos Islands- east wallabi is nice, strip is compacted gravel, 550m I think, roughly 360-180 from memory, has a large gravel parking area, toilets at one end, class A reserve so uninhabited.. and camping is not permitted!

bonanza's used to operate in and out quite happily ( can be very windy)

not much there really, southern end around the jetty gets lots of shark action so snorkeling/ swimming not advised (word of mouth from the pilot who operates there daily)

the other strips- Rat island and I north island are short- less than 400m and only pilots of the various charter ops are authorized to land there (there have been many overruns)
doesn't mean you cant try of course...

[PaulGa]

Hicks Island and a stay on Haggerstone is a bucket list flight.