Recommendations for GA touring in QLD

[rmdr2]

Hey guys and girls!

I'm a UK GA pilot looking for top tips for Airfields/Routes in Queensland that:

- are great for scenery/natural beauty
- good for camping under the wing
- good for food - i.e. restaurants on site
- cheap for fuel
- good access to "must see" QLD attractions

Any advice gratefully received...

[OZBUSDRIVER]

Coastal route from Redcliffe north to Double Island Point along the coloured sands is a good trip. YBMC (Maroochydore) gets in the way a bit though.

[disco_air]

BDV

Birdsville, QLD. Middle of nowhere but seems to be a 'must see' place in Australia. Great Pub!. Across the road from the aircraft parking.

....Disco

[clear to land]

Don't know about BDV, takes a very long time to get there in a lightie. My recommendations would be around the Whitsundays, using Airlie Beach airport, probably hire out of Mackay. Most islands will waive landing fees if you stay in their accom. Also, Cairns to Cooktown coastal is absolutely spectacular, and Cooktown Airport is very picturesque is they have mowed the lawn. Biggest thing to come to terms with after flying in the UK is the distances involved eg CS - CKN is about 90nm? from memory. Queensland is a great place to fly though, with some VERY diverse scenery. Enjoy!

[jetbrett]

Yeah Airlie beach and the whitsundays is a good place to go, get a few life jackets and go for a burn over the reef if your keen, one of my favourite memories was flying into shute harbour (yshr), challenging approach, especialy when there is a bit of a breeze but a wonderful place. Also there is Hamilton Island which is also beautiful if youve got the money, it starts from when you step out the plane and get slugged with a massive landing fee. Queensland as you probably know is pretty much desert apart from the coast line, once you get over the ranges it is a sandpit with heaps of cool airstrips, if you are willing to go inland for your 'camping under the wing' it would be an eye opener, have fun and let us know how your trek went. cheers JB

[enginair]

outback qld stays

there are a few places to land and stay at as far as scenery is concerned is is up to as to what pleases the eye
Eulo would have to one of my favourites , long airstrip , walk to the the pub , two styles of accomodation , the general store there has everything nearly (probably a set of matching C172 wings even) YEUO
Nuccundra YNCD out west of thargominda is good as well real old pub cold beer , accomodation , taxi to the pub , fishing
Toompine , south of Quilpie , ring the pub first so they pick you up
Hungerford , on the border , great old pub , ring or fly over the pub for them to pick you up about 5 km from the airstrip

[Capt Claret]

jetbrett

You really need to get out of Victoria.

Queensland as you probably know is pretty much desert apart from the coast line, ....

This link, http://www.ga.gov.au/education/facts...ms/deserts.htm
shows that the three deserts in Queensland, The Simpson, Strezelecki and Sturt's Stony desert account for less than 3.8% of the Australian land mass. Given that all three deserts are spread across adjacent states or territories, to claim that "queensland is pretty much desert" is drawing a very long bow.

[lahso29]

Originally Posted by jetbrett

Queensland as you probably know is pretty much desert apart from the coast line

haha are u serious qld is about as much a desert as vic is.

if you want to fly for hours on end and see absolutely nothing i suggest brisband to alice springs then to darwin. However have to agree with OZBUSDRIVER about going from redcliffe up north but i would start down around byron bay then go north up the coast.

OZBUS - the only way maroochy(YBMC) gets in the way is if you dont know how to transit class d airspace. I guess you would have real trouble with goldie and brisvegas (class C) then.

[jetbrett]

Give it a rest, if youve got nothing better to do than trip up people on little trivial facts your obviously not a very excitable person. The point I was trying to make is that there is not much on the Western side of the GDR. Send me a PM in 10 years when Queensland catches up to modernisation, in the mean time go and study your atlas.

[Unhinged]

Originally Posted by jetbrett

The point I was trying to make is that there is not much on the Western side of the GDR.

Load of rubbish and no more accurate than your previous post. Must be time you visited the rest of Australia.

I take tourists west of the Great Dividing Range every week, and never had one say that they saw "not much". On the contrary, much of what visitors come here to see lies there !

[Capt Claret]

by jetbrett

Give it a rest, if youve got nothing better to do than trip up people on little trivial facts your obviously not a very excitable person. The point I was trying to make is that there is not much on the Western side of the GDR.

I'll take the point first. West of the GDR lies about 80% to 90% (at a guess) of Australia. That counts as not much?

Trivial facts?????? Nothing trivial about your assertions at all. Have you ventured west of the GDR to any extent?

[dude65]

There's not a lot West of the ranges but you could hardly describe it as desert. Plenty of small towns and all have a decent airstrip.
If you want to fly out of Brisbane ,I'd suggest heading North to Fraser Island. About 1 hour flight time if your out of Redcliffe (C172).Not much rain lately so the water is crystal clear.Also a good chance of spotting a couple of whales this time of year. You can land at either Maryborough, Harvey Bay or Bundaberg.
Maroochy is no drama - 9 times out of 10 they'll clear you to track coastal and it's not that busy.

[Unhinged]

Gidday RMDR2 !

Originally Posted by rmdr2

I'm a UK GA pilot looking for top tips for Airfields/Routes in Queensland that:
- are great for scenery/natural beauty
- good for camping under the wing
- good for food - i.e. restaurants on site
- cheap for fuel
- good access to "must see" QLD attractions

Don't pay any attention to the myopic clowns who think that, just because they don't know about something, it doesn't exist. Unbelievable !!

There are so many excellent places west of the ranges that these people should hang their heads in shame. It's a bit like a Londoner saying that there are no good pubs in Scotland, just because they aren't marked on the map You've got to ask the people who've actually been there ...

Just off the top of my head, places west of the ranges which I regularly take people to, or have been to and which meet your criteria, include Lava Tubes at Undara, Marble mines at Chillagoe, Fishing and camping at Dinah Island, and the Qantas Museum at Longreach.

About the only thing which these places are unlikely to meet is cheap fuel. I don't know what avgas costs in the UK, but I paid about $2/litre in Coen a while ago and that hurt. The closer you are to cities the better it will be. We normally pay about $1.30/litre.

The distances can be significant, but then that's one of the reasons we fly, right ?? Explore and enjoy - It's a great place to fly !

[jetbrett]

Dont get me wrong capt claret, I have been to queensland many times, both inland and coastal and I love it to bits. Maybe I should have refined my comments, but the point I was trying to get across was that Queensland is renowned for it coastline, which should be seen from the air by everyone. I didnt say that I didnt like inland queensland, or that it was boring, and nor was I comparing it to any other states. I was trying to say it is sparse, and for an international visitor it might be better to trek the coast before going inland. Anyway I should be careful what I say next time, but the comments came across a bit heavier than I intended them to. Cheers, JB

[Chimbu chuckles]

$1.56 yesterday at Redcliffe.

But our Brit mate will be effectively paying in GBP so it will seem cheap...they pay around the same numbers but in GBP in the UK...about 60p a liter when you do the conversion with his holiday chips.

rmdr2 have you thought about the security issues. Are you aware of the bizarre ASIC (Aviation Security Identification Card) requirements?

Clarry it may not be desert but it aint known as the GAFA for nuffink

[disco_air]

Don't know about BDV, takes a very long time to get there in a lightie

= soft.

Lighties seem to be almost the only aircraft that make the trek out there! Worth it for sure!

...Disco

[clear to land]

DA, my comments about the trip to BDV by lightie were made looking at it from the perspective of a GA pilot from the UK. The trip from BN, by memory, is about 700+ miles each way. You cover an awful lot of countries in Europe flying that far, and it may take on the appearance of an expedition to most Europeans. Remember we Aussies are desensitised to distance. BDV itself is not a bad spot to visit. I happen to know the publicans quite well, having spent quite a lot of time there in a previous life. They will certainly do their best to make you feel welcome if you do venture that far afield. As has been mentioned there are some interesting sites to be seen in the South West, and most airfields there except Thargo are within spitting distance of a/the pub. Also, the locals are genuinely nice people. But: IT IS A LONG FLIGHT IN A LIGHTIE.

[Lando Calrissian]

A short hop to Stanthorpe from the Brisbane area is well worth it. Theres a range of accommodation available with some very nice wineries in the region. You can organise for your hosts to pick you up from the airport. A bit too chilly for me this time of year though!!.

[Dry_Twotter]

Watts Bridge (N of Wivenhoe Dam) and its surroundings are a very picturesque area to visit. Try to time the visit so your there during one of the many Flyins that occur there. Every thing from Pitts S1's to Tigermoths and even the old An2 might make an appearance. www.aeroclub.com.au will inform you of dates.
If your keen, hit Michael up for a touch and go on his international runway on the top of MT Brisbane
DT