Advices for a trip NSW/QLD/VIC
 

Hi Guys,

I am coming to Australia later this year for a 3 weeks trip by plane and need your advice.

Currently I am planning this route:

Sydney/Bankstown
Port Macquarie
Brisbane/Archerfield
Toowomba
Orchid Beach (Fraser Island)
Bundaberg
Whitsunday Islands
Emerald
Charleville
Cunnamulla
Bourke
Broken Hill
Grampians NP
Portland
Melbourne/Moorabbin
Lakes Entrance
Albury/Wodonga
Wagga Wagga
Canberra
Sydney/Bankstown

I would be very thankful for any information, like things not to miss on this route, airports to avoid, special procedures, that are not in the official documents and so on... to make my stay as easy and pleasant as possible :)

Cheers,
Florian

Florian, is this route a set agenda of places you have to go to ? Some are quite close together. In that I mean not more than a 20 minute trip. Will you be in a high wing or a low wing ? In reality, this is only like a 3 day nav exercise.

What a remarkable grasp you have of our geography Florian, that sounds like a great trip with a little bit of the country life,the Great Barrier Reef and the Outback.

Sounds like a great trip Florian

I like visiting White Cliffs, just out of Broken Hill. Unique underground accommodation, and the publican - Graeme also does the refuelling! The pub is quite an experience.

Grampians NP, fly into either Stawell, or Hamilton, then hire a car. Last week we stayed at Dunkeld, about 30 minutes from Hamilton. Great food to be had at the Royal Mail Hotel. After all that eating there are some great walks to be had. Take care driving lots of kangaroos around.

Portland - we stayed at the Cape Nelson Lighthouse, about a 10 minute drive out of Portland, really nice apartment in the old lighthouse keepers cottage.

AND then fly along the Port Campbell NP - ie the 12 Apostles - check the fly neighbourly advice in the ERSA . I then usually fly along the coastline easterly to the Port Phillip Heads then track along inside the bay back to Moorabbin.

Safe flying

JERR

Cowl flaps is right, it's a few days flying, but that's great because you have plenty of time to see everything, allow for weather issues etc. Enjoy your trip as you will see mant of the good bits of our country.

If you like Aviation museums then visit:---

1/ Longreach for the Qantas founders museum
QFOM - LONGREACH the home of Q.A.N.T.A.S.

And while you are in Longreach also visit the Stockmans hall of fame
Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame - Home


2/ Temora for the Temora aviation museum
Temora Aviation Museum :: Videos :: Temora Aviation Museum Aviation

3/ Point Cook RAAF Musuem
RAAF Museum: Royal Australian Air Force

Thanks for your feedback.

Especially White Cliffs sounds like a place I should strongly consider, with also the museums very interresting.

Though you can do this in a few days, my aim is to see as much as possible during the holiday. General idea was to have an trip of ~30 flying hours in a C172 with Sydney, Whitsundays and 12 Apostels as corners and then to see as much as possible in between. (Those were recommended to me by a friend who lived in Australia for 6 month)

Florian

I'd land & stay at the Asses Ears Wilderness lodge in the Grampians. You'll give away a star or two in accommodation, but gain it in the experience. Welcome....

I'm not sure I'd bother with Broken Hill, but maybe consider Tiboburra.

If you want a bit of luxury - Mildura & the Grand Hotel. Be sure to book Stefao's restaurant in advance.

I'm not sure I'd choose to stay at Portland. Maybe Hamilton or Warrnambool instead.

In Melbourne, I'd pay the landing fee & do Essendon for the city view and general closeness to the city.

If you have time, you could consider an overnight trip to King Is or Flinders Is from Melbourne.

Lakes Entrance to Albury is over some tough, remote terrain. I wouldn't do that. I'd skip Wagga and go Lakes Entrance to Merimbula to Canberra.

Make sure you have you ASIC card & Aussie licence sorted out at least 3 months prior. You also need to consider fuel planning. Where you can get fuel and how best to pay for it (cash / credit card / fuel company carnet). Make sure you carry water an EPIRB and a basic survival kit. You should probably also buy AVPLAN or OZRUNWAYS for your iPad.

Old Akro is on the money re comments on Lakes Entrance - Albury.

I'd go up from Lakes Entrance to Merimbula, consider hiring a car for a day or two and have a look around or fly up to Moruya and then zip across from there to Canberra. Either way, whether you go from Merimbula to Canberra or Moruya area to Canberra you're looking at terrain from 4000-5300 ft so hopefully your hired 172 isn't short on power.

Most of those options cover some quite remote areas so make sure you're in touch with ATC for flight following using radar / transponder (if available), with your ELT handy.

Pfffft - if he wants a real taste of the outback then he should try Leigh Creek, Marree, a flight over Lake Eyre & then on to William Creek then perhaps Coober Pedy!

DF.

To back up what Desert Flower said.

I'd put Coober Pedy, Ayres Rock, Kings Creek Station, Kunnunara (sp?) and Longreach into the mix.

Mildura is worth a visit too as is the museum at Temora.

A stop near Yepoon and or the Whitsundays wouldn't go a miss either.

In the Whitsundays, I definitely recommend a flight along Whitehaven Beach and out to the reef (Hook and Hardy reef).
Hamilton Island, (Great Barrier Reef Airport), is the most built up and has plenty of tourist infrastructure, a nice beach and free shuttle bus around.
Airlie Beach offers cheaper accomodation, and is more relaxed than Hamilton Island. The airstrip there is Shute Harbour, google whitsunday airport, local procedures on website.
Brampton Island is another option, the airport is on the beach and there's a resort as well as very basic camping facilities.
Lindeman Island also has a resort, but I'm not sure if it's open again yet.
With all these airports, phone/email ahead to get permission. Fuel available at Hamilton and Shute Harbour.
Feel free to pm for more specific info.

Flinders ranges? Stop at Arkaroola.

Yes, head west from Birdsville area to Coober Pedy for a night then across to William Creek for a night. Then down across lake eyre and to arkaroola and the flinders ranges. Spectacular.

I second skipping Albury/Wagga/Canberra and flying up the coast. Merimbula and Moruya are a couple of the best sited, most picturesque aerodromes in Australia. You also have the option of staying coastal and low if the weather is uncooperative and pushing on to Nowra or Woolongong.
As for flying into Canberra, do it if it's on your must do list. Otherwise, it's just a large, GA unfriendly aerodrome.

Good suggestions but please don't say "pushing on"

All sorts of bad things happen to inexperienced Pilots that "push on" in marginal weather.

Hi,

finally I made it back to Germany.
Due to some issues with weather, blown tyres, CASA, bushfires and so on, I had to amend the route a bit.

In the end it was Sydney - Hamilton Island (by airliner) - Sydney - Brisbane - Fraser Island (Orchid Beach) - Bundaberg - Roma - Cunamulla - Tibooburra - Arkaroola - Renmark - Grampians Airfield - Warrnambool - Melbourne - Mallacoota - Moruya - Sydney.

On that trip I had a lot of great impressions, I want to share with you.
You can find the photos from the tour here:

www.mondania.de | Australien 2013

I hope you enjoy them, as I did with Australia and its people :)

Florian

Hi Florian, thank you for the feedback and for sharing your amazing photographs.

Glad you enjoyed the trip Flocki82.
Small island, isn't it? I hope that more travel down to explore it based on your stories and photographs.