Bankstown to Birdsville
 

Hello. I am planning to take a Seneca III from Bankstown to Birdsville for the races this year.

Looking for advice on a practical plan as to where to stop on the way for fuel and any other advice from those who have made the trip before.

Thanks in advance

Assume you will be ramp checked by CASA inbound and/or outbound.

Did it for the first time in a Bonanza, 25 years ago! Slept under the wing in a swag, lived on XXXX and Chilli Dogs, No ASICS, No security, even had a win at the track. enormous fun with some old mates!

About the only advice I could give you these days, is to look at Bourke for the fuel stop. Worked for us back then. :ok:

I did it some years back in a Seneca II, and had a blast. I did Bankstown dubbo Bourke tiboburra birdsville on the way there and birdsville windorah Charlleville moree dubbo Sydney on the way back.

You might not need some of those extra stops, as the III can carry more fuel, but places like Tiboburra and Charlleville, are fun to stop at. We stayed the night at Tib, and had an awesome steak. You need to ring them now these days so they can pre-position your fuel.

YBCV usually has a sausage sizzle on to raise funds money for the RFDS, refuel your plane for you, an air conditioned cafe to hide from the heat and very friendly service.

If it says in ERSA that they have carnet, you should be right for fuel, but check first if you stop at some little places! Have fun, wish I was going!

'SN' I can't give any advice re fuel stops on that route ( as I did it from EN) but wanna hear all about yr trip when you return. I hear that BDV is not like the good 'old days as mentioned here, sad really as I to did enjoy my few trips up there in the 80's mainly in slow ole' singles.

As mentioned about being ramp checked, I/we got ramped every time at BH, amazing to see the amount of bags left behind on other planes transiting thru BDV overweight!
There was an old Aztruck there at BH one year I swear had more of a load on it than a B747! I never did see that plane at BDV that year, perhaps the pilot is still locked up!

Wmk2

Thanks all. Looks like ill need to do it in 3 segments, ie 2 fuel stops with 5pob with 123 usg tanks.

Keep the advice coming!

Assuming 100kg per person and their bags, that still leaves you 286 litres out of 494. Very jealous, as WM2 said, you will have to tell us all about it! I slept under the wing as well, and was more than comfortable.

Take a fly swat......or two! :}

On a cold morning the crapper is a delight! Be careful of the showers, I nearly got 3rd degree burns in the bastard of a thing :ugh:

Is Fred Brophy still doing the boxing tent?

NOBODY goes near the crapper on Sunday morn unless yr still drunk as a skunk & smell like one too:E The hot water was straight from the hot springs right behind the Loos/showers.......Never seen so many naked women (& men) all in the ladies showers as the men's was a right off!!!!:E
One year we stopped overnight at "The Hill" (BH) on the way to BDV just to make the trip more interesting. Next day we launched & arrived early morning at BDV, set up camp & never saw the plane again 'till late arvo. Opened the door of the Lance & wham!!!!! the smell near killed a couple of us coming back for a late arvo snooze. We 4 got about the fish & chook raffle someone had won at the pub the night b4 in BH, that was thawed out & sitting in the plane all locked up in BDV in the hot sun where the temp was almost enuf to cook the stuff!!

Drum fuel back then (near $200 bucks a drum!!!!....how outrageous!) & only a couple of hands pumps floating around amongst the several hundred planes.
Some fond memories all those years ago that I'll take to my grave, some things a guy never discusses especially here:-):E:ok:

"JR" I still have that damned repetitive thump thump thump coming from Fred's boxing tent in my brain after all this time:-(

Wmk2 (in his younger silly days):ok:

I fly from YSCB, stop at YBKE for fuel then onto Hungerford for the night. Great night there, basic accommodation but good food and company. Thargomingah for fuel and then onto Birdsville.

Still sleep under wing in swag, but the showers and toilets onsite for fly-ins are kept clean

You will have a great time - never seen CASA there for any reason and have only heard of one person being ramp checked. Head back home via YBKE on Sunday.

Have fun - was going to head there myself but was unable to find a PA31 to hire

We have one extra punter keen to come. Me! Fitting six plus gear in the Seneca ain't going to cut it.

Having trouble finding anything more gruntier in Sydney basin to hire. Anyone know where you can hire a chieftan or 402 in NSW? I can only seem to find charter

Least we have two pilots now though!

You can serve the food mate! :-)

Is there anywhere to get Avgas between Broken Hill and Birdsville?

Thargomingah for fuel

Thanks for the suggestion. That's a fair way off track though.

Is Tibooburra (YTIB) a good option?

A while since I've done it, but get permission to land at Moomba. Fuel used to also be avbl at Innamincka and Tibboburra (both drums). Phone numbers are all in ERSA.

Forget about Moomba, unless it's an emergency. Unless you know someone very high up in Santos, you won't have a hope of getting into there. Drum fuel at Innna or Tibbo is your best bet.

Call in at The Dig Tree for lunch on the way home. The girls from Nappa Merrie Station run a bbq lunch on the Sunday after the races to raise money for their camp drafting club. Suck in a bit of Bourke and Wills history.
The strip is good, clay and long. make sure you get the right strip, as there is one at Nappa Merrie station nearby and another in the vicinity. The correct one is right near the rangers hut next to the Cooper Creek and along the road.
Make sure you order fuel beforehand at Tibooburra