Rawnsley Report: Cup Weekend November 2018

/in /by

LFC’s fly-away to Rawnsley Park in the Flinders Ranges was a majestic trip punctuated by a few challenges along the way. Six aeroplanes left Lilydale and Moorabbin to converge halfway at Wentworth for lunch on the Saturday for a refuel of both aircraft and crew. The Sunraysia Aero Club were happy for us to use their club lounge and facilities, which were very welcome after battling headwinds all the way there. Those winds continued for the run to Rawnsley Park, with several skippers changing levels to hunt for better winds. In the end, we all made the flight across the vast, red plains to the edge of the Flinders Ranges, where the terrain below turned to a series of sharp, wave-like ridges. On arrival, some aircraft did tours of Wilpena Pound, whilst others made straight for the runway to tie down. All arrived in good time, but with a couple of glitches: Jenny and Edwina in NAY got a low-voltage warning just before landing, and Sonya, Phil, Phil and Steve in Cherokee Six UST had fuel consumption issues. Not to worry … it was almost happy hour!

The following day threatened to be warm, so everyone got a head start on the daily activities. Some elected to take the challenging walk to the top of the imposing Rawnsley Bluff, whilst others took more sedate walks or 4WD tours depending on the desire. Rawnsley Park is a sheep station embedded in the red soil of the South Australian outback, dotted with rocks, gum trees and grazing sheep. The best views are from the high ground, so if you want to take in the full Rawnsley experience, there is only one way to do it: go up! For those that tackled the ridge, the reward was superb views of the interior of Wilpena Pound and the rolling Chace and Druid ranges to the east. Mind you, there’s no public transport, so Shanks’ Pony was the most common method of getting around … unless you could cry on the shoulders of the park management! She’s right; there was always ice creams and the swimming pool at the caravan park to soothe the savage soles.

Dinner each night was at the Woolshed Restaurant. This place is a real find! Out in the midst of absolutely nowhere is a restaurant that offers fine dining, wining and the odd beer or two. As the only dinner option at Rawnsley, we haunted the place after happy hour three nights in a row.

On the final night came the light show. This was not something put on by management to appease tourists, but nature at her most decorative. A thunderstorm swarmed over the southern Flinders Ranges, giving the park a good 14 mm of rain, but the highlight was the accompanying lighting show that at times illuminated the park as if it were in daylight. It signaled a significant change in the weather; not good when you’re aiming to get home the next day.

There were only five planes ready to leave Rawnsley on the Tuesday morning. Jenny and Edwina were already back in Moorabbin. They hadn’t trusted that low-voltage light and headed to Port Augusta to have it attended to on the Monday, then kept going home. For those that remained, things were not looking good. The radar was showing storms and rain that Wagner would be proud of all over Melbourne, and the weather at Rawnsley prompted a lot of second guessing. Bob and Linda in Cardinal DZP, and Russ and Julie in Pioneer 4944 opted to leave early. The others elected to wait; wait for better weather that was a long time coming. It was a very sociable few hours spent in the shelter at the airport waiting for something that might not come, with eyes constantly scanning south and east for a break in the dark grey. In the meantime, Bob phoned in and said that they had made it as far as Renmark, but had called it quits and tied-down for the night. It was not looking good.

But the break did come, and all crews scrambled for the planes. With the Cherokee Six bound for Port Augusta to refuel, Sonya bailed out into Bonanza YDD with Nev and Gabby for the IFR trip home. Doug and Carmel in Pipistrel 8657 set out for Renmark, where they also tied-down for the evening given that last-light at Lilydale was now coming into consideration. UST found themselves on the ground in Quorn (has anyone ever landed here before!) making a Plan B, their trip to Port Augusta thwarted by cloud on the 3000-foot range protecting YPAG from east. They weaseled their way through a pass, topped up with fuel, and rode a tailwind all the way to Renmark, which had turned CAVOK. So had much of Victoria. With the tanks now full again, the crew of UST decided to chance their arm. The maths said Lilydale was still possible. With the weather clearing, Bendigo as Plan B and the winds still on their side, they sailed all the way home and rolled onto the runway at LIL just after 8.00 pm. Sweet!

And what of Russ and Julie? They had tracked to Murray Bridge, then managed to work their way home through the clearing weather west of Melbourne. They arrived well before last light.

The crews that stayed in Renmark had a very sociable time of it, then cruised home on the Wednesday in much more accommodating skies.

Thanks to Sonya for these pics.

Steve relaxes in the pool after climbing the ridge.

Base for Rawnsley Park

This walking bizzo is hard work! Sonya and Steve at Pines Cave.

The cloud closes in over Chace Range.

Sheep grazing in the gloom.

Phil, Phil, Russ and Julie about to set out from Pines Cave.

Happy hour! An LFC fly-away tradition.

Five intrepid hikers about to tackle Rawnsley Bluff.

Hitch rests halfway up the ridge and takes in the panorama.

Happy to be here! Julie exits 4944 under the brow of Rawnsley Bluff

Gum trees dot the plains between the resort and the bluff.

Doin’ it easy! Nev and Doug on their way to the top.

The walking paths are most often rock-strewn red earth.

How do they run 2000 sheep on this place?

The view from the top of the ridge looking back to the resort.

A local … not silly enough to be walking in the heat.

The light intensifies on the bliff as the sun goes down.

Cherokee Six UST on the deck at Rawnsley Park.

Where do I put this thing? Hitch looks for a good spot to start at Wentworth.

The fleet at Wentworth.

Cardinal DZP gets ready to taxi whilst Edwina tops off C172RG NAY.

The view from Wilpena lookout.

The magnificent Wilpena Pound in the southern Flinders Ranges.

Call for Airside Ground Operations Staff at Avalon

/in /by

The Australian International Airshow needs you!

Volunteers are needed for ground ops at Avalon in March. If you want to see the show from the best (and probably busiest) seat in the house, get your name to airshow operations now!

/in /by

Lilydale Airport’s night of nights is on again! The 2018 Winter Dinner is on the night of Saturday 7 July, and we’re back in the warmth of the fire at Fergusson Winery. This is a fantastic evening when all the characters you generally meet around the airport come together in one spot and talk about anything and everything. On a cold July night, there is little better than standing in front of the open fire with a good Fergusson wine and laughing until your glass is empty.

The menu will be the traditional three courses with a spit-roast main and drinks at bar prices. After feedback from members we’ve made some adjustments to increase the socialising time: the start is 6.30 pm for 7.30 pm and we have no guest speaker. The focus is on us!

Tickets are $65 per head. We won’t have set tables unless you organise your own and let us know. The maximum on a table is 10. Anything over that will be broken into two tables (as it was last year).

There are two ways of getting yourself on the list.

Payment through Lilydale Flying Club

  1. Go to this link: https://goo.gl/forms/s5AIEwCuRebnlDkW2
  2. Fill in the form and click SUBMIT. A pop-up window with bank account details will appear
  3. Transfer the ticket money to LFC. Make sure your name is in the comments
  4. Send a copy of the transaction confirmation to hitchy@iinet.net.au.

Payment across the desk at the flying school

  1. Ask LFS staff to put your name and number of tickets on the special computer account for the Winter Dinner
  2. Pay over the counter in the usual way.

Please note: if you books with LFC you will need to pay with LFC. If you book over the counter you will have to pay over the counter.

See you all at Fergusson Winery!

Merimbula Fly-away Report 10-12 March 2018

/in /by

Sometimes the place, the people and the weather all combine to make for a fantastic fly-away, and this was certainly the case on the LFC March long weekend trip to Merimbula. The Sapphire Coast turned on its best weather, and regardless of whether the route chosen was direct over the range or coastal via Mallacoota, East Gippsland and the NSW south coast sparkled in bright sunshine.

With 21 starters, traveling in nine aeroplanes, it was one of the best patronised fly-aways LFC has done, and plans for the trip up were many and varied. Daniel and Claire went up the day before, Eddie and Regina did the same but stayed overnight in Mallacoota, Bob and Linda went direct over the range as did Mark, Sonya and Steve; Rose and Ross left from Coldstream, Jenny and Peter from Moorabbin, and Russ and Julie, Carmel and Doug; Gabby, Neville, Jenny and Peter left from Lilydale and went via the coastal route. Somehow, everyone got into Merimbula in the arrival window of 12-12.30 pm on the Saturday.

We got around in two buses hired from Hertz for the weekend, which gave us excellent flexibility, and with 21 people, we needed almost every seat. Lunch on Day One was at the Aquarium Cafe at Merimbula wharf. Our tables we right up against the window, which provided a picture-window view over the bay. Afterward, some chose to go through the aquarium whilst others ventured for a stroll along the boardwalk. Going separate ways was one of the bonuses of having two buses. We all came together in time for Happy Hour at Russ and Julie’s room, sans a few who couldn’t resist the call of the local beach. As usual, Happy Hour was truncated only by the pressing need to get to dinner, which was at the Ritzy Wine and Tapas Bar within walking distance. Of largely Spanish cuisine, the Ritzy is well worth a visit and the crew did well to cope with having LFC on their premises. They even carried on right throughout a power failure! Sadly, there was no ice cream shops open by the time we finished.

After a very welcome night’s sleep, we gathered next morning for breakfast at the Cranky Cafe (appropriate?) just across the green lawn from the beach. Some went healthy, some not so healthy, some had too much bacon. Hey, it’s a fly-away … this happens. The plan for the day would take us north up the coast, with the only timetable being a 3.30 pm appointment for coffee and cake at Frogs Hollow Flyers south of Bega. So the first stop was the wharf at Tathra. This is the only wooden ocean wharf left on the east coast of Australia. What was originally the warehouse there is now a cafe and museum, and the huge planked wharf itself now attracts many fishers and people who just want to stare into the cyan water below. Most of the team did a short walk up to the top of the lookout for photos and just drinking in the view, whilst Dan and Claire opted for drinking tea … eventually. Speed is not on the menu at Tathra.

Our second stop was further up the coast in the Mimosa Rocks National Park, and was a winery that had run out of wine! Did they not know that Lilydale Flying Club was coming? Instead we settled for a walk along the beach at a very secluded spot that really needs local knowledge to find (we did). We then headed back to Tathra for lunch at a bakery, for those who could get a seat. Though who couldn’t opted to seat themselves on the post-rail fence over the road. One week later, bushfires raced over the hill and destroyed 70 houses on the hill behind where we had lunch. It was great to see Tathra before that happened. Stop Three was the traditional visit to the cheese factory at Bega. There was fare here that isn’t available anywhere else in Australia, so some stocked up whilst others breezed through the small museum upstairs. Heritage was considered quite worthy, as was the Smoky BBQ, both of which are made only for export.

We continued south from Bega until we came across a sign announcing that we had arrived at Frogs Hollow airstrip … almost. We still had to negotiate the ford over river. The cattle-track road (literally – on the way out we had to wait for some cows to get off it) dipped sharply down to the ford, and the large 18-seat bus managed to get through without scraping anything, but only after everyone got off. It was worth the effort! Frogs Hollow is a vibrant flying club operating from an undulating 1000-metre grass runway. They have their own club rooms and most of the planes that live there are hangared (probably due to wandering cows). The club welcomed us very warmly and put on a magnificent afternoon tea. Quite a few people flew their own planes in to greet us, so the airport was certainly buzzing. Perhaps the most curious aircraft was the only Victa Aircruiser ever built. This is a four-seat aeroplane, which never went into production because Victa got out of aeroplane manufacture just after the prototype (this very aeroplane) was certified. Hitch and Pitch got to do a quick circuit with the owner, Des. As some of the planes were going back to Merimbula, a few LFC members were able to hitch rides rather than come back on the buses. Thanks, Frogs Hollow, one day we hope we can return the favour.

And so we were divided again, but once again united for Happy Hour, this time in Bob and Linda’s room. Being a Sunday in Merimbula, our only option for dinner was the RSL, which understandably was doing a roaring trade. Another good night’s sleep led to the Cranky Cafe again to fuel ourselves for the flight back to Lilydale. The weather for the trip home was not a glorious as it had been over the weekend, so most opted to stay clear of the ranges and go home coastal. Several took the opportunity to re-visit Marlo Pub near Orbost for lunch on the way back, whereas others headed home to tie down the aircraft and have a nice relaxing end to their March long weekend.

However, the question most asked at the end of the trip has yet to be answered: when’s the next fly-away!

The old warehouse at Tathra.

Discovery Bay between Eden and Mallacoota.

Russ and Julie on the beach at Mimosa Rocks.

Frogs Hollow’s 1000-metre grass runway.

Quite a few planes flew into Frogs Hollow to share afternoon tea with LFC.

Mark and Jenny stroll the beach.

Neville and Peter on the rocks.

Examining the view at Tathra.

Jenny relaxes on the beach.

Our breakfast haunt: the Cranky Cafe.

Lunch Day One at the Aquarium Cafe at Merimbula.

Milling around on arrival at Merimbula.

Hello Sapphire Coast! ZOB arrives from the west having flown direct.

Fog in high country valleys on the direct route.

Part of the team at the Tathra lookout.

A Falco at Frogs Hollow. Neville scored a lift back to Merimbula in this plane.

Earthrounder Ryan Campbell departs Frogs Hollow in Doug the Cub.

Frogs Hollow has a great social set-up miles from anywhere else.

Des in the only Victa Aircruiser ever made.

The Clubhouse on Facebook

/in /by

Lilydale Flying Club is moving its Facebook presence to The Clubhouse. This is a new group for LFC members that allows any member to post and update the page. Eventually, the old group won’t be used anymore. So if you follow LFC on Facebook, get yourself over to The Clubhouse by following the link below.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1983463355261333/