FLYING THE NULLABOR

By Owen Cook


This information was gathered in March of 1996, it may well have changed. Anyone who has done this trip recently and could recommend changes, please do so by e-mailing me
A friend and I flew Canberra to Perth and back in a C150. Anyone contemplating a similar trip may be interested in some notes I have made.

I am not the first nor the last to do this trip. You can glean information from a couple of others that have done it. First one is Lloyd Shepherd's flight across the Nullabor in an Acro11 and also Ken Caithness's flight across the Nullabor in an Jodel.


e-mail to Owen Cook. 

The notes cover:
Penong
Nundaroo
Yalata
Nullabor
Border Village
Eucla
Mundrabilla
Madura Pass
Cocklebiddy
Caiguna
Balladonia
Jerramangup
Norseman
Southern Cross
Miscellania

AOPA  had an " Airfield Directory" (but I cannot locate that now, check your local library), and another set of publications (by State), called "Country Airstrip Guide" published by Windsock Productions Pty Ltd. The first one I picked up, SA, didn't have Minnipa in it, so immediatedly, and probably wrongly disregarded the publication). Would have saved a lot of heartburn if I had found these books earlier.
Phone numbers have changed since I first wrote this, so I will leave it to the reader to find the numbers, try Yellow Pages and using "Roadhouse and Motel as references for the Postcode. I also tried various search engines including The Web Wombat Search Engine  but they did not turn up much for flyers.


Penong (WAC 3354 Tarcoola)

Overflew Penong, the strip abutts the town and it is about half a kilometer to the local service station. Back to the top of the page


Nundaroo (WAC 3354 Tarcoola)

Overflew Nundaroo, there are several strips to the north of the roadhouse and it appeared that you could taxi up to the bowsers. I could not find a telephone number for this place in the Yellow Pages , and Nundaroo doesn't appear in the Postcode listing.

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Yalata (WAC 3353 Nullabor)

Overflew Yalata. A large airstrip, to the West of a large settlement, but quite a long way to the Roadhouse. Could not find this place in the Yellow Pages.
Subsequently advised that this is an Aboriginal Mission.

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Nullabor (WAC 3353 Nullabor)

......... Mogas only, but check with the owners.

Nullabor has a bitumen north-South runway from which you can taxi to the bowsers. There is also a dirt East-West runway.

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Border Village (WAC 3353 Nullabor)

...........Avgas and Mogas available.

This strip is not shown on my 1992 (tenth edition) map. It is on the border, marked as BP Travellers' Village, the locals call it Border Village, and if you search the Telstra Yellow Pages, it is at Eyre. Take your pick!
There is at least one gravel/stoney runway that leads to the Avgas refuelling point. Mogas can be obtained from the Service station, this is about a 70 metre walk.
Although selling Avgas, they do not carry W100 oil, "it only lasts a year".

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Eucla (WAC 3353 Nullabor)

Overflew this strip which is 2-3 Km from the Motel. It is a fairly large strip by Nullabor standards. Check with the owner if you need to get Mogas.

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Mundrabilla Motel (WAC 3353 Nullabor)

............No Avgas, Mogas only.
There is a Mundabilla Station, further west, this is the Motel
Two public phones, one takes phonecard.

The airstrip is about 1K South of the Eyre Highway. It is not marked on my 1992 (tenth edition) map. There is a main East-West runway, and a North-South runway or track that leads up to the Motel come Roadhouse. Before crossing the highway, there is a cattle or camel grid that the Cessna front wheel took without any problems.
The owner said he "had applied for a windsock, and hoped to have it advertised soon"
You can taxi up preety close to the pumps.

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Madura Pass (WAC 3353 Nullabor)

Large strips, but unfortunately, a few kilometres north of the Roadhouse. If you ring here, they will suggest you go to Cocklebiddy to refuel.

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Cocklebiddy (WAC 3353 Nullabor)

.............Mogas only.

The airfield is not marked on the tenth edition of the map. Two fairly rough clay strips but one leads up to the petrol bowsers.

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Caiguna (WAC 3461 Esperance)

..............Avgas and Mogas
Four public phones, one at least takes Phonecard.

Quite a large strip, and very long track to the Avgas pump. If you want Mogas, then it is only a 40 metre walk.

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Balladonia (WAC 3461 Esperance)

The airfield is not marked on the tenth edition of the map. It is at "Ballodonia Hotel", (there is a Balladonia Station to the East) A fairly large East-West strip. Coming in from the western side, the strip is down hill. If you are not aware of this, it makes for a difficult landing.
There is a taxi-way to the Roadhouse, but did not go up to it.

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Jerramangup (WAC 3462 Albany)

The strip shown on the twelth edition of this map is a small dirt strip. On lading here we were greeted within a couple of minutes and told we had landed at the wrong strip. There is a new, and what appeared from the air, a faily large new strip to the North of the town. This new strip is about 2 Km from the local service station.

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Norseman (WAC 3353 Nullabor)

This is listed in the ERSA. I mention it as it is a 3 Km walk, if you can't hitch a ride, to the Service station.

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Southern Cross (WAC 3353 Nullabor)

This is also listed in the ERSA. If you ring the Shell, you will be told that fuel is supplied in 200 litre drums. Best to go to the next strip down the road at Meridian, also listed in ERSA.

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Miscellania

These are on separate pages.

Another pilots story Lloyd Shepherd flew the Nullabor in an Acro11
Another one Ken Caithness flies across the Nullabor in an Jodel
Some lessons learnt or what may be called "reinventing the wheel".
Notes on the GPS Some comments on the Gammin GPS.(Technology has changed a lot since)
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Comments to Owen Cook

Date last modified 21 March 2004