OCTOBER FLY AWAY TO PORT AUGUSTA
Our second fly-away for the year will be to Port Augusta. In a change from previous years, the event will not be over the long weekend of October 4 – 6 but will, instead be from Saturday October 18 to Monday October 20. Unfortunately, this weekend coincides with a flying event being held at Robe but I hope that will not discourage you from coming to Port Augusta since we visited Robe in March.
I am in the early stages of planning and organising the weekend but the general plan is:
SATURDAY 18 OCTOBER
Depart Aldinga to Clare Valley Airfield for lunch with Clare Valley Flying Group. The Clare Valley airfield is relatively new, as is the CVFG and the flying group is keen to get to know other flying groups in the region. They will provide a barbecue lunch for us at a very modest cost.
Full details of the airfield will be circulated with the final itinerary closer to the trip.
After lunch, we will continue to Port Augusta. There will be a bus for transport to the motel and other activities.
Dinner will be in the motel restaurant.
Accommodation will be at the Standpipe Golf Motel (http://www.standpipe.com.au). All rooms have queen beds; some have an additional single bed. Rates are:
Deluxe $135 per night
Standard $125
Budget $110
Breakfast is available in the restaurant. A continental breakfast is $7; full cooked breakfast is also available.
There is a swimming pool.
PLEASE CALL THE MOTEL DIRECTLY ON 8642 4033 TO BOOK YOUR ROOM. TELL THEM YOU ARE WITH ALDINGA AERO CLUB.
SUNDAY 19 OCTOBER
We will leave the motel to arrive at Quorn by 10:00 for a 2.5 hour trip on the Pichi Richi Railway (Barwell Bull railcar). The fare is $47 for adults; $44 for seniors.
After lunch in Quorn, we will return to Port Augusta and visit the Wadlata Outback Centre and the Tunnel of Time. Admission to the Tunnel of Time is $13.60 per person for groups of 10 or more.
Dinner will be at the RSL Club.
MONDAY 20 OCTOBER
We will spend the morning with local sightseeing and a visit to the Arid Lands Botanic Garden with lunch in the café at the Garden. We will return to Aldinga in the afternoon.
COSTS
Apart from the motel we will also have to pay for all of our meals, some admission charges, and hire of buses. I haven’t been able to find a 22 seat bus in Port Augusta so we will probably need to hire two 12 seaters, in which case we’ll need a volunteer to drive the second bus. A normal driver’s licence is all that is required. Assuming two small buses, the cost for the weekend should be around $30 – $35 per person.
PILOT BRIEFING
A detailed itinerary, including notes for pilots, will be sent out a week or two before we depart. Also, we will have a briefing on 5 October after the monthly flying competition for any pilots who are unfamiliar with the routes and airspace between Adelaide and Port Augusta.
Although it is a fly-away weekend, everyone is welcome so, if you would like to come and can’t get a seat in a Cessna, please come by Ford, Holden or any other terrestrial transport.
As we need to make reservations for meals, the Pichi Richi Railway and Wadlata Centre, please let me know (captain@aldingaaeroclub.org.au) as soon as possible if you are planning to come along.
Owen