Australian National Site Guide - South Australia
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South Australia - 6 sites
| Name | Location | Type | Conditions | Rating | Height |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barn Hill (The Bluff) | ~180 km north of Adelaide, ~20km NNW of Snowtown. ~ 10km SW of Redhill ~ 5km E of Mundoora. | Inland Hill | Main ridge SW-SE, small W face. Best ridge lift in due S. Best wind direction for XC ~ SSW. | PG2/ HG Supervised | 1100' / 335m asl, 550ft / 168m agl |
| Cape Jervis | 85 km from Adelaide, south on the Fleurieu Peninsula. | WSW-WNW | Supervised HG, PG2 | 200'/60m asl | |
| Eucla | Eucla (pop. 86) is the easternmost locality in Western Australia, on the Eyre Highway a few km west of the South Australian border. | ||||
| Ochre Point - Maslins | 40km south of Adelaide off Karko Dve just North of Maslins beach. | NW-SW | Supervised HG, PG2 | 170'/50m asl | |
| Sellicks Beach | 1 km south of Sellicks Beach shop. 45km south of Adelaide. | Coastal ridge / cliff | NW- WSW (best WNW) | HG Intermediate, PG2 | 200' / 60m |
| Tunkalilla | Remote beach location east of Deep Creek. 80km south of Adelaide. | Coastal ridge ~ 10 km | SE - SSW | PG2 / HG Supervised, top landing HG Intermediate | 280'/85m asl, 250' agl |
| Inland Hill | Main ridge SW-SE, small W face. Best ridge lift in due S. Best wind direction for XC ~ SSW. |
| 1100' / 335m asl, 550ft / 168m agl | PG2/ HG Supervised |
Landowners
Private LandContact/Responsible
SAHPGABarn Hill (The Bluff)
Takeoff is private property, before your first fly here you must contact SAHPGA for protocols.
Rounded ridge top hill. Negligible rotors. Excellent ridge soaring and thermalling. Consistent evening happy hour. Clear over the back - good XC site. Consistently flyable in spring/summer.
Takeoff
Landing
Large paddocks for bottom landing approx 1.5 km long to S, SW & W of hill, but do not land in crops. Beware: most paddocks close to the hill slope away from it.Hazards/Comments
Power line to relay tower through western gully. Rocks in restricted top landing on western end. Bottom landing paddocks slope gently away from hill causing landing glides in ground effect. Katabatic flow at the end of happy hour. Don't land, pack-up or drive in crop paddocks. Speed limit near homestead 15kph. First arrival obtains permission. Whoever opens the gate shuts it!| WSW-WNW | |
| 200'/60m asl | Supervised HG, PG2 |
Landowners
Crown landContact/Responsible
SAHPGACape Jervis
A rounded cliff edge launch with grassed area.Landing
Good top landing area behind rounded ridge, behind the fence. Good bottom landing on the beach, with road access.Flight
The coastal cliffs are soarable in light conditions. In the right conditions, pilots can fly to Normanville. There is no direct access road to coast between Cape Jervis and Rapid Head. This can mean a long walk out, so make sure the conditions are consistent before attempting.
Landowners - ?
Contact/Responsible - ?
Eucla
This is some of Australia's most remote flying. This location holds several world records. Fly the dunes, fly the easy slopes or if you dare, the Great Australian Bight cliffs (formed in part by the eastern end of the 290km Madura ridge). It is very remote, do not crash, help is a long way away and takes a long time.| NW-SW | |
| 170'/50m asl | Supervised HG, PG2 |
Landowners
Private landContact/Responsible
SAHPGAOchre Point - Maslins
Ochre Point takeoff is private property, before your first fly here you must contact SAHPGA for protocols.
Ochre Point is a coastal ridge with a small bowl, it has both top and beach landing to the south. Rocks extend below the cliffs to the north as far as Moana Beach. No take off or landing on Maslins beach reserve ( grassed area north of shop), just south of Ochre Point launch. Maslins dunes take off is at the southern end of Maslins. If the SE wind kicks in the wind can switch offshore.
| Coastal ridge / cliff | NW- WSW (best WNW) |
| 200' / 60m | HG Intermediate, PG2 |
Landowners
Onkaparinga CouncilContact/Responsible
SAHPGASellicks Beach
Coastal ridge/cliff.Takeoff
Landing
Incoming tide can make beach landing tight. No top landings for HG: very tight, even on floaters. PG top landing with caution - tight.Flight
Occasional convergence lift near this site. Also beware approaching wind changes from SW-SE.
Good site for PG.
Hazards/Comments
Power line and tree behind launch. Beware of beach users when landing. Beach becomes narrow/sloping near high tide. Beware rotor while approaching edge to launch. In summer (Dec - Mar), vehicle permits are required to drive on beach ($6) - see here. In strong conditions top landing may become impossible due to lift.
| Coastal ridge ~ 10 km | SE - SSW |
| 280'/85m asl, 250' agl | PG2 / HG Supervised, top landing HG Intermediate |
Landowners
Site is leased by SAHPGA, but is shared with other landowners. Other Landowners do not want pilots to traverse their land be respectful of their desires. Please leave no litter and be respectful of other landowners.Contact/Responsible
SAHPGATunkalilla
Rounded treeless hill. Good take off area. Very good bottom landing paddock often works on late afternoon sea breeze. Site also produces mild thermals. Weather stationTakeoff
Landing
Top landing can be tricky. Bottom landing very good.
Due to landowner concerns, only land on SAHPGA Inc leased land, if in case of an unavoidable out landing on other landowners properties exit as soon as possible before packing up and return via the beach.
Flight
Generally a good summer site, but may work occasionally in winter. Site record is a flight to Port Noarlunga (HG). PG: SE corner can be flown as well as SE facing cliff 1km right of launch. Great site.Hazards/Comments
Power lines to the house west of the bottom landing paddock. Top landing warning: There have been many top landing accidents at this site. If you haven't top landed before, seek a briefing from an experienced pilot. The top landing may look easy, but complications are caused by the fence and slope, small changes in wind direction will also cause a big change in wind flow over the hill. Access to the bottom landing is to be kept to a minimum to prevent wear on the access road. Keys for gate are available from safety officers on site or SAHPGA representatives.
HG: Beware: Flights (east) beyond Tunkalilla head have minimal bottom landings and a long retrieve. Flights (west) at Deep Creek have no bottom landing.
Supervised Rated pilots: You MUST fly red ribbons. Only ONE supervised rated pilot at a time may fly the launch ridge during mixed operations. If you leave the launch ridge, look for another red ribbon upon your return and don't join the flight pattern until you're sure it's clear.
Supervised pilots on the launch ridge, if conditions lighten and other pilots are converging back to launch, ANTICIPATE that airspace will get very crowded, very quickly. Land BEFORE this happens.