Australian National Site Guide - West Coast

Victoria - West Coast

Barwon Heads (13th Beach)

This is a sensitive site.

Do not walk through the dunes and do not kite up the dunes. As always, give marked Hooded Plover nest sites plenty of room.

Consider flying Ocean Grove or elsewhere instead to reduce traffic at this site.

Beach nesting birds: Hooded Plovers nest in this area. Visit this page to learn more.

Takeoff

Landing

Anywhere on the beach. Hang gliders can top land on launch only. If possible, pack up hang gliders on the beach to reduce impact on launch vegetation.

Hazards/Comments

Like all small dune sites this requires excellent ground handling skills for paragliders and good close flying skills for HG and PG.

Victoria - West Coast

Bells Beach

One of the most popular West Coast sites for paragliders. Beautiful, varied coastline with a sizable flyable stretch in the right conditions. Flights to Jan Juc to the NE, and Anglesea and beyond to the SW are possible in the right conditions. See also the Winkipop launch entry for information on the coast run.

Weather station: Graph and near-instantaneous readings.

Beach nesting birds: Hooded Plovers nest in this area. Visit this page to learn more.

Takeoff

Landing

Top land on Southside or land on the beach below. Beware, in a high tide/high surf, this beach can get too small to safely land. Always consider your landing options.

Map information

Victoria - West Coast

Bells Beach - Winkipop

The place to go in a firm Easterly for advanced HG, this is the starting point of the Coast Run. Beautiful, varied coastline with a sizable flyable stretch in the right conditions.

Takeoff

Landing

In an emergency you can topland on Winkipop launch (in front of the road and fence). Otherwise, land on the beaches. Southside (past Bells to the right from Winki) is the closest, but can disappear in a high enough tide. Jan Juc at the surf life saving club to the east, and Pt Addis to the west offer somewhat larger beaches. Generally you would aim to get to at least Anglesea, often with sizeable unlandable sections on the way.

Flight

The first flights to Apollo Bay were achieved in early 1990. These are now a regular occurence in most firm Easterlies. Not yet achieved in paragliders although each season the local distance record is being broken. The flight is very difficult in various places and your first try should be with another flyer already experienced with the run.

Hazards/Comments

There are minimal landing areas available along the entire coast run, and even less at high tide, so treat this run with extreme caution. Be aware that these popular beaches will always have people on them regardless of the weather conditions. It is recommended that all pilots fly with instruments and UHF radio on channel 16. Be warned, highly experienced inland XC pilots have come to grief on this run.

Weather station: Graph and near-instantaneous readings.

Victoria - West Coast

Flaxmans Hill

Scenic Coastal cliffs.

Takeoff

Landing

Top land next to the track just behind launch or in the paddocks further back. In an emergency, anywhere on top but watch out for rotor.

Flight

Don't want to drive all the way to Eucla? Fly here for views of the fabulous West Victorian coastline. The beat is approx 8km long.

Hazards/Comments

There are no beach landings to the east once past the first bay. Do not fly the sheer cliffs if the wind is light or likely to drop off. When this site is on, there is usually rain associated with the wind direction so beware!

Victoria - West Coast

Grannies Grave

Scrubby coastal dunes

Takeoff

Landing

Anywhere on the beach.

Flight

From here it is possible to fly the dunes back toward town.

Hazards/Comments

Whales and associated tourist aircraft during the winter months July through September.

Victoria - West Coast

Johanna

Dunes and coastal cliffs ranging from 60' to 700' asl. The reserve has shower and toilet facilities, but no power is available.

Takeoff

Landing

On the beach.

Flight

The flying varies from 80-100ft sand dunes to a 700ft coastal hill. There are some sheer cliffs approximately 350ft high in between. The dune section would only be rated as student, but the other areas would require an intermediate minimum rating. The complete flyable section would be approximately 2km long although in the right conditions the site can be, and has been flown to Moonlight Head in the west through to Cape Otway in the east.

Hazards/Comments

The main danger is that no landing is available at the base of the sheer cliff section, as the water is right up to the cliff at both high and low tides. It is a relatively remote area. The nearest shops are at Lavers Hill. The nearest hospital and doctor are at Colac and Apollo Bay, 65km to the north and east respectively.

Victoria - West Coast

Levy's Point Beach

Coastal dunes. Access is via the gravel road past the knackery. There is a sand track that gets close to the beach and multiple dunes to launch a HG from.

Victoria - West Coast

Logans Beach

Scrubby coastal dunes. The preferred wind is a SSW, but up to a SW is fine too. Further to the east a WSW is doable, but it gets fairly difficult closer to the platform. Often it skews too westerly and makes flying impossible.

Takeoff

Landing

Anywhere on the beach.

Flight

From here is should be possible to fly the cliffs east of Logans Beach.

Hazards/Comments

Whales and associated tourist aircraft during the winter months July through September.

Victoria - West Coast

Marriners Lookout

Large grassy coastal hill range. Good views, good thermals and the option of cross country flights along the coast to the east.

Takeoff

Landing

Landing on the beach or in the paddocks below should cause no problems but beware of powerlines, fences and gullies. There are also power lines in amongst the pine trees just before the beach.

It is possible to land on top in the right conditions, on launch or right at the top of the hill, some 150' above launch.

Flight

A SE wind generally grades in strength as you go west along the coast from Port Phillip Bay, and Apollo Bay is the end of the line. The Cape Otway BOM readings can be quite different to the conditions at Marriners. On the plus side, you don't need much wind to stay up, and the site can produce beautiful thermals on the face and from the flatlands and township out front.

Hazards/Comments

Beware of powerlines, fences and gullies, and of snakes on the pathway.

Victoria - West Coast

Mt Meuron

Until the stretch between Teddy's Lookout and the town of Kennett River was flown, Mt Meuron was regarded as Victoria's number one coastal site - if it was on! From takeoff at 450' the site rises to 600' asl over its 1km length.

Takeoff

Landing

There are no particular dangers to the intermediate pilot except the landing. In an emergency, with the tide out, it is possible to land on what beach there is at the base, however most people land on the beach at the town of Kennet River.

This requires that you fly as far east to the point as you can, then downwind to a spot landing on the beach. There is no particular difficulty. Just keep your eyes open for power lines, and people on the beach. If the wind is a little southerly, expect a little turbulence off the point. If the wind is 12 kts or stronger, it is best to land at the far end of the beach at Kennett River, to avoid the turbulence in the lee of the point.

Flight

The site generates excellent lift in most winds over 10kts. Weather: The wind invariably grades in strength from Port Phillip Heads to Apollo Bay, it usually being 5-10kts lighter at Mt Meuron than at, say, Spion. So if the forecast is 15-20kts on Port Phillip it will probably be good at Meuron.

Map information

Victoria - West Coast

Ocean Grove

Coastal sand dunes from Collendina to Point Lonsdale. Height of dunes: 15 metres max. At some gaps, the front dune height drops to 2 metres.

Beach nesting birds: Hooded Plovers nest in this area. Visit this page to learn more.

Takeoff

Landing

No top landings please (HG or PG) as launch is situated along a well-used public path.

It is a very quick walk up from the beach. Do not walk up the face of any dunes. There are steps back up to launch both east and west of launch.

The beach can be very narrow, or can disappear, when the tide is in.

Please be mindful of the people on the beach when landing.

Flight

Note that the following minimum clearances are required during flight:

1. From persons –
   1. a minimum of 3 metres (unless the person is a pilot); and
   2. a flight direction, distance and height which avoids the risk of collision with persons.
2. From dwellings –
   1. (i) unless an occupier provides permission, a minimum of 10 metres horizontally and 100 feet vertically, noting pilots should minimise flights over dwellings); and
   2. a flight direction, distance, and height which avoids the risk of collision with persons and property;
3. From the road – a flight direction, distance, and height which avoids the risk of collision with vehicles and persons.

Please respect the privacy of the residents during flight.

The Point Lonsdale Run is approximately 10km one way and you will rarely get over 100 feet. There is one very long gap, about 1km east of Collendina, and three or four smaller gaps on the way. There is an excellent view of "The Rip" at the Point Lonsdale end.

Pilots flying this trip should be HG intermediate/PG4 minimum, able to self launch, and should fly in pairs since there are not many people on the beaches between launch and Point Lonsdale.

Hazards/Comments

There is turbulence when the wind is off to the right, especially if the wind is around 20 knots.

Victoria - West Coast

Portland

A range of coastal dunes and cliffs which suit a variety of wind conditions and skill levels.

Takeoff

Victoria - West Coast

Spion Kop (Fairhaven, Aireys, Moggs)

Spion Kop is Victoria's most popular coastal site and very beginner-friendly. Given the right conditions it is possible to cross a large gap and fly to the larger hills to the west - more difficult for paragliders but nearly always possible for high-performance HGs. You can also fly the low 20' primary dunes at the base towards the Aireys Inlet lighthouse.

As of Dec 2019, there are new rules that apply for flying anywhere along the Spion Kop, Eastern View, Fairhaven and Moggs Creek area. A notice board issued by GORCC will be displayed at the Spion Kop launch. This will give information on the location of the Hooded Plovers and general advice and requests. This will be updated daily or as necessary by GORCC and must be strictly adhered to.

1. If you intend to fly you must first check the new notice board at Spion Kop.
2. If you intend to beach launch from Mad Max, you must first check the notice board at Spion Kop.
3. Under no circumstances are you to enter the dunes or launch backing up the dunes. Hefty fines apply.
4. If it's too light to beach launch then launch from Spion Kop.
5. Gain at least 100ft and cross over plover areas and fly away. There is 6 kilometres of coast to play on so there is no excuse to fly anywhere near them.
6. Familiarize yourself with our Hooded Plover rules.

Beach nesting birds: Hooded Plovers nest in this area. Visit this page to learn more.

Takeoff

Landing

A maximum of four gliders are allowed on the beach at Mogg's Creek at any one time. Use a different section of beach if you must land anyway. The car park can be used as a de-rigging area if there is enough room and it does not inconvenience the public. Landings on top are banned.

Flight

Typically, the wind is off a bit to the right. If it's straight in or off to the E a bit, hang gliders can fly around Big Hill and on to Lorne in the west.

Hazards/Comments

The beach is generally large, but can be very small at high tide when the surf is big. In summer, it can be full of people near the accesses - the beach is many km long, pick an empty stretch to land on if you have to. If there isn't enough beach available to safely land, don't launch.

Beware of the power lines above the bridge on your landing approach into Moggs Creek. These lines also pass directly behind takeoff and along the highway east and west. Remember this if landing away from Moggs Creek. When flying to Lorne, be aware there are no safe landing areas between Eastern View and the Lorne township.

Weather links and webcam

Map information

Victoria - West Coast

Teddys Lookout

This small tree slot launch requires advanced launch skills but offers some spectacular flying in the right conditions. Not recommended for HG due to a very tight launch and limited, potentially crowded, landing options.

You're invited to bring a folding saw and clear any sweet pittosporum, boneseed or other invasive weed you can confidently identify. Please also clean up any rubbish and broken glass. There is a rubbish bin at the back of launch.

Takeoff

Landing

The best bombout option is probably the grassy shelf on the ocean side of the Great Ocean Road on the left below launch. Familiarise yourself with the bombout before flying the site for the first time. If you get high enough over launch to clear the rotor on the left of the headland you can land on Lorne beach if not crowded or continue to Aireys Inlet. These beaches can get very crowded in the summer months. It is your responsibility to keep a safe distance from people when landing. If you head down the coast to the right there are several small landable beaches along the coastline.

Flight

Flights to Aireys Inlet to the NE and to Apollo Bay to the SW are possible from here. If heading towards Apollo Bay be aware that conditions can change in strength and direction on the way.

Map information