Goulburn Airport for sale

[turboplanner]

We had about 8 RA owners using Goulburn while it was owned by the local Council.

 

I've seen a lot of country airstrips in Victoria and South Australia with single aircraft sheds, sometimes with concrete floors, sometimes dirt. (It needs a concrete floor to avoid surface rust). 

The airstrips are usually in a farm paddock, often in its natural state, just mown.

In Queensland I've been at one near Mackay which was a graded strip in a cane farm with the farm sheds providing the storage.

Numbers of Hangars varies from about 4 to about 20.

 

For an approximate market for Canberra RA, I'd suggest a target of 10 to 20.

 

So far the discusion has centred around ACT and the shortage of suitable land.

If you take a look at the green swathe from Canberra to Goulburn on Google earth, there's a lot of farmland on the northern side of the direct line from centre of Canberra to centre of Goulburn.

 

Within that area there may be farmers who are not making money with their current operations.

Within those there maybe suitable paddocks for strips.

Within those there may be a potential strip with access to a road without disturbing the farmer and away from the house.

 

From there it would be a matter of whether, say the building of 10 low cost hangars and 10 lessees could afford to generate enought income for the farmer to seriously consider it.

 

If that looked good then before anything was done, the Planning phase needs to take place with a DA plus getting support from surrounding property owners, bearing in mind that Planning can be as complicated out in the country as it is in the city with plenty of farm house DAs rejected because the house is on a ridge line and would be interfering with sightlines from the next valley.

 

I would start a different thread for it rather than tying it to Goulburn Airport, which under new ownership could possibly offer cheap deals and better facilities to win back former clients.

 

And the people involved in that project would need to be people from the area who had RA aircraft or wanted to hire and train on RA aircraft.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[facthunter]

Canberra Goulburn Crookwell area is not much for weather..   Nev

[Markdun]

Don & I tried Collector (50km from Canberra). There used to be gliding strip (winch) & then parachuting to the west of the town, but we looked at the 1/4 horse race track just to the east of the hwy. Its crown land for the town’s recreation, managed by a trust. The horse track is s beautiful airstrip (a bit short) but fantastic approaches. Its used perhaps 1 or two weekends per year.  All looked good….trust ppl keen to get more users as the NSW govt was threatening to sell the land if they didn’t do more with it etc.  We both flew in one weekend, had a great day.  Word back from the trust ppl…no go. Ppl in Collector opposed. End.

 

 I’m not so sure you are correct on Currendooly Ian. Yes to the solar panels, but it’s possible to to do both in that paddock.  But there is another problem with Currendooly.  The other alternative is the sand mining areas to the south west of Currendooly. I’m not aware of anyone speaking to the sand miners, but the guys with their Madmax dune buggy racers seem to do ok there.

 

 There’s also Polo flat & Cooma sth.

[Freizeitpilot]

4 hours ago, facthunter said:

Canberra Goulburn Crookwell area is not much for weather..   Nev

I hear Crookwell airfield is closed ??
A dispute between the leaseholder and the local council ? I don’t have details, just hearsay at this time.

[Markdun]

Check ADSB data. I’m pretty sure seversl weeks ago enroute from Cowra to Goulburn an aircraft I was checking on landed, or at least did a circuit at one of the two airfield at Crookwell.

[Thruster88]

1 hour ago, Markdun said:

Don & I tried Collector (50km from Canberra). There used to be gliding strip (winch) & then parachuting to the west of the town, 

Hi Mark, back in 81, 82 I did 28 jumps at Collector, while a student at Canberra  CAE(belconnen). I really just wanted to fly, the jumping out not so much.

[Markdun]

Ahhh! I can beat that. I flew a Kookaburra sailplane on winch launch (fencing wire… break every second launch) in late 1970s there with ANU gliding club & one of my lecturers was the instructor. They also had a ‘high performance’ ‘Blanik’. Previously the club was at Currendooly and after that Werriwa (a couple of nm sth of Currendooly).  I don’t understand parachuting. I’ve got one stored in a cupboard somewhere….I took that with me in my Carbon Dragon sailplane as a back up to backup.

[robinsm]

Sorry Turbs, a lot more than  8 RA owners at Goulburn when owned by council, also an RA and GA school (busy most of the time), many RA aircraft in hangers, and a good feel to the airfield.   Place went to crap after the council sold it.  The owner tried to victimise and blackmail hanger owners, placed restrictions on runway usage etc etc.

 

[KRviator]

SO has it sold yet? Where's the sale process at? And what did he get for it?!?

[turboplanner]

1 hour ago, robinsm said:

Sorry Turbs, a lot more than  8 RA owners at Goulburn when owned by council, also an RA and GA school (busy most of the time), many RA aircraft in hangers, and a good feel to the airfield.   Place went to crap after the council sold it.  The owner tried to victimise and blackmail hanger owners, placed restrictions on runway usage etc etc.

 

We.....RecreationalFlying.....had about 8 members.

Hopefully the ones who used to fly there will make the effort and follow the sale process and get involved up front in ensuring it stays.

[Ian]

Does anyone know the current status and any mechanisms for ensuring that it stays within the usage required by the original deed?

Did the current owner buy the property on the basis that the rights associated with the covenant would be extinguished at some point.

Is there a risk to those who currently hangar their planes at Goulburn that they might be evicted at some point.

[turboplanner]

7 hours ago, Ian said:

Does anyone know the current status and any mechanisms for ensuring that it stays within the usage required by the original deed?

Did the current owner buy the property on the basis that the rights associated with the covenant would be extinguished at some point.

That was covered in very good detail in earlier posts.

7 hours ago, Ian said:

Is there a risk to those who currently hangar their planes at Goulburn that they might be evicted at some point.

That's between the Landlord and the lesees (based on their conditions)

It's not likely there'll be any public news until a buyer comes along with the right price and that could be months, and it all depends on what the buyer/new landlord wants to do, if the seller sells the leases as well. All of that could happen quickly or slowly so no point in getting concerned now.

[Ian]

16 hours ago, turboplanner said:

It's not likely there'll be any public news until a buyer comes along with the right price and that could be months, and it all depends on what the buyer/new landlord wants to do, if the seller sells the leases as well.

I might be a bit naive, however I'm not sure on how the seller would separate the leases from the sale of the property unless you go through a number of awkward processes especially give n the various rights of way required.

[turboplanner]

52 minutes ago, Ian said:

I might be a bit naive, however I'm not sure on how the seller would separate the leases from the sale of the property unless you go through a number of awkward processes especially give n the various rights of way required.

I'd leave that to the owner and lessees to sort out if and when the property is sold.

[spacesailor]

Didn't the Chinese get a ( seemingly ) cheap airport in Western Australia,  for their flying school .

On that principle,  Goulburn airport could be a snippet.

spacesailor

[jackc]

The more I read of this thread and similar.  It’s never an open and shut case favouring Aviation.  Airports are seen as a potential money makers for alternative uses, not tied to Aviation. And Local Govt entities are usually up to their ears in less then ethical dealings.