The Oaks (NSW) - Serpentine (WA)

[Moneybox]

33 minutes ago, skippydiesel said:

What an offer! Now all I have to do is shake my dose of CV19 & find a suitable weather window.😈

If you have the time and you're interested you might manage to find a little gold nugget or two to take home.

[facthunter]

Need a land vehicle for that to pay the trip off... Nev

[Moneybox]

6 hours ago, facthunter said:

Need a land vehicle for that to pay the trip off... Nev

Pretty hard to do that in Cue in a short period of time. All the big gold was taken many years ago but we can still find tiny pieces with the metal detector. Most people are just happy to go home with a bit of colour because it's not easy to find anywhere.

 

 

These are from our trip away in May, enough to pay for the trip but it's found on our lease a long way from here. We have plenty of gold in Cue but it's deep, beyond my reach.

[onetrack]

I've seen a conveyor belt on a gold mine jammed and stopped in its tracks, and when the jamming was investigated, it was found a 42 ounce nugget had jammed the belt!

 

I've also seen a prospector roll up to the Kalgoorlie Battery with a wheelbarrow load of specimen quartz, that had chunks of visible gold in every piece of rock one picked up.

The load of stone was too rich to put through the Battery stamps, so the Battery crushed it in the Berdan (bur-dan) Pan in the Battery. The wheelbarrow load yielded around 250 ounces of gold!

[chrsq]

On 16/08/2025 at 10:33 AM, skippydiesel said:

Would the strip be in the corner of Lorraine Road?

😈

Lorraine Rd only goes as far as the farmhouse. Further north has been closed for 20+ years, as well as Onslow Rd going east. Google maps is terrible for showing roads that have been closed as well as showing farmers private laneways as roads.

[onetrack]

You can fix Google Maps by right clicking on a road and select "report a data problem". You then get a number of choices set by Google to alter the map information. You can advise them a section of road is closed.

[skippydiesel]

14 hours ago, chrsq said:

Lorraine Rd only goes as far as the farmhouse. Further north has been closed for 20+ years, as well as Onslow Rd going east. Google maps is terrible for showing roads that have been closed as well as showing farmers private laneways as roads.

Very interesting. I suspect , many of the phantom roads you are referring to, are actually surveyed and likly appear on Council maps/plans.

 

The big question is; when Google shows what looks to be a nice runway is it true/false??

 

😈

[facthunter]

Always get a second opinion. With flying.... If there's any doubt check it out.  Nev

[turboplanner]

24 minutes ago, skippydiesel said:

Very interesting. I suspect , many of the phantom roads you are referring to, are actually surveyed and likly appear on Council maps/plans.

 

The big question is; when Google shows what looks to be a nice runway is it true/false??

 

😈

That's what those Ersary things are for.

[skippydiesel]

23 hours ago, turboplanner said:

That's what those Ersary things are for.

Since when did ERSA show farm strips??????

😈

[Garfly]

But the 'Satellite Map' button on OzRwys is handy for that:

 

CLICK FOR FULL REZ.

 

[Garfly]

In this video Steve (of Diamond Air Taxis, Bankstown) shows how he made the big trip in his DA40NG.

He manages Sydney > Esperance in one (sunlit) day and then on to Jandakot the next morning.

 

He is ferrying his DA40 to a new buyer in the west after upgrading to a DA62 - as well as to a Citation Mustang - for his charter/taxi business.

 

He's put out several great videos of flights he's done in his various aeroplanes.

 

See here:      https://www.youtube.com/@diamondairtaxis

 

 

 

 

Edited 12 hours ago by Garfly

[facthunter]

The distance is 3284 Kms, to start with at 280 Km/Hr. Be about 9 Hrs in nil  headwind . MAX range at econ cruise (slower) is 1739 Kms.  NO Reserve.  MAYBE we CAN'T TRUST what is on U tube?  Nev

Edited 11 hours ago by facthunter

[Garfly]

 

 

What are you talking about?  No reserve!!?? Did you watch the video? 

 

Do you have any idea of who this guy is?   

 

He goes into great detail about his planning and his real time assessments down to the last litre of fuel burn.

 

He explains it all for those who are willing to listen.

 

Trust is earned on YouTube as it is on any other public forum.

 

No one doubts that heaps of nonsense is uttered online.  We're supposed to be wise enough to discriminate. 

 

 

 

 

Edited 11 hours ago by Garfly

[onetrack]

He's not exactly an RA-Aus candidate though, is he? - with an IFR DA40NG? Kind of like saying you're going on an economy-style drive in the latest Bentley.

[Garfly]

Nobody said he was an RAAus guy.  I don't see your point.  We even discuss airline accidents on here.

To me his video would be of interest to anyone thinking of doing the trip in a lightie.  But that's just me.

 

Edited 11 hours ago by Garfly

[facthunter]

 I thought it might actually do it at first being diesel. It's too long in the air as well without a stop. You can't get up and move around either. Not necessary Unless you have no other option like ferrying over water. Nev

[Garfly]

Who said anything about no stops? He stopped in Mildura and in Ceduna (and Esperance, of course).

Crikey!  Nobody has to watch the video but it is not reasonable at all to critique it (or the aviating it depicts) without watching it.

Edited 11 hours ago by Garfly

[facthunter]

80 minutes to watch it. It shows what a NICE Plane it is.(autopilot and all. Depart before  daylight. IFR flight Plan  Great weather. Makes it all look SO easy.) The Headline is a bit "excessive/misleading" don't you think?  Surely comments are permitted and I Cant stop Comments on MY comments  and actually welcome them IF it relates to Aviation particularly. PS. I've NEVER been to Jandakot. Nev

[Garfly]

Really? 

[Garfly]

Sad indeed.

[facthunter]

Yeah. You Expect everyone to watch something that runs for over an Hour. Let me assure you that very few would. It would have to be something VERY SPECIAL would it not?. And  Let's put it this way It takes little effort to  just post something. Much more to respond to it with words and thought  as I have done previously on this topic.. Why take it so Personally? My comments concern the Vid and NOT you personally. and I would suggest in context they are a contribution..  Everyone is enttitled to say what they want to as long as it's not offensive.  We SHARE ideas.  Nev

[skippydiesel]

Well I found it interesting.

 

It nice to see such a capable aircraft & pilot (did wonder about no floaties?).

 

Other than levitating via the same physics, flying my Sonex, on a similar (not overwater) rout will have little comparison with this DA40NG.

 

I will only be flying for 4-5 hrs/day and will have a walk about every 2-3 hrs - good for blood circulation & bladder relief.

 

At this very early stage in planning it looks like an overnight in Renmark, Caiguna & Katanning, prior to taking the coastal rout to Serpentine. I estimate 5 fuel stops and additional  5-7 fatigue mitigation landings.

 

So far (current windspeed/direction) I will never land with less than 33L remaining - well within my comfort zone. Just in case I am listing all possible airfields on/along my rout and noting the availabity of fuel at each.

 

 I don't have an autopilot = fly by hand the whole way.

 

😈

[Garfly]

1 hour ago, facthunter said:

Yeah. You Expect everyone to watch something that runs for over an Hour. 

I expect nothing of the sort.

1 hour ago, facthunter said:

Let me assure you that very few would. It would have to be something VERY SPECIAL would it not?. 

Obviously.  But in the context of this thread the likelihood of a reader or two finding that particular video SPECIAL enough (even useful) goes up.  I'd have thought.

 

1 hour ago, facthunter said:

And  Let's put it this way It takes little effort to  just post something. Much more to respond to it with words and thought  as I have done previously on this topic.. 

Clearly, a post's value does not necessarily relate to the amount of effort involved in posting it.  Plus, anyone who merely posts an article or video expects to receive nothing of the prestige due its author - or, for that matter, the originator of any comment or post coming from their own (deep) knowledge.   Master-chefs need harbour no resentment towards the waiting staff.  Diners know where compliments are due.

 

1 hour ago, facthunter said:

Why take it so Personally? My comments concern the Vid and NOT you personally. and I would suggest in context they are a contribution..  Everyone is enttitled to say what they want to as long as it's not offensive.  We SHARE ideas.  Nev

I don't think I take it personally.  I hope not.  But I'd like to think I step in whenever I see mistaken/unjust assertions/accusations against anyone.  Of course, I'm paying more attention when I've been the poster.  Maybe I feel particularly responsible to defend the honour of the authors/pilots whom I've exposed to unfair criticism by posting their work here.  Yes, we share ideas here and we're all entitled to say what we want but that, thankfully, doesn't stop us holding each other to standards of discourse somewhat higher than that. 

 

[Moneybox]

Ok, now I've got to watch it..... 🙂