Having (personally) experienced the incomparable sights of the Himalayas, once, and the majestic Rockies a few times over, I find Mountains particularly fascinating. No matter where, in the world, the mountains are geographically located, they are usually associated with local myth, lore, legends, mystery, and spiritualism...not to mention their unique historical appeal, recent and ancient. Whether it's Japan's highest mountain, "Mount Fuji", the cultural icon of Japan, or e.g., "Mount Kilimanjaro", one of the most prominent single and freestanding mountains in the world, otherwise known as the roof of Africa, they have been all a source of inspiration and guidance, for humanity, through the ages...

Now leaving aside the metaphysical aspects attributed to these mountains, on a purely a scientific and geological level, the origin of these mountains are equally fascinating. Today, while exploring (generally) a bit about the Alps Mountain Ranges, I came across the Australian Alps...I knew of Swiss Alps, Austrian Alps, French Alps, and the German Alps etc., but Australian Alps... (please excuse my ignorance, here) ...? The Australian Alps is a mountain range in southeast Australia. It comprises an interim Australian bioregion and is the highest mountain range in Australia. The range straddles the borders of eastern Victoria, southeastern New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory. This mountain range, on the average, may be less than half in height compared to the European Alps and the North American Rockies, or nearly five times smaller than the highest of the Himalayas, but, nonetheless, these mountains are, as I found out, no less spectacular or significant in their own rights. Interestingly, unlike the high mountain ranges found in places like the North American Rockies (highest peak 14,439 ft), the European Alps (highest peak 15,774 ft), the South American Andes (highest peak 22,838 ft), or the Asian Himalayas (highest peak 29,029 ft), the Australian Alps was not formed by two continental plates colliding and pushing up the Earth's rocky mantle to form jagged, rocky peaks. Instead, the Australian Alps consists of a high plateau, with significantly softer rolling hills (see pictures, below) spread across a long, wide plateau that was lifted thousands of feet up by the movement from within a singular landmass, that began to break up between 130 and 160 million years ago...

Anyway, I set out, today, to explore (and learn a bit more about) the Australian Alps via our virtual world...with the help of one of my most favorite twin-turboprops...the Embraer 120 Brasilia...

BTW, the name Alps is applied there not because of any special structural features (or link to the European Alps), but for the general characteristics of massiveness and of being snow-clad for five to six months each year, in winter and spring. These mountains are the highest on that continent, reaching 7,310 feet at the tallest peak, Mount Kosciuszko (the peak was named after Mr. Kosciuszko, a Polish military hero who, curiously, never came to set foot in Australia, but the peak was first established as Australia's highest, by the Polish explorer Paul Strzelecki, who named it so...). In my (virtual) flight, here, I would, by intention, pass directly over this region, located ~130 miles south of the Capital City, Canberra. The peak and the surrounding areas, I found, covered with snow... (see my screenshots) ...

For this post, I flew ~275 nms, northeast, from Melbourne (YMML) to Canberra (YSCB), roughly tracking the tallest ridges of the Australian Alps, and witnessed more snow in Australia than what I had ever imagined or expected to see on this (warm) continent. Once past the highest mountains of the Australian Alps, while cruising at a safe (but visually stimulating) altitude of 10,000 ft, I finally descended and approached Canberra, skimming over the beautiful rolling hills and picturesque valleys (see images) just south of the Capital City, finally landing on ILS Rwy 35 (see shots) ...it was all a most satisfying experience...

Regarding the a/c of my choice, it was indeed the Embraer 120 Brasilia that had played a critical role (financially) nurturing and supporting the upstart (and nascent) Brazilian aircraft manufacturing company...back in 1985. This turboprop a/c (introduced on the heels of success of the Embraer 110 Bandeirante), had debuted as Embraer's first (successful) regional airliner, aimed at the export market (it clearly reached the farthest continent Australia...🙂...), more than a decade before we got to see the very first Embraer Jet (the Embraer 135) ...And, now that a/c company is the third largest producer of civil aircraft, after Boeing and Airbus...

The registration of this Brasilia Embraer 120, that you see in my images, below, belongs to Skippers Aviation in Perth, Western Australia.

Hope you enjoy this collection of pictures of this interesting plane and this interesting place...from my virtual world...!

Thanks for your interest...!!

Edited September 23, 20223 yr by P_7878

Very nice set of shots! 😉 

Fine set and nice Information.. 

cheers 😉

Grand set of shots mate . 

Folks: Thanks much...appreciated the remarks...!!

Glad you liked the images of this high-spirited and lively turboprop. Of course, I've always liked this a/c...in the SIM...since "12-30-2006", to be exact, ...🙂...the date, I just found out when Erick Cantu had uploaded his work into the library...long before someone, in payware, aka: Carenado, finally chose to work on it...

[BTW, I am a bit overwhelmed by a coincidence I spotted in that upload file..., It says there, "Includes only the exterior model...Panel, sounds and .air file are aliases to the default King Air. Delta livery by Steve D... ".... Could it be our Steve, from around here...🙂...]