Visiting Queensland, Australia

We start a series of flights in Queensland, Australia.

For this first flight, we depart from the far north of Queensland, the Northern Peninsula Airport (YNPE).  We head south across the Jardine River National Park and reach Heathlands Airport (YHTL).

Now we head to the coast and arrive at Hicks Island (YHKI). From the Real Estate Ads one can assume that this is an expensive place! After a short look around we leave and fly back to the mainland to land at Wattle Hills Airport (YWAT). After departure, we cross some hills and arrive at the Aboriginal Community of Lockhart River (YLHR). We head southwest and get further to the heart of Queensland. We land at Archer River (YARC). I assume that all 27 inhabitants of the settlement will come to the airport to greet us.

We follow the Australian Highway 81 and land at Coen (YCOE) and shortly afterward at Coen Town (YCTP). Further down Highway 81 we reach Yarraden (YYDN) and another 31 miles down the highway we reach Musgrave Airport (YMGV).

Now we head east and arrive at Lakefield Airport (YLFD) in the Rinyirru National Park. Check your fuel and your life west as we head to the coast and further over open water to land at Lizard Island (YLZI). Since 1939 all islands in this group are National Parks. We return to the mainland and overfly the port of Cape Flattery before we land at the airport (YCFL). Cape Flattery is the location of the world's biggest silica mine. The mine was established in 1967 and was severely damaged by Cyclone Ita in 2014. The cape's local port is used for the shipping of silica sand from a local subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation, and exports the most silica sand internationally, with 1.7 million tonnes exported alone in 2007–08.

Now we follow the coast and land at Hope Vale (YHPV)  and Cooktown (YCKN). Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repairs in 1770. Both the town and Mount Cook (431 meters or 1,415 feet) which rises up behind the town were named after James Cook. Cooktown is one of the few large towns in the Cape York Peninsula and was founded on 25 October 1873 as a supply port for the goldfields along the Palmer River.  

The next landing is at Daintree (YCBY) before we reach Cairns International Airport (YBCS). The city was founded in 1876 and named after Sir William Wellington Cairns, following the discovery of gold in the Hodgkinson River. During World War II, the city became a staging ground for the Allied Forces in the Battle of the Coral Sea. By the late 20th century the city had become a center of international tourism. In the early 21st century, it has developed into a major metropolitan city. The economy of Cairns is based primarily on tourism, healthcare, and education, along with a major capacity in aviation, marine, and defense industries. Cairns also has a major cruise ship industry servicing both domestic and international markets, with terminals at Cairns Seaport and Cairns Wharf Complex. Cairns is a major tourist destination, with access to two UNESCO world heritage sites; the Daintree Rainforest as part of the Wet Tropics of Queensland, and the Great Barrier Reef, one of the seven natural wonders of the world.  The city is served by Cairns International Airport, the seventh busiest airport in Australia. Parking is rather expensive here so we depart and finish the flight at Mareeba (YMBA), about 22 miles west.

The flight plans are available here. 

The flight has 577 miles, so we want to travel fast. I will be in the IRIS PC-21 (which offers a moving map when flying in Australia) in this AAF livery.  Any other plane capable of cruising at about 250 knots is suitable. As always, please fly what you like.

There are 8 addons available:

https://flightsim.to/file/43981/lizard-island-ylzi

https://flightsim.to/file/45533/ycfl-cape-flattery-airport

https://flightsim.to/file/12116/cooktown-yckn-airport

https://flightsim.to/file/14016/mareeba-ymba

https://flightsim.to/file/27241/ycoe-coen

https://flightsim.to/file/46832/ywat-wattle-hills-airport

https://flightsim.to/file/45136/hicks-island-yhki

https://flightsim.to/file/36221/ynpe-northern-peninsula-bamaga-airport

We try real weather. Please set your sim for an 08:30 local departure.

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