Visiting Queensland, Part II

This is part II of our tour around Queensland.

We depart from Hope Vale (YHPV)  and land again in Cooktown (YCKN), where we finished our first flight.  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. The city 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.

After departing Cairns we do some sightseeing of the city and head for Fitzroy Island. As a Queensland National Park, the natural and cultural resources of the Island itself (down to high tide) are protected by the Nature Conservation Act 1992 and much of the island is therefore off-limits to visitors. Most visitors remain on the sheltered western side of the island, where the jetty, resort, and best snorkeling can be found. The Island has also been home to lighthouses warning ships in the Grafton Passage of the reefs around the island, and a small automatic light on Little Fitzroy Island, just off the north-east point, still serves this purpose. An inactive lighthouse sits on the point above and is part of the circuit trail that is open to tourists.

We fly across the island and head back to the mainland to land at Tinaroo (YTNA). This airport is not in the MSFS database!  From here we head further north and land at Mareeba (YMBA). Upon continuing south we land at Atherton (YATN). Due to its moderate climate, cooler and less humid than the tropical coast, and its booming agricultural industries, Atherton has a busy and prosperous community and a vibrant social and cultural life. Atherton is very attractive to retirees and "tree changers" due to the cool climate, fertile garden soils, housing prices significantly lower than the nearby coastal city of Cairns, and the vibrant cultural life (live music, visual arts, theatre, and sport). The land around Atherton is used to grow a variety of crops, including coffee, sugar cane, peanuts, mangoes, maize (corn), potatoes, avocados, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and macadamia nuts. Dairy and beef cattle are also reared in the area.

The next landing is at Innisfail (YIFL), where we reach the coast again. Innisfail is the largest township of the Cassowary Coast Region and is known for its sugar and banana industries, as well as for being one of Australia's wettest towns. In March 2006, Innisfail gained worldwide attention when Tropical Cyclone Larry passed over, causing extensive damage. We follow the coast and land at Dunk Island (YDKI). The island forms part of the Family Islands National Park and is in the larger Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. The island is surrounded by reefs and has a diverse population of birds. The Bandjin and Djiru peoples once used the island as a source for food. Europeans first settled on the island in 1897. Dunk Island was used by the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II. In recent years the island and its resort facilities have been adversely affected by both Cyclone Larry and Cyclone Yasi. We continue to Ingham (YIGM).

From here check our survival gear again and fly to Palm Island (YPAM). This is a locality consisting of an island group of 16 islands. The locality coincides with the geographical entity known as the Palm Island group, also known as the Greater Palm group, originally named the Palm Isles. However, the term "Palm Island" is most often used to refer to the main island, Great Palm Island, the largest island in the group and the only one with a significant population of permanent residents, most of whom are Aboriginal. The island is also known by the name "Bwgcolman", meaning "one people from many groups", derived from an Aboriginal language of one of the earliest groups of Aboriginal people removed from the mainland and settled there from 1918 onwards, during its use as an Aboriginal reserve.

After a short stop, we return to the mainland and fly around the Townsville area before finishing the flight at Townsville International (YBTL). Townsville is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of the Sunshine Coast). It is unofficially considered the capital of North Queensland. Townsville hosts a significant number of governmental, community, and major business administrative offices for the northern half of the state. The city is also a major industrial center, home to one of the world's largest zinc refineries, a nickel refinery, and many other similar activities. As of December 2020, $30M operations to expand the Port of Townsville are underway, which involve channel widening and installation of a 70-tonne Liebherr Super Post Panamax Ship-to-Shore crane, to allow much larger cargo and passenger ships to utilize the port. It is an increasingly important port due to its proximity to Asia and major trading partners such as China. Dominant sectors of its diverse economy include defense, administration, health and education, manufacturing, energy, transport, and logistics. The city is a national hub for renewable energy, in green hydrogen and polysilicon, as well as the center of CopperString 2032 Australia's largest renewable transmission project. Townsville is Australia's 'fortress city', home to a large part of the strategic capability of the ADF, offering essential services including maintenance and supply chains including one of the largest military bases in Australia as well as a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base that can accommodate most military aircraft in service. Townsville is the industrial heart of northern Australia, served by Townsville Airport and the Port of Townsville, the largest general freight and container port in northern Australia. Popular attractions include "The Strand", a long tropical beach and garden strip; Riverway, a riverfront parkland attraction located on the banks of Ross River; Reef HQ, a large tropical aquarium holding many of the Great Barrier Reef's native flora and fauna; the Museum of Tropical Queensland, built around a display of relics from the sunken British warship HMS Pandora; Castle Hill or as it was originally known Cootharinga, the most prominent landmark of the area and a popular place for exercise; The Townsville Sports Reserve; and Magnetic Island, a large neighboring island, the vast majority of which is a national park.

The flight plans can be found here.

 The flight has 387 miles and 10 landings. Since the C208 Caravan is widely used in this area, I will fly one today, with the SkyTrans Airline livery. Please fly what you like.

There are 12 addons available:

https://flightsim.to/file/28622/yhpv-hope-vale-airport

https://flightsim.to/file/31874/cairns-international-ybcs-queensland-tag21

https://flightsim.to/file/15196/fitzroy-island-yfzi

https://flightsim.to/file/27186/tinaroo-ytna

https://flightsim.to/file/13053/atherton-yatn

https://flightsim.to/file/31494/innisfail-yifl

https://flightsim.to/file/51112/dunk-island-ydki

https://flightsim.to/file/30882/ingham-yigm

https://flightsim.to/file/18745/ypam-palm-island-redo

https://flightsim.to/file/16339/raaf-townsville-airbase-ybtl-queensland-australia

https://flightsim.to/file/28446/ybse-bluewater-airport

https://flightsim.to/file/27430/townsville-cleanup

 Cairns and Cairns Landmarks as well as Townsville Landmarks are also available as payware via ORBX.

We try real weather. Please set your simulator for a 2 pm local departure.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, July 13, 2024  Wednesday July 10 2024. 1800 UTC
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Edited July 10, 20241 yr by jt_williams
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