New South Wales and Queensland - Away from the coast

We fly around in New South Wales and Queensland, but this time not along the coast.

We depart from Tamworth (YSTW). The city is known as the "First Town of Lights", the first place in Australia to use electric street lights in 1888. Tamworth is also famous as the "Country Music Capital of Australia" and "Australia's answer to Nashville", annually hosting the Tamworth Country Music Festival in late January; the second-biggest country music festival in the world after Nashville. The city is recognized as the National Equine Capital of Australia because of the high number of equine events held in the city and the construction of the world-class Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre, the biggest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. From here we head north and land at Narrabi (YNBR). It is the center of a major cotton-growing industry. Other agricultural industries in the area include wheat, beef, and lamb. Nearby attractions are Mount Kaputar National Park, the Australia Telescope Compact Array at the Paul Wild Observatory (administered by the CSIRO), and several agricultural centers. Just south of town is the Pilliga Forest, the largest remnant temperate forest in Eastern Australia.

After our departure, we overfly the Paul Wild Observatory and further north we arrive at Moree (YMOR) and continue to Goondiwindi (YGDI). The most famous resident of Goondiwindi was Gunsynd, a Thoroughbred racehorse known as "The Goondiwindi Grey". Guided by Bill Wehlow, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Gunsynd had 29 wins including the 1971 Epsom Handicap and the 1972 Cox Plate, and came third in the 1972 Melbourne Cup. The name "Gunsynd" came from the Goondiwindi Syndicate (Gun=Goondiwindi, Synd=Syndicate). There is a statue of Gunsynd in the town center. There is also a Gunsynd museum located in the Goondiwindi Regional Civic Centre at 100 Marshall Street. Now we head east and land at Inglewood (YILW) in Queensland. Olive growing is a comparatively new industry in the area. Other established industries include sheep and cattle raising, grain growing, and timber harvesting. Tobacco growing was common around Inglewood over the last 60 years. A bit further east we reach Stanthorpe (YSPE).

Now we head north again and land at Warwick (YWCK) and later at Toowoomba (YTWB). The surrounding Darling Downs have fostered a strong agricultural industry for which Warwick, together with the larger city of Toowoomba, serve as convenient service centers. Toowoomba is the second-most-populous inland city in Australia after the nation's capital, Canberra. It is also the second-largest regional center in Queensland and is often referred to as the capital of the Darling Downs. Toowoomba, one of Australia's oldest inland cities, was founded in 1849. The city became the viceregal summer retreat of Queensland's governors. It witnessed several significant events during Australia's Victorian period, including the War of Southern Queensland and the Battle of One Tree Hill. During the Federation period, Toowoomba emerged as a major artistic and cultural center with the establishment of the Austral Society. The city is renowned for its cathedrals and universities, is celebrated for its preserved Victorian-era and traditional Queenslander architecture, historic churches and gardens, and vibrant food, and coffee culture. The city boasts street art, laneways, and numerous nature trails. Notable landmarks include Queens and Laurel Bank Park, the Empire Theatre, St James' Palace, and Mt Meewah. The surrounding Darling Downs region is known for its rolling hills and pastures, agricultural produce, and historic homesteads. About 12 miles northwest we arrive at Oakey Military (YBOK), home of the Oakey Army Aviation Center. We continue northwest and land at Dalby (YDAY). We finish today’s flight at Kingaroy (YKRY). Kingaroy is the seat of the South Burrnett Region.  It is known as the "Peanut Capital of Australia" because Australia's largest peanut processing plant is located in the town and its peanut silo dominates the skyline.

The flight has 426 miles and 9 landings. We want to cruise at about 300 knots. I will be in the Iris PC-21 (which features a moving map display only when flying in Australia), but small jets or Warbirds are excellent choices as well. Please fly what you like.

The flight plans are here.

Recommended scenery:

YILW: https://flightsim.to/file/61020/inglewood-aerodrome-queensland-australia

YWCK: https://flightsim.to/file/52247/ywck-warwick-qld

YSPE: https://flightsim.to/file/52248/yspe-stanthorpe-qld

YTWB: https://flightsim.to/file/50767/ytwb-toowoomba-city-aerodrome

YBOK: https://flightsim.to/file/46061/ybok-oakey-military-qld

YKRY: https://flightsim.to/file/18240/kingaroy-ykry

YDAY: https://flightsim.to/file/30529/yday-dalby

YGDI: https://flightsim.to/file/30760/goondiwindi-ygdi

YMOR: https://flightsim.to/file/53991/moree-ymor

YNBR: https://flightsim.to/file/53505/narrabri-ynbr

YSTW: https://flightsim.to/file/54787/tamworth-airport-nsw-ystw

The complete package is here.

We try real weather. Please set your simulator for an 8:00 AM local departure.

Multiplayer Particulars

Date and time: Sunday, December 29, 2024. 1700 UTC

Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server.

These flights are events posted at DigitalThemePark and use DTP's Teamspeak Channel for communication.

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