Oh hey there Townsville!
I was greeted with a bright and sunny morning on the 5th of December as I continued my push northwards from Mackay. It was definitely a very early start for me, as in a forecast typical to northerly latitudes in summer, storms were forecast to form in the afternoon. So that meant a 4am start, getting to the airport at 5am, and being ‘wheels-up’ before the control tower was even open.
Even though they take some getting used to, departures just after sunrise are going to be a hallmark of much of my northern flights to have me well and truly on the ground. From a more aesthetic take, there is nothing better than getting to the airport and watching the sun come up, and it’s good to have the flying done in the mornings, so I can explore the place I’ve flown to!
I’ll admit that Townsville was a challenge- the airport is complex in terms of procedures, incredibly busy servicing general, commercial and military aviation, and I am unfamiliar with it. This was heightened by showers in the area, cloudy turbulent weather and local terrain which made some radio calls difficult.
Once on the ground, I was greeted by the INCREDIBLE Georgie Arnold and everyone else at hangar 85, it was such a warm welcome and I was truly so touched. I said hello to everyone and then Georgie took me for a drive around Townsville- I saw the city from the Castle Hill lookout.
Next, I was invited to talk on the Aviatrix Airwaves podcast! I’m such a fan of Aviatrix and all that they do, so having the opportunity to actually go on the podcast. I was surprised yet again by the hospitality of the wonderful aviation community there, when I was gifted some Aviatrix gear, and a snack pack consisting of everyone in the office’s favourite snack! I truly do not have words to describe how grateful I am for your generosity, welcoming-ness (that’s not a word) and overall kindness- it was truly heart warming, I am so thankful.
As someone who loves to talk, letting me on a podcast for ~45 minutes might be a dangerous idea, but I think we all had a lot of fun recording it- talking about everything from the flight, my background in aviation and taste testing some of the snacks (side note: turtle chips are a top tier food item and I recommend you rush out to your nearest store to consume some immediately).
It’s such a welcoming community in general, and I loved every minute of it! In terms of flight prep, I got to have a chat with both the students and other staff members about my planned route out. Speaking to people who were more familiar with region-specific weather patterns, procedures and where to get fuel was invaluable knowledge. Australia is a huge place and I will be unfamiliar for much of this trip. Local knowledge helps me significantly and I’m grateful for all the people I had a chat with.
Arriving early meant that I had a lot of free time in the afternoon! I did a bit of plane spotting- Townsville being a military airport meant that I got to see a Wedgetail take off, and several F35s land. It was wonderful to sit by the hangar doors and watch, as it’s not every day you land a little 172 on a runway that fighter jets also use.
After being driven to my accomodation by the lovely Michelle, I took the chance to explore Townsville in the afternoon. Armed with some bubble tea, I went for a walk along the Strand, at the water’s edge, and discovered Kissing Point Fort, a fort that was built initially during the gold rush and had a continuous military presence up until the start of this century. As a huge history nerd, I loved looking around and learning, especially about the role that the city played during WW2.
After that, it was time to head back for the evening and prepare for the next day, and I’ll brief my plans with people back home via phone call and email. Despite being in a different state and timezone, I’m never far from home. My school’s end of year presentation night was on tonight, and I got to tune in via the livestream link to watch my wonderful brother Lachlan receive a history award. Very proud!
