Skydiving in Australia

[ReLLiK75 0]

I'm heading to Australia this weekend for a month (courtesy of the company I work for). While I was there, in addition to work, beer, babes, more beer, a little bit more work, and sightseeing, I was planning on doing some jumping. I'm wondering if anyone can share their experiences with dropzones around the Sydney/Canberra area. I'll specifically and initially be in Canberra, so let's start there. Which DZs are good? How are the prices, equipment, facilities, etc? Who can I talk into letting me jump from a baloon? Any info like that would be great.

I did a search in the DZ section for Australia, but I have no clue where half those places are, so I figured I'd ask here....

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Have you Got Flare?

[karma 3]

You could start here There are quite a lot aussie on this board. They will no doubt be able to help you out.
Grtz. karma

[NewGuy 0]

I took AFF out of Goulburn (close to Canberra) at Simply Skydive Australia - it was a very small 1 cessna DZ then. Looks like they might have moved north of Sydney though http://www.simplyskydive.com.au/. They had pretty delapitated facilities. But if you like a small DZ, that is close to Canbarra, Goulburn is probably the place to go if it is still operating.

1 hr south of Sydney is Sydney Skydivers Sydneyskydivers.com.au, which is much larger and has the big planes (Skyvan, Twin otter, beaver). When I phoned back in '98 regarding AFF they were quite rude, so I went through Simply Skydive. Now I've had more jumps, I'd probably make the trip to Sydney Skydivers - they have the big planes.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
NewGuy

[EricaH 0]

Eventually they'll get back w/ you - it's VERY early in the AM there now.

There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear.

PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

[Squeak 17]

Picton would be the biggest in the area, but well you're there a month you can fly to Ramblers in QLD or Nagambie in Vic. Virgin Blue is cheap as in airfare now. and your dollar will get ya more here.

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[mikkey 0]

Hi Wayne,

I hope you will enjoy your stay down under. A couple of points:

1) Remember it is Winter down here at he moment and Canberra is located in an area that actually gets pretty cold during Winter - especially at night (below freezing). So pack some warm clothing. Many people overseas believe it is always warm down here, but that is only true in the Northern part of the continent. (you can also go skiing while here - the snow fields are not that far from Canberra and there is plenty of snow at the moment).

2) DZ's. I do not know much about skydiving in Canberra - but I think it is very limited and definitely no Turbo aircraft. Your best options is probably to go North to Sydney to Sydney Skydivers in Picton. That is approx. 220 KM and 3 hours drive. You can also go South to Nagambie (north of Melbourne) - Turbo Caravan DZ and very nice people (including me ). That is a little further and more like 570 KM and 7 hours drive.
Or if you want to be sure to have warmer weather this time of year. Take a flight to Brisbane and go out to "Ramblers" - they have very nice facilities and 2 Caravans.
A good web site to check where things are and distance in Australia is: www.whereis.com.au

3) For information about Skydiving down under in general and links to all DZ's go to the APF web site:
http://www.apf.asn.au

I hope this helps and you enjoy your stay. If you have time, take some leave and travel around. Australia is very diverse and you see things you wont see anywhere else in the World. Just make sure to plan well - OZ is nearly as big as the US - so very large distances.

Hope this helps.

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When people look like ants - pull. When ants look like people - pray.

[leggit 0]

Elderslie, Elderslie, Elderslie. 2 hours from Sydney in the Hunter Valley. Lets not mince words, clearly the best place to jump. Picton sucks except for the planes. Have fun.

[CornishChris 5]

Do they jump during the week in Elderslie - I may have some time on my hands soon and it would be cool to get out and about...?

CJP

Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

[ReLLiK75 0]

Thanks for all the great info. A few more questions for you though:

Isn't a big Spring festival supposed to start soon? I'm not ignorant to weather patterns and realize that one day (during the time of year it is for you) it can be rather pleasant, and the next day have you wondering who turned off the heat. Should I plan on mostly cold or mostly nice (nice meaning no colder than 58)?

How much are flights within the country? I'm not opposed to driving and plan on doing quite a bit of it my last week there since I'm taking some vacation time, but I'd really hate to spend all my time driving and not seeing anything. How is a drive up the cost, starting in Sydney and ending at the Barrier Reef? That is a drive I was definitely considering.

I'm also definitely planning on taking a weekend and making that 3 hour drive to Sydney to jump there. One thing I noticed on some of the tourist websites is Ballooning seems to be popular. Is there anyone who will let you jump their balloon for a reasonable price?

Is there anything you can recommend that's something I just have to do--something I'd kick myself for not doing while in country? Granted, I realize that depends on a few things, like time and money, but I do have a month there so I want to make the most of it!

Wayne

__________________________________________
Have you Got Flare?

[mikkey 0]

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I'm not ignorant to weather patterns and realize that one day (during the time of year it is for you) it can be rather pleasant, and the next day have you wondering who turned off the heat. Should I plan on mostly cold or mostly nice (nice meaning no colder than 58)?

Canberra is cold in Winter - especially at night - the next few weeks you might encounter temperatures below freezing. But as it is common it can easily warm up to around 15 to 20 C (thats around 60-70 F) and if you travel further north it is more like Florida in winter. So you need both T-shirt and warm clothing.

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How much are flights within the country? I'm not opposed to driving and plan on doing quite a bit of it my last week there since I'm taking some vacation time, but I'd really hate to spend all my time driving and not seeing anything. How is a drive up the cost, starting in Sydney and ending at the Barrier Reef? That is a drive I was definitely considering.

Domestic flights at standard price with Qantas are expensive. However, we have a discount airline "Virgin Blue" that is cheaper. Also, there are discount fares for Qantas available over the Internet. Rule of thumb is that the earlier you book the cheaper it is. So plan ahead and buy tickets as soon as possible. Book online (cheapest). I think it is www.qantas.com.au and www.virginblue.com.au

In regard to driving. Drive to Sydney it is not too far away and if you want to jump in Picton definitely drive as it South West of Sydney so only a few hours from Canberra, if you fly you have to drive for at least an hour to get there. Also, Australia is nearly as large as the US and has the population of California concentrated in a handful of urban centers. So alot of empty space... Some drives are worth it others are just absolutely boring. You need to study some web resources to decide and it depends on how much time you have. The drive all the way up north is very long - but lots of spots of interest on the way. If you go to Brisbane it is about 1200 KM. If you want to see the Great Barrier Reef you probably want to go to Cairns (nice up there) but that is about 3000 KM - so very far to drive.

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One thing I noticed on some of the tourist websites is Ballooning seems to be popular. Is there anyone who will let you jump their balloon for a reasonable price?

Yes, hot air ballooning is everywhere - but expensive. Jumping from one might be a problem. You can not just jump outside regulated DZ's. Try to contact the APF and ask.

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Is there anything you can recommend that's something I just have to do--something I'd kick myself for not doing while in country? Granted, I realize that depends on a few things, like time and money, but I do have a month there so I want to make the most of it!

I normally say to people that if they have limited time they should get up to Cairns / Port Douglas and do the rain forrest and the Great Barrier Reef. However, you are from Florida so you are used to tropical weather, coral reefs etc. So for you I would say go to the Outback. Either fly to Alice Springs in the middle and see amongst other things Ayers Rock or even better go to Darwin and visit the Kakadu National Park.

Have Fun!

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When people look like ants - pull. When ants look like people - pray.