The southeastern corner of Australia offers a broad multitude of sights from the air, including exquisite architecture, long stretches of coastline, and the country’s highest mountains.
Lifting off from Canberra, Australia’s capital city, you’ll explore the best that this planned urban area has to offer before setting off to the hills and peaks of the Australian Alps.
Explore vast stretches of rolling terrain woven into valleys, broad plains, and plateaus until you reach Mount Kosciuszko. The country’s high point at 7,310 feet above sea level, Kosciuszko is surrounded by lakes and reservoirs, each with its own unique character.
After passing over the crowning heights of Australia, you’ll explore the urban center of Melbourne, including some of the most spectacular skyscrapers in the country.
The journey comes to an end after visiting Port Melbourne on the northern extremity of Port Phillip Bay.
Assistance on the trip will be available in the form of a ‘Back on Track’ button on the VFR Map — however, be advised that using this will disable achievements tied to the activity.
Total Legs: 4 Total Distance: 323 Total Time(125kts): 2 hours 35 minutes
Leg 1
Canberra to Cooma-Snowy Mountains
Leg Distance: 81.56 Approximate time at 125kts: 39 minutes.
Canberra(YSCB) to Mount Ainslie(POI1)
Distance: 2.69NM Bearing: 310° 1 minutes
After lifting into the sky from Canberra Airport, head to the northwest to Mount Ainslie, a 2,766-foot-high peak that lies to the north of and overlooks Canberra.
Mount Ainslie(POI1) to City Hill(POI2)
Distance: 1.74NM Bearing: 236° 1 minutes
Turn to the southwest and fly over City Hill, a key point of the Parliamentary Triangle of Canberra.
City Hill(POI2) to Lake Burley Griffin(POI3)
Distance: 0.88NM Bearing: 237° 0 minutes
Continue to the southwest to Lake Buley Griffin, an artificial lake formed by the damming of the Molonglo River that is the centerpiece of Canberra.
Lake Burley Griffin(POI3) to National Museum of Australia(POI4)
Distance: 0.56NM Bearing: 116° 0 minutes
Turn to the southeast to visit the National Museum of Australia, which lies at the end of a prominent peninsula in Lake Buley Griffin.
National Museum of Australia(POI4) to Parliament House(POI5)
Distance: 0.92NM Bearing: 156° 0 minutes
Parliament House, seat of the legislative branch of the Australian Government, lies to the south-southeast of the National Museum of Australia.
Parliament House(POI5) to Royal Australian Mint(POI6)
Distance: 1.67NM Bearing: 235° 1 minutes
Turn to the southwest and follow Adelaide Avenue to the Royal Australian Mint.
Royal Australian Mint(POI6) to Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex(POI7)
Distance: 7.45NM Bearing: 216° 4 minutes
From the Royal Australian Mint, fly to the southwest, passing over a number of small hills and then the Murrumbidgee River, to reach the Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex.
Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex(POI7) to Tantagara Reservoir(POI8)
Distance: 26.21NM Bearing: 204° 13 minutes
Continue on a southwest heading, flying over low mountains and gentle valleys, to reach the Tantagara Reservoir.
Tantagara Reservoir(POI8) to Eucumbene River(POI9)
Distance: 11.92NM Bearing: 177° 6 minutes
Turn to the south and pass over rolling, forested peaks of the Snowy Mountains of the Australian Alps to reach the Eucumbene River.
Eucumbene River(POI9) to Lake Eucumbene(POI10)
Distance: 10.58NM Bearing: 138° 5 minutes
Follow the valley carved by the Eucumbene River to Lake Eucumbene, on of Australia’s largest reservoirs.
Lake Eucumbene(POI10) to Cooma-Snowy Mountains(YCOM)
Distance: 16.94NM Bearing: 122° 8 minutes
Turn to the southeast at Lake Eucumbene and land at Cooma-Snowy Mountains Airport (YCOM).
Leg 2
Cooma-Snowy Mountains to Mount Beauty Airport
Leg Distance: 94.82 Approximate time at 125kts: 46 minutes.
Cooma-Snowy Mountains(YCOM) to Lake Jindabyne(POI11)
Distance: 16.7NM Bearing: 240° 8 minutes
Once back in the air, head to the southwest, roughly following Kosciuszko Road, to Lake Jindabyne.
Lake Jindabyne(POI11) to Thredbo River(POI12)
Distance: 8.93NM Bearing: 241° 4 minutes
Continue on a southwest course, passing to the north of the town of Jindabyn, to the Thrdbo River, which lies just to the north of a line of prominent peaks.
Thredbo River(POI12) to Main Range – Snowy Mountains(POI13)
Distance: 9.73NM Bearing: 248° 5 minutes
Turn slightly toward the high ridge of peaks, the Main Range of the Snowy Mountains, home of the highest peaks of Australia.
Main Range – Snowy Mountains(POI13) to Mount Kosciuszko(POI14)
Distance: 1.05NM Bearing: 227° 1 minutes
To the southwest lies Australia’s highest point, Mount Kosciuszko, 7,310 feet above sea level.
Mount Kosciuszko(POI14) to Murray River(POI15)
Distance: 8NM Bearing: 214° 4 minutes
Continue on a southwest heading to the Murray River, the longest river in Australia at 1,558 miles in length.
Murray River(POI15) to Lake Dartmouth(POI16)
Distance: 25.1NM Bearing: 245° 12 minutes
To the west-southwest lies Lake Dartmouth, also called the Dartmouth Reservoir, which was formed by damming the Mitta Mitta, the Gibbo, and the Dart Rivers.
Lake Dartmouth(POI16) to Tawonga(POI17)
Distance: 22.94NM Bearing: 247° 11 minutes
The town of Tawonga, situated on the Kiewa River, lies to the west-southwest of Lake Dartmouth.
Tawonga(POI17) to Mount Beauty Airport(YMBT)
Distance: 2.37NM Bearing: 145° 1 minutes
At Tawonga, turn into a south-southeast heading and land at Mount Beauty Airport (YMBT).
Leg 3
Mount Beauty Airport to Mansfield Airport
Leg Distance: 59.14 Approximate time at 125kts: 28 minutes.
Mount Beauty Airport(YMBT) to Mount Buffalo National Park(POI18)
Distance: 17.4NM Bearing: 247° 8 minutes
Once in the air again, head west-southwest, passing over Owens River, to Mount Buffalo National Park, a location renowned for its sheer rock faces and granite peaks.
Mount Buffalo National Park(POI18) to Rose River(POI19)
Distance: 11.82NM Bearing: 242° 6 minutes
Maintain a west-southwest heading to the Rose River, which flows out of Mount Buffalo National Park.
Rose River(POI19) to Powers Lookout Scenic Reserve(POI20)
Distance: 9.96NM Bearing: 257° 5 minutes
To the west is Powers Lookout Scenic Reserve, home of Powers Lookout, a mountain that stands over Australia’s King Valley, offering incredible vistas.
Powers Lookout Scenic Reserve(POI20) to Toombullup(POI21)
Distance: 6.56NM Bearing: 212° 3 minutes
Turn to the southwest and fly over the town of Toombullup.
Toombullup(POI21) to Mansfield(POI22)
Distance: 11.86NM Bearing: 215° 6 minutes
Continue on this course, flying over the foothills of the Australian Alps, to the town of Mansfield.
Mansfield(POI22) to Mansfield Airport(YMFD)
Distance: 1.54NM Bearing: 112° 1 minutes
Once over Mansfield, turn to the southeast and land at Mansfield Airport (YMFD).
Leg 4
Mansfield Airport to Essendon
Leg Distance: 87.38 Approximate time at 125kts: 42 minutes.
Mansfield Airport(YMFD) to Lake Eildon(POI23)
Distance: 13.25NM Bearing: 228° 6 minutes
After returning to the air, fly to the southwest and pass over the expansive Lake Eildon, formed by the Eildon Dam, which holds back the Goulburn River.
Lake Eildon(POI23) to Cathedral Range State Park(POI24)
Distance: 13.12NM Bearing: 194° 6 minutes
Follow a course to the southwest to Cathedral Range State Park, home to the Cathedral Range, a small aspect of the Australian Alps that are defined by steep faces along a distinct razorback ridge.
Cathedral Range State Park(POI24) to Murrindindi Scenic Reserve(POI25)
Distance: 9.44NM Bearing: 240° 5 minutes
To the southwest of Cathedral Range State Park lies Murrindindi Scenic Reserve, renowned for its beautiful forests.
Murrindindi Scenic Reserve(POI25) to Toolangi Forest(POI26)
Distance: 5.68NM Bearing: 189° 3 minutes
Southwest of Murrindindi Scenic Reserve is Toolangi Forest, notable for its stands of towering mountain ash trees.
Toolangi Forest(POI26) to Kinglake(POI27)
Distance: 8.56NM Bearing: 252° 4 minutes
West of Murrindindi Scenic Reserve lies the small town of Kinglake.
Kinglake(POI27) to Van Yean Reservoir(POI28)
Distance: 9.26NM Bearing: 246° 4 minutes
West-southwest of Kinglake lies the Yan Yean Reservoir, the oldest water supply for the city of Melbourne, which, when its construction was completed in 1857, was the largest reservoir in the world.
Van Yean Reservoir(POI28) to Yarra River(POI29)
Distance: 13.08NM Bearing: 185° 6 minutes
Head to the south-southwest from the Yan Yean Reservoir, skirting the eastern periphery of the greater Melbourne suburbs, to the Yarra River.
Yarra River(POI29) to Melbourne Cricket Grund(POI30)
Distance: 5.61NM Bearing: 221° 3 minutes
Follow the Yarra River to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere.
Melbourne Cricket Grund(POI30) to Arts Center Melbourne(POI31)
Distance: 0.73NM Bearing: 257° 0 minutes
West of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, located on the south bank of the Yarra River, is Arts Center Melbourne.
Arts Center Melbourne(POI31) to Eureka Tower(POI32)
Distance: 0.18NM Bearing: 231° 0 minutes
West-southwest of Arts Center Melbourne lies Eureka Tower, at 975 feet tall, it is the second highest skyscraper in Melbourne and the third highest in Australia.
Eureka Tower(POI32) to Australia 108(POI33)
Distance: 0.11NM Bearing: 183° 0 minutes
Australia 108, the highest building in Melbourne at 1,039 feet, and the second highest in Australia, lies just to the south-southwest of Eureka Tower.
Australia 108(POI33) to Port Melbourne(POI34)
Distance: 1.7NM Bearing: 230° 1 minutes
Southwest of Australia 108, situated on the shore of Hobsons Bay, is Port Melbourne, an urban area of renowned and diverse architecture.
Port Melbourne(POI34) to Essendon(YMEN)
Distance: 6.66NM Bearing: 336° 3 minutes
Turn to the north-northwest at Port Melbourne and land at Essendon Airport (YMEN), bringing this aerial tour of the wonders of southeast Australia to a close.
