Tie-down area, house and lake

by John Gwyther

Some 20-odd GCV pilots and partners, six gliders and Pawnee BXP made the trek down to John and Marg Gwyther's airstrip property at Lake Glenmaggie in Gippsland for the Labour Day weekend. The property is located about 55km Northeast of Traralgon on the Southern edge of the Great Dividing Range. You can locate it via searching for Coongulla on Google Maps or Google Earth.

With beds for 23, the tie-down and hangars 50m from the house and the strip 100m from the hangars, plus a large garden right on the lake, it made for a very different gliding camp away. Sort of a "gentlemen fliers" weekend that the wives also appreciated. Much social activity and a bushwalk to spot Powerful Owls in the wild rounded off the weekend.

The weather was warm but stable so flights were mainly local although Peter Martin took his big Jantar down for a practice bombing run onto Loy Yang power station. Somehow, he couldn't thermal the big bomber in the rocket stream coming out of the power station. Operations proceeded OK despite some cross-winds and all got an appreciation of the lie of the land and how one might get there and back from Benalla. Rob Pugh did sterling duty as tow pilot and loved the ferry flight "over the op", blessed by perfect weather for each trip.

John and Marg plan to make this a regular event so keep an ear to the ground for the next one. Next year, we'll be ordering up thermals to 12,000' one day and wave to 22,000' the next.