On Thursday 10th September 2026 I flew up to Shute Harbour with Len and Liz Wallace in their Cirrus SR22 XAP. Len flew from the Gold Coast to Rockhampton when it was fairly cloudy so we didn’t see too much apart from a glimpse of the Gold Coast on the way out.
He did however gain some experience flying IFR in IMC. Gradually the cloud cleared and we had a good view of Gladstone and the red mud dams associated with the Queensland Alumina refinery.
After refuelling and a bite to eat while catching up with Paul Smeath, a friend from the Redcliffe Aero Club, I flew to Shute Harbour, passing over a military training area where “Exercise Wallaby” with the Malaysian Airforce was underway.
Flying into YSHR is not for the faint hearted, being nestled in a valley between two hills and with water at each end so there’s a requirement for pilots to have 100 hours as PIC before landing there. This was the second time I’ve flown there, having done so from Bowen back in August 2018, but this time there was a strong southeasterly blowing straight down the runway and it was fairly gusty so a bit like riding a bucking bronco on short final.
Nevertheless, it was a smooth touchdown and we were directed to a brand-new hangar to park the plane for the weekend.
On the Friday Len and I went fishing on a boat near South Molle Island. The fish were not nearly as prolific as they were at Karumba and Cooktown when we went fishing there. In fact I only caught one fish and had to throw that back. Len caught a couple including one that looked big or small depending on how you held it.
Mike Cahill and Brett Silvester arrived in MSF as we headed back to shore and that evening we all attended a gathering at Northerlies, a waterside bistro, where Cirrus provided copious amounts of food and drink.
The reason for the trip was to attend the annual Shute Harbour long table runway dinner. They closed the airport on Saturday afternoon and by early evening tables and chairs were arranged down the middle of the runway. We settled in as the sun went down behind the hills.
There were about 300 people at the dinner, many of whom I’d met at previous shin digs. It was fun catching up and making new friends of fellow aviators, swapping stories of our favourite fly-in locations and talking all things aviation while the evening slipped away and a band played in the background.
A new High Wing Sling, a Cessna 182 and various other planes and a very smart helicopter were on show nearby. A couple of hangar homes were open for inspection too. There are quite a number of very fancy ones along the side of the airfield and some are for sale. There’s also still land for sale for anyone who’d like to build a house and/or hangar next to a runway in the very picturesque but cyclone prone area.
The Whitsundays is a really beautiful area and Airlie Beach has grown into a major tourist centre. Very different from when I first flew there with my Dad in 1977 when it was little more than a fishing village. With all its fantastic natural beauty it’s lovely to visit but I wouldn’t like to live there in summer.
After exploring Airlie Beach on Sunday, we flew out on the Monday. Len flew a low level scenic across the bay to Whitsunday Island then past Whitehaven Beach.
We then climbed out over Lindeman Island (another place I stayed at with my Dad in 1997).
We flew over Mackay and Rockhampton with Len flying a practice RNP instrument approach into Gladstone.
After refuelling I took over and flew via Gayndah to do a practice RNP instrument approach before being directed over Brisbane.
From there it was a gradual descent into the Gold Coast.
I’d definitely recommend a visit to Shute Harbour anytime but if you can time it with the annual runway dinner it is even better.
