Forrest & Old Met Station (Camping)
Submitted: Thursday, Mar 07, 2019 at 18:46
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ExplorOz Team - Michelle
I have found some old info about camping at
Forrest and seen some photos that look quite pleasant and have read some reviews about staying in the old met station. All my research to verify current conditions is arriving at dead ends so as a last resort, does anyone have any current info and can shed some light on this please? I have called the locals in
Eucla and no one knows anything about anything other than the mainstream sights (as usual).
Reply By: equinox - Thursday, Mar 07, 2019 at 19:14
Thursday, Mar 07, 2019 at 19:14
Hi Michelle,
I'd give them a ring at the airport
http://www.forrestairport.com.au/
Cheers
Alan
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Follow Up By: ExplorOz Team - Michelle - Thursday, Mar 07, 2019 at 19:16
Thursday, Mar 07, 2019 at 19:16
thanks I did try to call them earlier but when I got the voicemail I admit I didn't leave a message, might try again tomorrow.
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Reply By: Hoyks - Thursday, Mar 07, 2019 at 19:45
Thursday, Mar 07, 2019 at 19:45
Forrest airport I'm told is surprisingly busy, considering its in the middle of nowhere.
A lot of the small planes transiting east/west have to stop in for fuel or stop over when they start running out of daylight.
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Reply By: B1B2 - Thursday, Mar 07, 2019 at 20:43
Thursday, Mar 07, 2019 at 20:43
Michelle,
We called in June 2015 on the way to the CSR to get some fuel, and met the caretakers. Really nice people both ex police. They invited us in for tea and we stayed for a couple of hours. The airport has showers and a kitchen for a small fee. There is a museum there as
well and a
campground.. I certainly learned a lot about the TAR, trains max 1.8km long so they could fit in the sidings and if any lashings come loose it can wipe out the station. We exchanged
recipes and they gave us some huge eggs which lasted the CSR as they jammed into an egg carton and couldn't move even on the corrugations. They are busy, as they cater for round oz aeroplane competitions, we caught them during a short break. The fuel is very expensive.
Nice memories.
Cheers,
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Follow Up By: ExplorOz Team - Michelle - Thursday, Mar 07, 2019 at 23:17
Thursday, Mar 07, 2019 at 23:17
Sounds good!
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Reply By: Member - sparra - Thursday, Mar 07, 2019 at 21:08
Thursday, Mar 07, 2019 at 21:08
G,day Michelle,I visited
Forrest couple of years ago. I stopped at caretakers house to book in at the
little camp area,he said I could go up to the old Met station and set my camper up there and to use the kitchen/shower etc. He then said I will be up later for a beer. When he came up that evening we climbed
the steps up to the roof onto the old radar tower and sat and had a beer as the sun was going down. I then went with him to turn on the runway lights after doing an inspection of the runway,and also checked out the huge hangar.
The track in from
Eucla was pretty slow going,
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Follow Up By: ExplorOz Team - Michelle - Thursday, Mar 07, 2019 at 23:17
Thursday, Mar 07, 2019 at 23:17
Great story sounds lovely!
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Reply By: Member - Chappy (WA) - Thursday, Mar 07, 2019 at 22:42
Thursday, Mar 07, 2019 at 22:42
Hi Michelle, spent a couple of nights there last June. Great place to stay at the old met office, basic facilities but fine for a few days. The managers at the time were very welcoming and had a fire and drinks/nibbles in the evening (BYO). Fascinating place to spend a few days. Road from
Eucla is rough, allow 2-3 hours,
limestone outcrops. If travelling through
Mundrabilla Stn. you will need permission from the station owners. Managers at
Forrest can change from year to year, the managers last year were great and totally involved in the experience.
Cheers David
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Follow Up By: ExplorOz Team - Michelle - Thursday, Mar 07, 2019 at 23:16
Thursday, Mar 07, 2019 at 23:16
Thanks David do you happen to have the contact number or must one call the airport operator? Old info says you must call ahead to visit, did you just drop in or pre-arrange your visit?
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Follow Up By: Member - Chappy (WA) - Friday, Mar 08, 2019 at 12:00
Friday, Mar 08, 2019 at 12:00
Hi Michelle
We called ahead from
Eucla, just to make sure of road conditions. The number we used was 0408 710 862 as per the website. As there are only 2-3 people in residence it is probably better to leave a message. We could have gone without calling but thought it better to confirm. I think it would depend on the managers at the time. The managers last year were very helpful and great hosts.
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Reply By: ExplorOz Team - Michelle - Friday, Mar 08, 2019 at 14:01
Friday, Mar 08, 2019 at 14:01
Thanks everyone, I've made contact and its a go. Sounds rather interesting.
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