| Spotting |
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| Commercial & Regional Aviation Interest Group |
| Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney is the busiest airport in the southern hemisphere with over 26 million passengers passing through the three terminals each year. That's about 66,000 passengers a day. Sydney Airport is serviced by over 40 international carriers and nearly a dozen domestic and regional carriers. There are three terminal buildings at Sydney T1 - International Terminal T2 - Domestic common user terminal (Incl: Virgin Blue, Jetstar, Rex, Horizon, Big Sky Express) T3 - Qantas Domestic Terminal GETTING TO/FROM WITHOUT A CAR If you don't have your own transport, there are various ways on making your way to the terminals. The easiest way in many cases is to use the airport rail link or any of the airport shuttle bus services However, there are cheaper options if you are prepared to use your legs for a short walk. ROUTE 309/310 - SYDNEY BUSES If you travel from the city, take the 309 or 310 bus down to the shops in Botany Rd Mascot. Alight from the bus as the stop near the corner of Hollingshed St Mascot. Accross the road you will see a service station and a multi story carpark on the corner of General Holmes Drive. Fromt he beginning of the this street you will see the airprt directly ahead. Turn right at the traffic lights (Joyce Dr) and follow the footpath around until you come to the interstection of O'Riordan St and Qantas Drive. To the left you will see the main road that leads into the domestic terminals (Sir Reginald Ansett Dr) For more information, go to www.sydneybuses.info VIEWING SPOTS - WITHIN THE TERMINALS T1 OBSERVATION DECK Go to the departures level of terminal one (international). Behind checkin counter 'B' is a corridor leading to toilets near the Qantas service desk. Head through to the 'Eskybar' and go outside. At the far end of the outdoor areas of the Eskybar you will see a set of stairs and an lift that both elad to the very top of the terminal building. On top of the terminal is the recently developed observation deck and a food outlet which offers great views of the northern end of the airport and a view of the CBD. T1 - INTERNATIONAL PIER B On the departures level of the international terminal, head towards the Immigrations check point for 'Pier B' (gates 50-63). To the left of the immigrations entrance there is a large window looking out onto the apron area between 'Souvenir World' and A childrens clothing store. T2 - GATE 40 After you pass the security screening point, go straight ahead until you reach the end of the terminal near gate 40. There is an open space to the right of gate 40 with floor to ceiling glass offering views of the eastern side of the airport with an adjacent cafe. T2 - GATE 59 After passing through the security screening point, turn right and head for the Jetstar departure gates. Head for gate 59 where you will find a large window and seating area which enables a great view. VIEWING AREAS - AROUND THE AIRPORT RUNWAY 25 - Ross Smith Avenue (Aircraft approach from the east, landing toward the west) From the intersection of General Holmes Drv & Ross Smith Ave, travel south (towards long term car park) along Ross Smith Avenue. Along this road, there are some places you can park to get views of aircraft right overhead coming in to land as well as aircraft taxiing to take off from runway 25. Although there are signs that state 'No Stopping' along some parts of this road, authorities usually turn a blind eye to persons parked here who are spotting. As long as you don't wander too far from your vehicle. However, DO NO park on the same side as the fence, always park on the opposite side of the road to the fence. NEAR TOWER An excellent viewing spot is near the base to the air traffic control tower which provides a view over the fence line. To get there, get on to Ross Smith Av from General Holmes Drive and head towards the long term car park area. You will eventually come to a cross road near the Avis rental car compound. Ross Smith Av becomes Perimeter Rd and continues int he same direction. You will come to an 'S' bend int he road then turn left at the next sealed roadway. Follow that roadway along and to the right, past the tower until the road ends. There you will see a dirt area with several small 'hills' or mounds which offer a great viewing area NEAR OLD TOWER If you want to get amazingly close to big aircraft as they taxi, then this is an excellent spot. Get onto General Holmes Drive and head away form the city, heading towards the south. Just after you pass though the tunnel under the main runway, there is a turn off to the left for the M5 tunnel. Stay on General Holmes Drive and go past this turn off. Immediately after the turn off there is a left turn lane that leads to 'Airservices Australia'. Turn left into this road and follow it around to the right. As you approach the water, take the next turn left and follow that roadway to the left again and continue past the old control tower as far as you can go. Once you reach the very end of this roadway, park somewhere and walk along the pathway that continues at the end fo the roadway. Walk along the path as far as it goes and you will come to the fenceline. Aircraft taxiing along this side of the airport come incredibly close to the fence and so can be very loud. On some days you can feel the heat from rear of the engines and the odd wiff of jet fuel. WARNING - Aircraft noise is very high at this location. RUNWAY 16L/34R If the thought of having an aircraft almost wipe your head clean off as it comes in to land is your idea of a good day of spotting, then this location is defintely a must. Drive along General Holmes Drive heading away from the city and going south. Take the turn off to Foreshore Rd. At the end of the turn off you will come to an intersection near Foreshore Road. Continue straight ahead towards the airport gate. Just after the intersection on your right you will see a small hill often referred to as 'the mound' Do not park on the same side of the road as the fence as this breaches the 3 metre rule. Although the sign states 'no stopping beyond this point', authorities often turn a blind eye if you park on the opposite side of the road to the fence. DO NOT drive up that hill, leave your car back down alongside the roadway. Step ladders should not be used on top of this hill because any structure on top of the mound actually breaches the height clearance required for aircraft approaching. Simply sitting or standing on top of the mound will give you an amazing view straight down the runway . WARNING - When aircraft land on runway 16L (from the north heading towards the south) they come in quite low and therefore noise levels are very high. FROM THE WEST Head along West Botany St in Banksia. On the east side of West Botany St is Barton Park, the entrance is opposite Spring St. Drive all the way down the road into Barton Park as far as it will go until you reach a barrier. Park there and walk to the left and follow the path till you come to a small hill. This will give you a view looking along runway 07/25 with aircraft flying overhead withe coming in to land or after take off. WARNING - Standing in some locations when aircraft are landing on runway 07 (from the west, heading east) aircraft do come in quite low and noise levels may be very high |
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| View from fence near old tower |
| Click on any photo to see a larger image of views from spotting locations |
| All photos on this page Copyright Jason Davis 2005 |
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| View from hill near control tower |
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| View from Ross Smith Avenue |
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| View from hill near Barton Park |
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| View of runway 34L from 'The Mound' |