The Yerranderie airstrip was first used by pioneering aviation legend Jim Hazelton in the 1960’s and has been used by private and commercial aircraft operators on a regular basis ever since. Information on the politics and legislation surrounding the airstrip is HERE.
Valerie Lhuede had commenced running a tourist operation at Yerranderie in the 1960’s and many of her guests flew to Yerranderie by small charter aircraft. Prior to her donating her land to National Parks in 2011, she was personally engaging Curtis Aviation at Camden Airport to fly her in and out many times each year. She also had an apartment at Milsons Point where she shared her time. Here is the “How to get here” section from Val’s 1990’s Yerranderie advertising brochure. The full brochure is HERE.
Curtis Aviation at Camden have traditionally been the aviation operator providing services to Yerranderie. Below is the section of their 1980’s advertising brochure describing their commercial operations to and from Yerranderie. The complete flyer is HERE.
Here is a quote by Valerie Lhuede from her book ” Valued Memories of a Happy Life”
All the pilots I arranged to ferry me into Yerranderie knew one another. For many years, Jim Hazelton in his famous Cessna flew me in from Bankstown to Yerranderie’s tiny grass airstrip, until he had heart problems and was unable to get a licence to do so any more. He introduced me to Bob Curtis, secretary of the Camden Aero club. Bob and his wife Shirley took on the task…. Later, Trevor Cullen flew me in from Stafford Bullen’s airstrip at his Lion Park at Warragamba.
In the late 1980’s and 1990’s Trevor Cullen (leaning on the plane in this photo) was a resident of Yerranderie and regularly flew to and from Yerranderie.
In 2007 a Sydney Morning Herald story on Yerranderie included this information:
GETTING THERE
By air, with Curtis Aviation, Hangar 56, Camden Airport. The cost, per aircraft holding three people, is $300 one way. An individual, one way, is $200. The trip takes 20 minutes. See http://www.curtisaviation.com.au.
Curtis Aviation at Camden have been regularly using the airstrip since the 1970’s up until 2021.
….and of course aviation legend Jim Drinnan was regularly behind the controls on trips to Yerranderie.
From the early 2000’s up until 2012, Yerranderie resident Charles Dalgliesh flew his Pipistrel light aircraft to and from Yerranderie. This video below shows him landing at Yerranderie in 2007.