DJI Mavic pilots - Australia

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Hmm, I wasn't planning to stay on the Gold Coast, maybe visit as a day trip from Brisbane.

Yes, pretty lenient compared to say BCC (Brisbane City Council).
Only thing with the Gold Coast is . . . people / vehicles.
Masses of 'em.

Footpaths, parklands, etc, but especially people on the beaches from say mid morning to dark, that's mid week.
Weekends probably packed a lot earlier with sunrise folk.

Of course this is seasonal, winter and shoulder month each side of winter is a lot quieter.

But I'm sure you will find some nice beach parks / areas to fly quietly for sunrise (the best perspective there on the east coast), some of the riverland parks, other such.

BCC only allow drone flights in very limited parks, see here . . .

Launching drones from Council parks

Some are probably ok, I went to Voyager Drive once, it was very ordinary and no use apart from say a test flight.

Moggil Ferry Reserve might be ok (though recent river flooding might have casued damage), and some of the other reserves might be nice enough.

The other Queensland advantage, you have some awesome National Parks in the area within reasonable distance in a hire car, say a 30km radius.
NE - D'Aguilar (south and north), Mt Mee area, some sort of loop drive around to the Glasshouse Mtns, Beerburrum State Forest.
West - Wivenhoe dam by following a lot of little detours in to the various Brisbane River reserves.
South - Very nice drives down through Mt Barney, Lamington NP (a favourite of mine from Binna Burra or O'Reilly side, a drive back to the Gold Coast via Nerang River roads.

Drive just about anywhere inland and you will find things to stop and film.

 

[Proppa]

Hi fellas,

new drone pilot from southeast Melbourne here. Just got a Mavic Air 2 and I‘m so looking forward to getting out of the city to fly it properly.

all the best

 

[wco81]

Some more answers.

Mornington Peninsula Shire:

The Shire has no regulatory control of drones in the municipality. Please refer to CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) for any enquires regarding drone use.

Port Phillip Council:

The answer is no as per the guidelines from CASA -

Drones come under the jurisdiction of the CASA (Civil Aviation safety Authority) not Council.

Seems like many councils defer to CASA and they interpret the CASA rules differently. Like this Port Phillip representative says no but the general CASA rules about keeping away from people makes it sound like under certain conditions, you should be able to observe the rules, even in normally busy areas.

 

[wco81]

Also asked Parks Victoria about Albert Park. They said even recreational flights require applying for a permit and paying fees.

Well those fees run from around 70 to 200 AUD per staff member per hour. That's for apparently processing the applications and maybe needing to have people on site to supervise what you're doing. That makes sense for professional pilots obviously because they will have these expenses covered.

 

[Proppa]

Also asked Parks Victoria about Albert Park. They said even recreational flights require applying for a permit and paying fees.

Well those fees run from around 70 to 200 AUD per staff member per hour. That's for apparently processing the applications and maybe needing to have people on site to supervise what you're doing. That makes sense for professional pilots obviously because they will have these expenses covered.

That’s actually better than what I thought it was. My understanding was that recreational drone pilots can’t even apply, as half of the form you need to submit would be empty (no project, no company, no license, etc etc) and they would not consider it.
If $70 per hr is counted against the time the drone is effectively airborne, than it is not that bad! Could be done once in a while…assuming your request gets approved

Thanks for the input!

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Albert Park is not Victoria Parks authority though.
Not sure why they simply wouldn't state that if approached by phone, email, or other way.

It is obviously Melbourne City Council, their drone policy for all municipality open space use of drones . . .

https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/sitecollectiondocuments/filming-rpa-drone-guidelines.pdf

That's ruling out recreational altogether.

 

[wco81]

Oh I'm not going to apply or pay fees, just wanted to gather info.

It's actually closer to St. Kilda than Melbourne isn't it?

So it's Port Phillip Council which would have authority but they said that particular park is under the domain of Parks Victoria.

It's a beautiful location, with the golf course, the waterway and the Melbourne CBD skyline in the background.

There are a couple of drone pics in Google Street View.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

It's actually closer to St. Kilda than Melbourne isn't it?

So it's Port Phillip Council which would have authority but they said that particular park is under the domain of Parks Victoria.

It is a nice parkland area for sure, and where the Australian Grand Prix has been run in recent years (since mid 90's ?).

Yes, I didn't bother checking city authority, as it is very close to Melbourne biz district, but it is in City of Port Phillip, and their drone policy is much easier . . .

Based on this . . .

Film and photography - City of Port Phillip

< click to enlarge

I would fly there no problems, perhaps just early morning (like early blue into golden hours) on weekdays to catch good light and avoid crowds.

SO blatantly unfair on commercial ops, they supposedly have the training and better knowledge / procedures etc at least, and they are made to apply for a permit.

 

[Proppa]

It is a nice parkland area for sure, and where the Australian Grand Prix has been run in recent years (since mid 90's ?).

Yes, I didn't bother checking city authority, as it is very close to Melbourne biz district, but it is in City of Port Phillip, and their drone policy is much easier . . .

Based on this . . .

Film and photography - City of Port Phillip

View attachment 152243 < click to enlarge

I would fly there no problems, perhaps just early morning (like early blue into golden hours) on weekdays to catch good light and avoid crowds.

SO blatantly unfair on commercial ops, they supposedly have the training and better knowledge / procedures etc at least, and they are made to apply for a permit.

It is Port Phillip indeed, and it is managed by Parks Victoria (see screenshot) so goes under their more rigid regulations (although it would be pretty easy to take off from just outside the park).
Beautiful location for sure though!

I was a bit south of there this morning and could squeeze a 15min flight in an empty area. My first flight outside the garden I just loved it. Should be able to extract a few decent seconds of footage.

Cheers

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

and it is managed by Parks Victoria

Well, that's quite amazing, never heard of a city park managed by one of the National Park type authorities.
I wonder why ? And if there are more such arrangements in Victoria or other states ?
Seems very odd.

 

[wco81]

So if you take off and land from outside the park, can you still fly over Albert Park or any other Parks Victoria park?

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

So if you take off and land from outside the park, can you still fly over Albert Park or any other Parks Victoria park?

Yes, according to any of our CASA apps.
Just the usual common metro heliport warning.

Funny enough though, no parks warning on the app as you usually get with Parks Victoria land, which leads me to think this simply is not a National Park so should / could be fine to fly ‘from’ as per usual (more lenient) council CASA guidelines as per previous posts.

Just because Parks Victoria for some strange reason manages this park doesn’t mean it’s subject to restrictions if other land spaces under its authority.
National Parks are a totally different ballgame.

 

[wco81]

Kind of confusing that there are National Parks and State Parks and also reserves and they're all managed by the State Parks agency.

There is no National Parks agency per se?

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Kind of confusing that there are National Parks and State Parks and also reserves and they're all managed by the State Parks agency.

There is no National Parks agency per se?

"Parks", by various names in each state manage National Parks as they see fit.
There is no really much uniformity, but in general 3 states / territories allow drones, the rest don't (or like NSW make it that hard it is impossible or impractical).
Then there are smaller areas, or ones not deemed national significance but are still important to a state . . . Conservation Parks, Recreation Parks (smaller natural reserves), Regional Reserves, there are various names for different types of protected areas in each state.

State Parks aren't usually officially called state parks, usually go by some of those various names.
Here in SA, we have Dept of Heritage (Environment & Water) and they have a blanket ban on drones across all National and minor land areas they look after.

In Victoria there are State Forests, you can usually access and fly in those.
QLD might have those too, most states will have some sort of forestry type areas, and these are usually managed by separate state identities.

AFAIK anything other than any of the official states "Parks" authorities you can fly in, but a quick Google can usually confirm.

(I thought) Albert Park would possibly be the only metro type park it is that falls under Parks Victoria authority, but I still think it might be ok to fly, not a National Park or state type park.

Albert Park

Jog, cycle or walk with your dog around Albert Park Lake - just 3km from the centre of Melbourne. And when you stop to catch your breath, take a moment to enjoy the magnificent views of the city skyline. This is the iconic home of the Australian Grand Prix.

www.parks.vic.gov.au

I clicked places to see, Albert Park seems to stand alone, not sure why it wouldn't be under Port Phillip council authority.

EDIT - I did just find a few more pockets of urban parks . . .

Urban parks

Science has proven the health benefits of getting into nature which is why ‘Healthy Parks, Healthy People’ has been the Parks Victoria philosophy for over a decade. Walk, jog, run or cycle in Melbourne’s picturesque urban parks. Play a game of footy or round of golf at Albert Park. Hire a row...

www.parks.vic.gov.au

Very odd, don't think any other states sees their parks depts looking after anything urban.

 

[Proppa]

"Parks", by various names in each state manage National Parks as they see fit.
There is no really much uniformity, but in general 3 states / territories allow drones, the rest don't (or like NSW make it that hard it is impossible or impractical).
Then there are smaller areas, or ones not deemed national significance but are still important to a state . . . Conservation Parks, Recreation Parks (smaller natural reserves), Regional Reserves, there are various names for different types of protected areas in each state.

State Parks aren't usually officially called state parks, usually go by some of those various names.
Here in SA, we have Dept of Heritage (Environment & Water) and they have a blanket ban on drones across all National and minor land areas they look after.

In Victoria there are State Forests, you can usually access and fly in those.
QLD might have those too, most states will have some sort of forestry type areas, and these are usually managed by separate state identities.

AFAIK anything other than any of the official states "Parks" authorities you can fly in, but a quick Google can usually confirm.

(I thought) Albert Park would possibly be the only metro type park it is that falls under Parks Victoria authority, but I still think it might be ok to fly, not a National Park or state type park.

Albert Park

Jog, cycle or walk with your dog around Albert Park Lake - just 3km from the centre of Melbourne. And when you stop to catch your breath, take a moment to enjoy the magnificent views of the city skyline. This is the iconic home of the Australian Grand Prix.

www.parks.vic.gov.au

I clicked places to see, Albert Park seems to stand alone, not sure why it wouldn't be under Port Phillip council authority.

EDIT - I did just find a few more pockets of urban parks . . .

Urban parks

Science has proven the health benefits of getting into nature which is why ‘Healthy Parks, Healthy People’ has been the Parks Victoria philosophy for over a decade. Walk, jog, run or cycle in Melbourne’s picturesque urban parks. Play a game of footy or round of golf at Albert Park. Hire a row...

www.parks.vic.gov.au

Very odd, don't think any other states sees their parks depts looking after anything urban.

yes, it was quite disappointing discovering that lots of the big nice urban parks are also managed by Parks Victoria, even if not a National Parks they can (and probably do) apply the same rules they have for flying in those.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

yes, it was quite disappointing discovering that lots of the big nice urban parks are also managed by Parks Victoria, even if not a National Parks they can (and probably do) apply the same rules they have for flying in those.

Probably right, tried finding more info, and this one came up . . . ok it's from 2018, but mentions Albert Park.

Preparing for take-off? You need a permit in a park - Bellarine Times

WITH an influx of drones expecting to take off in the days and weeks after Christmas, Parks Victoria has reminded visitors that launching and landing a drone is prohibited in the parks and reserves it manages across the state. The authority says drones have the potential to injure other park...

timesnewsgroup.com.au

 

[wco81]

Probably right, tried finding more info, and this one came up . . . ok it's from 2018, but mentions Albert Park.

Preparing for take-off? You need a permit in a park - Bellarine Times

WITH an influx of drones expecting to take off in the days and weeks after Christmas, Parks Victoria has reminded visitors that launching and landing a drone is prohibited in the parks and reserves it manages across the state. The authority says drones have the potential to injure other park...

timesnewsgroup.com.au

That article says launching and landing without permit is prohibited.

But the Parks Victoria official is citing things like risk of injury to people, bothering wildlife, etc. so I would think that would apply to launching and landing outside of parks and flying over parks as well, since the risks they cite as rationale would still be present.

Yeah 12 Apostles I can kind of see, because you have those tourist helicopters flying pretty low, the one time I visited there.

Grampians, looks pretty deserted but I can kind of see if drones are lost and you end up with a lot of litter of crashed drones in the forests.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

That article says launching and landing without permit is prohibited.

But the Parks Victoria official is citing things like risk of injury to people, bothering wildlife, etc. so I would think that would apply to launching and landing outside of parks and flying over parks as well, since the risks they cite as rationale would still be present.

Yeah 12 Apostles I can kind of see, because you have those tourist helicopters flying pretty low, the one time I visited there.

Grampians, looks pretty deserted but I can kind of see if drones are lost and you end up with a lot of litter of crashed drones in the forests.

Yes, and although Parks can't command any authority in the airspace over their land tenure, it brings up the common sense side of things, as well as knowing if there are any particular nesting or sensitive migrations going on.

Coupled to VLOS rules then that alone makes it pretty hard to fly any reasonable distance over any unauthorised parks (ground use, that is), so it'd be pretty rare to even be able to use the 'not operate on park lands' terminology.

12 Apostles are fewer now, not sure how long until they will all be gone, possibly in my lifetime still.
It's a beautiful coastline, but I find nothing too much more than much of our 34,000 kilometres of the rest of it.

The Grampians, a favourite bushwalking place of mine.
Have done some great walks there, and now there is a fairly new 160km Grand Peaks trail running north to south along the range peaks, doing that next year.
It's one place I'd probably leave the drone home, even though some of it is quite remote.

 

[Glenh]

Gday all, I am in Crows Nest - Sydney.

BTW if you navigate to the top of the page and hit the Members Map in the Members drop down menu you can see the location of all members in Australia. Tap any particular pin to see detail pf specific members.

 

[CaptainRisky]

I'm in Port Macquarie, NSW. Just spotted the Aussies section here.

Anyone around here?

I'm lucky as I've got a 140 acres of farm to fly on, and a friendly neighbor with a further 1100 acres. It's a great place to do this, and I use it already to check the cattle (they HATE the thing). But I do have a NP between us and the ocean.... what's the deal with flying over it?

I've got the latest version of restricted areas app. Does that work in Australia?