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Sydney Airport: Difference between revisions
→Other Spotting Locations: added qf drive spot
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To get to The Beach travelling west on General Holmes Drive (from the east side of the airport), continue along until you pass through the tunnel under 16R/34L. Exiting the tunnel, stay in the lane in which you can either go left (for the M5) or straight (for General Holmes Drive). Go straight, and immediately after the M5 entrances branches off to the left there is a small left turn lane which leads into an Airservices Australia facility. Turn left into there, then turn right around the buildings in front of you, then left (continuing around the buildings) and then left again. There should be a carpark straight ahead of you, in which you park. For carpark spotting (see photography info below), stay put. Otherwise, head towards the bushes at the far end of the carpark and follow the fenceline there until you reach a cleared area and another fence preventing further forward progress - this is The Beach fenceline area. To get to The Beach travelling east on General Holmes Drive, look for a small turnoff to your left after passing over the Endeavour Bridge. This leads to the Airservices Australia area, at which point you can skirt around the buildings to the carpark following the directions outlined above. There is no way to get to The Beach going east on the M5, so you need to pass through the tunnel under the runway, turn around, and following the directions for travelling west on General Holmes Drive. | To get to The Beach travelling west on General Holmes Drive (from the east side of the airport), continue along until you pass through the tunnel under 16R/34L. Exiting the tunnel, stay in the lane in which you can either go left (for the M5) or straight (for General Holmes Drive). Go straight, and immediately after the M5 entrances branches off to the left there is a small left turn lane which leads into an Airservices Australia facility. Turn left into there, then turn right around the buildings in front of you, then left (continuing around the buildings) and then left again. There should be a carpark straight ahead of you, in which you park. For carpark spotting (see photography info below), stay put. Otherwise, head towards the bushes at the far end of the carpark and follow the fenceline there until you reach a cleared area and another fence preventing further forward progress - this is The Beach fenceline area. To get to The Beach travelling east on General Holmes Drive, look for a small turnoff to your left after passing over the Endeavour Bridge. This leads to the Airservices Australia area, at which point you can skirt around the buildings to the carpark following the directions outlined above. There is no way to get to The Beach going east on the M5, so you need to pass through the tunnel under the runway, turn around, and following the directions for travelling west on General Holmes Drive. | ||
There are two main spots for photography: the fenceline, and the carpark. The fenceline gets you close to 16R and 34L departures, and can afford some decent angles of 34L arrivals. Taxiway Alpha movements are excellent from the fenceline, with other taxiway movements behind the runway visible but not ideal. A relatively tall ladder is essential for fenceline spotting in order to see above the fence. Be sure to keep your ladder at least three meters from the fence, as airport security will probably ask you to move it back if it too close. If you don't have a ladder, there is a large rock at the edge of the bushes which you can stand on, however this only helps a little. The carpark affords views of 16R and 34L departures and 34L landings. A ladder is not required. Lighting for photography is best in the afternoon and evening. The approximate required focal length for fenceline photography is 15 to 20mm for wideangle shots of aircraft approaching on taxiway Alpha, and 160 to 400mm for everything else (though 200mm is still fine as a maximum). For carpark photography, the approximate required focal length is 200 to 500mm. | There are two main spots for photography: the fenceline, and the carpark. The fenceline gets you close to 16R and 34L departures, and can afford some decent angles of 34L arrivals. Taxiway Alpha movements are excellent from the fenceline, with other taxiway movements behind the runway visible but not ideal. A relatively tall ladder is essential for fenceline spotting in order to see above the fence. Be sure to keep your ladder at least three meters from the fence, as airport security will probably ask you to move it back if it too close. If you don't have a ladder, there is a large rock at the edge of the bushes which you can stand on, however this only helps a little. The carpark affords views of 16R and 34L departures and 34L landings. A ladder is not required. Lighting for photography is best in the afternoon and evening. The approximate required lens focal length for fenceline photography is 15 to 20mm for wideangle shots of aircraft approaching on taxiway Alpha, and 160 to 400mm for everything else (though 200mm is still fine as a maximum). For carpark photography, the approximate required focal length is 200 to 500mm. | ||
Sample photos from The Beach fenceline: | Sample photos from The Beach fenceline: | ||
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Photo from The Beach carpark of spotters at the fenceline: | Photo from The Beach carpark of spotters at the fenceline: | ||
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===Qantas Drive=== | |||
Qantas Drive is an awe-inspiring spot to watch aircraft as they scream over your head on final for 16R, only 20 meters above you. At the very least, be sure to come here to experience a 747 approach - it is guaranteed to blow you away (figuratively, of course)! As well as 16R approaches there is a good view of 34L departures from Qantas Drive, though it is nowhere near as exciting as the former. Note that the gate to the small parking area for this spot may occasionally be closed. | |||
To get to the Qantas Drive spot driving east on Airport Drive (which turns into Qantas Drive), continue past the International Terminal (heading towards the Domestic terminals) until you see a small grass area and a yellow gate on the left. Turn into this area and park on the grass, out of the way of the entrance. To get to the spot driving west on Qantas/Airport Drive, you need to continue past the domestic terminals, past the Qantas Jetbase, and past the spot itself (you cannot turn right into it). Drive up through the arrivals drop-off area for the International terminal and loop back around to return to Qantas/Airport Drive travelling east. At this stage, you continue until you see the aforementioned yellow fence on the left and turn into the grass area. If the gate to the grass parking area is closed, you will need to walk a fair distance either from the International Terminal arrivals carpark (the expensive, but slightly easier option) or from street parking around the St. George Rowing Club in Arncliffe. | |||
You can take photos from two main locations on Qantas Drive. Shooting from the grass area where you park allows side shots of 16R approaches and 34L departures. On a still day, you can try artistic reflection photos of 16R approaches using nearby Sheas Creek. For straight-overhead photos of 16R approaches or 34L departures, you need to walk west along the footpath that runs along Qantas drive until you are in line with the 16R approach lighting. Photography at Qantas Drive is best in the morning. The approximate required lens focal length is 80 to 300mm at the grass parking area, anything less than 20mm for wideangle 16R approach shots from the straight-overhead spot, and 70 to 200mm for 34L departures. | |||
Sample photos from Qantas Drive: | |||
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A view of Qantas Drive from the opposite side of the road as the main spot: | |||
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===Shep's Hill (Tower Mound)=== | ===Shep's Hill (Tower Mound)=== | ||
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To get to Shep's Hill, get onto Ross Smith Avenue (the road that skirts the eastern side of the airport, parallel to General Holmes Drive) travelling south, away from the domestic terminals. You will pass the helicopter pads on the right, followed shortly by the [http://www.airsidetarmactours.com Airside Tarmac Tours] office on the left. Continue on the road past the long term carpark and the various rental car lots, around a few sharp jogs in the road, until you reach the fenceline below the Tower (at which point you'll see Shep's Hill). You can park pretty much anywhere on the grass below or on the hill, though as always be sure to stay at least three meters from the fence and just generally keep out of the way of any other vehicles. | To get to Shep's Hill, get onto Ross Smith Avenue (the road that skirts the eastern side of the airport, parallel to General Holmes Drive) travelling south, away from the domestic terminals. You will pass the helicopter pads on the right, followed shortly by the [http://www.airsidetarmactours.com Airside Tarmac Tours] office on the left. Continue on the road past the long term carpark and the various rental car lots, around a few sharp jogs in the road, until you reach the fenceline below the Tower (at which point you'll see Shep's Hill). You can park pretty much anywhere on the grass below or on the hill, though as always be sure to stay at least three meters from the fence and just generally keep out of the way of any other vehicles. | ||
Photography, as mentioned above, isn't particularly unique at Shep's Hill. However, if you're content with side-on shots, it's fine. Photographic opportunities comprise 16R arrivals, 34L arrivals and departures, and taxiway Bravo and taxiway Charlie movements (among others). Shots of 07 arrivals and 25 departures are possible, but not ideal (especially in summer when there is a large amount of heat haze). Lighting for photography is best in the morning. The approximate | Photography, as mentioned above, isn't particularly unique at Shep's Hill. However, if you're content with side-on shots, it's fine. Photographic opportunities comprise 16R arrivals, 34L arrivals and departures, and taxiway Bravo and taxiway Charlie movements (among others). Shots of 07 arrivals and 25 departures are possible, but not ideal (especially in summer when there is a large amount of heat haze). Lighting for photography is best in the morning. The approximate lens focal length required is 70 to 300mm. | ||
Sample photos from Shep's Hill: | Sample photos from Shep's Hill: | ||