This landout site is best only used if you want to be towed out again with a tow plane because a road retrieve will be difficult (closed gates, locked gates, train tracks, boggy ground) and take a long time. In the first map below you can see the location of L125 relative to some of the other landout sites and nearby lakes. L125 is directly north of Purple Hill. The white rectangle shows the area of the second (detailed) map. The yellow numbers on the second map correspond the numbers below the other photos so you know where each photo was taken.
This landout site consists of 2 parts, the first – southern – part has direction 122/302 and is about 450 meters long. The second part – northern – is directly connected to the first part but differs in angle by 30 degrees making it’s direction 152/332, it’s also noticeably longer, about 600 meters. At the southern end of the southern part there are overhead power lines (shown as a red line on the detailed map), make sure if landing from the south-east that you are high enough to make it past the power lines!
The white rectangle is the area in the map below this one, note the close proximity to other landout sites that are definitely preferred over this oneIn green the 2 parts that make up this landout site, the red line is an overhead power line, the blue line are train tracks1. Entrance to the landout site from across the road, looking south-west, purple hill in the background2. First obstacle when doing a road retrieve: a locked gate3. Second obstacle: train tracks, the photo doesn’t really show it but the gravelly bit leading to and from the actual tracks is quite steep4. And trains do drive here so you don’t want to get stuck when towing a trailer over the crossing4. Turned 180 degrees from the previous photo you see the third obstacle : boggy ground, good luck towing a trailer through there, especially on the way outThe gate you see in the previous picture but now from the other side, and yes, it’s lockedA little further past the gate, another obstacle that might be difficult to cross with a trailer5. Yet another obstacle but this time when coming in to land: overhead power lines, make sure you are high enough to make it past these5. The power lines again5. Looking north-west6. Looking north-east7. Near the end of the southern part, looking north-west, you can see how a little further it makes a (30 degree) turn to the right7. Looking south-eastL125 from the air, when landing late in the day you will have the sun straight in your face, the view is likely what you would see on finals if landing in the southern part, notice the power lines!The 30 degree bend followed by the northern partThe northern part of this landout site, preferable over the southern part because it doesn’t have power lines crossing it and it’s longer, but… in case of a road retrieve and unable to get a trailer on the field it will be more work to get the glider towards the southern end where the trailer will likely end up somewhereView from higher up, L136 is just beyond the little lake you see, if you can easily make it there, it might be the wiser choiceNotice the power lines and boggy part again, Craigieburn Range in the background
