Menindee, AU 🇦🇺 Closed Airport
AU-0484
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200 ft
AU-NSW
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: -32.78078° N, 142.42492° E
Continent: OC
Type: Closed Airport
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Unknown. As a private pastoral station airstrip, it did not have an official, documented closure date. It likely fell into disuse gradually over many years, possibly in the late 20th or early 21st century, as its operational need declined. Satellite imagery confirms it has been abandoned for a significant period.
Economic and logistical obsolescence. The airstrip was a private facility serving Tolarno Station. Its closure is attributable to a combination of factors common to such remote airstrips: improved road transport to the region, the high cost of aircraft operation and maintenance, and changes in the station's ownership or operational model that removed the need for a private air link. The closure was not the result of a specific incident, accident, or military conversion.
The site is completely abandoned and unusable for aviation. High-resolution satellite imagery shows the faint, overgrown outlines of two intersecting dirt runways. The land has reverted to scrub and is now indistinguishable from the surrounding pastoral landscape of Tolarno Station. There are no remaining aviation facilities like hangars or fuel depots.
The airstrip's significance was entirely local and logistical, providing a critical connection for the vast and isolated Tolarno Station. In its active years, it would have been essential for:
- **Personnel Transport:** Moving station owners, managers, and specialized staff (like shearers or mechanics) quickly to and from regional centers like Broken Hill or Mildura.
- **Supply Chain:** Flying in urgent mail, perishable goods, and critical spare parts for farm equipment.
- **Emergency Services:** Potentially used by the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) for medical emergencies, providing a much faster alternative to ground transport.
Operations would have exclusively involved light general aviation aircraft, such as single-engine Cessnas and Pipers, capable of landing on short, unpaved runways.
There are no known plans or prospects for reopening this airstrip. The logistical need for a private strip at this specific location is considered non-existent. The nearby public Menindee Airport (ICAO: YMED) serves the general aviation needs of the wider region. Re-establishing the Tolarno Station airstrip would require significant investment for clearing, grading, and marking, with no apparent economic or practical justification.
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