Portsea

Portsea, on the tip of Victoria's Mornington Peninsula near Melbourne, is a Mornington Peninsula National Park coastal site — respect the environment. The etiquette is straightforward: take off cleanly from the ramp, land on the beach, and return via the main access track — NO scrambling up and down the cliffs or dunes. The path from the car park leads to a glider set-up area sheltered on the right and the synthetic-turf takeoff ramp on the left; aim to be airborne about 1 m before the end of the ramp.

Launch & conditions

Path from the car park leads to a glider set-up area (out of the wind on the right) and a synthetic-turf takeoff ramp on the left. Aim to be airborne about 1 m before the end of the ramp.

Getting there & local rules

Access via the main track only — NO scrambling up and down the cliffs or dunes. Landings: on the beach, then return via the main access track.

Local rules & hazards

Site sits inside Mornington Peninsula National Park — respect the environment; access is strictly on the marked track. Rotor behind London Bridge is a real danger — more than one glider has crashed there. At high tide there's no landing area on the beach in some sections. The points between the bays are hazardous and become worse if the run is attempted in wind that is not off to the right at takeoff — a landing mid-run means a long hard walk out, and help may be slow to arrive if you're injured.

Check conditions before you fly

A forecast for the valley is not a forecast for the launch. Before heading to Portsea, read the wind and thermals for the site itself, confirm the day's rules with the local club, and remember the standing rule — when in doubt, don't launch. In the free OutDare app you can open Portsea with a 7-day forecast built from high-resolution weather models, see who else has been flying, and get there with offline maps.