Lake Keepit Soaring Club is Australia’s only 365 day-a-year soaring operation and one of Australia’s best known sites for cross country soaring It is the second-largest Aussie club by membership. Located on the edge of Lake Keepit and within the grounds of the Lake Keepit State Park, the club is known for its welcoming atmosphere, 7 day a week training and rewarding cross country flying.
January is the height of the Aussie soaring summer and conditions at Lake Keepit should be just strong as they were in 2019. From John Good’s notes during the pre-Worlds one day: “All pilots completed their 3-hour Area tasks and collectively achieved the best average speeds of the contest. Sarah had a very good day (374 km at 118 kph), finishing third, just one point out of second.
Lake Keepit has thus far delivered the kind of soaring conditions that the most optimistic would have hoped for: lots of heat, plenty of cumulus clouds with high bases (often reaching 9000’ above valley elevations), strong lift and thus excellent cross-country speeds. This is largely attributable to a serious drought currently plaguing much of eastern Australia.
The local lake gives stark evidence of this: it’s currently a huge, mostly dry depression filled with both grassy plains and extensive smooth dirt. At its lowest point lies a minor body of water, a few hundred acres in area and probably with a maximum depth not much more than 20 feet. Large number of pelicans are found here; presumably, the remaining fish are still enough to keep them fed, and are likely easier to catch than when dispersed throughout a
much larger body of water.
Farmers, ranchers and probably many others are no doubt hoping this drought will soon come to an end. Glider pilots are (quietly) hoping it continues. “
Australia can produce some of the world’s best flatland flying, and our Team is raring to go!
