Paragliding Bells Beach Jarosite

Torquay, Australia offers a unique paragliding experience with its coastal soaring opportunities. The site is occasionally used but provides a very nice coastal soaring experience with some potential for cross-country (XC) flights. **Bells Beach - Jarosite:** - **Coastal Cliffs:** Elevation ranges from 30 to 75 meters above sea level. - **Wind Direction:** Best flown in E-SE winds. - **Launch Site:** Winkipop launch is suitable for advanced hang gliders (HG). For paragliders (PG), the takeoff at Jarosite is at 75 meters above sea level and is rated as supervised. To reach this launch, drive west past the Southside carpark turnoff for about 400 meters until you see a dirt turnout with a walking track. Follow the track until you come to a meeting of five tracks and take the leftmost one to launch. **Landing:** - Paragliders can topland on Southside. In emergencies, hang gliders can topland on Winkipop launch (in front of the road and fence). Otherwise, land on the beaches. Southside is the closest but can disappear at high tide. Jan Juc at the surf life-saving club to the east and Pt Addis to the west offer somewhat larger beaches. Hang gliders generally aim to reach at least Anglesea, often encountering sizeable unlandable sections along the way. **Flight:** - The first flights to Apollo Bay were achieved in the early 1990s and are now a regular occurrence in firm Easterlies. These flights have not yet been achieved in paragliders, although the local distance record is being broken each season. The flight is challenging in various places, so it is recommended to attempt it with another experienced flyer. **Hazards/Comments:** - There are minimal landing areas available along the entire coast run, especially at high tide, so treat this run with extreme caution. Popular beaches will always have people on them regardless of the weather conditions. It is recommended that all pilots fly with instruments and UHF radio on channel 16. Be warned, even highly experienced inland XC pilots have encountered difficulties on this run. **Location:** - Overlooking the famous surf beach near Torquay. Refer to Melways Map 93, F7. **Contact:** - Dynasoarers: Rob van der Klooster (0408 335 559), Peter Hannah (03 5263 2335), Jan Bennewitz (0423 139 923). For more information, you may want to reach out to the local paragliding community or visit relevant paragliding forums and websites.