Diary of an aviation nut: A dose of conservation

Returning from the Horizontal Falls we had a lazy afternoon and pleasant overnight stay in Derby. The following day we then had a short flight to Mornington Wilderness Camp (MWC). It was stinking hot in Derby as we left and was a pleasure to climb to 5,500ft and cooler air. However, it was just as hot, if not hotter, on our arrival at MWC.

MWC is run by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC). They are largely funded by fundraising and philanthropic donations with some assistance from Government to allow them to manage 3.9 million hectares of conservation land at 29 locations throughout Australia. MWC is one of the seven sanctuaries AWC manage in the Kimberley and the base of their Kimberley operations. Their influence in the Kimberley extends across 4.3 million hectares. In addition AWC also coordinates an EcoFire project which delivers a prescribed burning program across 3 million hectares in the central and northern Kimberley. This is the largest non-Government managed fire program in Australia,

MWC is a 320,000 hectare property that was formerly a cattle station. Over the last 15 years it has been progressively de-stocked and left to return to its natural state. Part of the land management involves controlled burning at the beginning of the dry season, when the ground is still moist. Early burning reduces the fuel load so big fires can’t develop later in the dry season. They’ve had considerable success at MWC with regenerating flora and fauna and rescuing species which are near extinction. It’s a mind boggling job when you consider the size of the land they manage and their objective to return that land back to its pre-European state.

Our two night stay was in eco-tents in a gorgeous setting. It gets very cold at night (near zero) but the beds are very comfy with heavy blankets - I was as “snug as a bug in a rug”. The nights are noisy with critters sniffing and snuffling around and you can’t sleep-in for long as the dawn bird song wakes you early.

On the full day we had a MWC we were taken on a tour to Dimond Gorge by a exhaustingly enthusiastic young guide who really knew her stuff. The gorge was a beautiful, peaceful spot and I thoroughly enjoyed the 3km or so that we canoed down its calm waters. Our paddle was followed by a refreshing swim where we collected the canoes from.

This area is known for its geology and there’s impressive examples of rock folding that occurred when the sedimentary rock was thrust up and “bent” as two continental plates collided millions of years ago. Most of the rock around here is red and, together with the folding, displays some great patterns.

We’ve really enjoyed our time in this beautiful, peaceful spot. The AWC team at MWC are to be commended for their conservation work.

Leg Summary:

Route: Derby (YDBY) - Mornington Station (YMNT)

Distance: 141nm (261km)

Time: 1.5hrs

Alt: 5,500ft