Australia 2019 Route

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Simon and I will be one of five aircraft following a route planned by good flying buddy Shelley Ross.  Ourselves, Shelley and her husband Pete in a Cessna 182 and three other aircraft will be joining and leaving a happy band of aviators as we all loosely follow the same route to the Kimbereley region and return - a bit like a Gypsies!

We collect the Cessna 172 aircraft we're hiring (VH-BAC), from Bathurst Aero Club on 14 August and have set a day aside for our check rides to satisfy the Australian licensing requirements and aircraft insurance, planning, aircraft preparation and shopping for any supplies we decide we need.

When we set off from Bathurst the following day we travel NW to our first overnight stay at Louth where we'll meet up with Shelley & Pete at Shindy's Inn, our first outback pub.  Shelley & Pete are great company so I'm looking forward to catching up with them and introducing them to Simon.

The following day we fly about 30mins NE to Bourke for fuel and then carry on to Charleville where we'll meet up with Steve, Lynne, Don and Suzie in Steve's Cessna 210 and Neil and Suzie in their Falco.  We'll be touring off and on with them all over the next few weeks.

As we cross into the northern half of the Australian continent heading for Longreach, the weather should begin to get warmer and more settled (fingers crossed).  Longreach is a great place that I've visited many times before.  We have two nights there which gives us time to visit the Qantas Founders Museum and Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame.  Although I've been to both these attractions before you always find something new to look at.

Leaving Longreach we've got a total of about 2.5 hours of flying as we track NW to Mt Isa for fuel and then turn north to Adels Grove.  Our track to Mt Isa passes the Combo Waterhole where it's reputed that Banjo Patterson wrote Waltzing Matilda.  Combo Waterhole looks like any other outback waterhole but is worth flying over to check for any jolly swagmen or any jumbuck drinking from the billabong!

Adels Grove is a favourite outback destination of mine as the bordering Lawn Hill National Park is a lovely oasis in a dry, harsh landscape with iconic Australian steep gorges of red rock.  Sadly, a fire destroyed Adel Grove's main reception, restaurant, bar and kitchen at the beginning of July.  However, we understand they remain open for business with a "bush bar and kitchen" setup.  That will be good to see.

After a night at Adels Grove, our track takes us to the northern most points on our route as we call into Borroloola for fuel  and carry onto Kununurra.  This will be one of our longest days of flying as we clock up 638nm in about 5.5 hours.

At Kununurra we pick up a rental and drive south to stay for two nights on the banks of Lake Argyle at the Lake Argyle Resort.  The resort looks very nice and I'm looking forward to the sunset cruise we have booked on the lake.

From Kununurra we head into my favourite part of Australia - the Kimberley Region.  This is about as beautiful and remote as it gets and the best way to take it all in is from the air.  Our route map shows that we'll fly from Kununurra to Derby - but that ain't the truth.  I intend to fly down the long Prince Regent Gorge out to the lovely islands and meandering waterways that comprise the Kimberley Coast before heading south to Derby.

At Derby we'll park our aircraft up for a night and catch a float-plane out to the Horizontal Falls.  Staying on floating accommodation anchored close by will allow us to experience the falls when they're running at their peak.  David Attenborough has described the Horizontal Falls as "one of the greatest wonders of the natural world".  They are formed from a 25 metre gap in the ranges between two large coastal inlets. The large tidal variation on the Kimberley Coast creates the falls as seawater builds up faster on one side of the gap than the other, creating a waterfall up to 5m high on a spring tide. With each change of the tide, the direction of the falls reverses, creating vast tidal whirlpools.  I've flown over the falls several times and they're impressive.  It will be great fun roaring through them in a powerful boat.

Returning to Derby we fly onto the Mornington Wilderness Camp for some "eco-glamping" within a wildlife sanctuary.  We have two nights at the camp and it will be great to stretch our legs on some long walks and dine under the stars far, far away from city lights where the night sky is spectacular.

After a few days in remote locations it's off to the hustle and bustle of Broome (I'm joking) where it will be good to sit on the beach and watch the sun set (surprising quickly) with a drink in my hand.  There's lots of interesting history in Broome associated with the pearl industry that I'm looking forward to exploring with Simon.

Having learnt a bit about the history of pearling in Broome, we then head north on a 1 hour flight to Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm on the Dampier Peninsular to stay on a modern working pearl farm.  I've stayed on the Dampier Peninsular before (at Cape Leveque) and this Kimberley coastal region is beautiful.  White, sandy beaches and a warm semi-tropical climate makes a stay here idyllic.  We may never come home.

After a week in the Kimberley, sadly, we'll have to leave it behind as we point our aircraft to the SE and begin the long trek back to Bathurst through the middle of the continent.

Our route will take us from Halls Creek over the Wolfe Creek Crater (big big hole in the ground) to Ayers Rock.  This will be a big day of flying over 500nm as we call into Ayers Rock for fuel and carry on to Curtin Springs.  The overnight aircraft parking charges and accommodation at Ayers Rock are a bit pricey so we've decided not to overnight at Ayers Rock.  However, we will fly the tourist route around Uluru before parking up for the night at the Curtin Springs roadhouse.

Ayers Rock Scenic Flight Route

Leaving Curtin Springs we continue SE to William Creek for fuel.  This remote outback settlement (population 10) is where my son, Andrew got his first commercial flying job flying tourists over Lake Eyre.  I've stayed there several times and love its remoteness.

The Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary is our next stop. Arkaroola is a geological sanctuary in the Northern Flinders Ranges and boasts some of the oldest rocks in the world.  It's dry, dusty but spectacular.  The Ridgetop Tour is an amazing half-day 4WD tour that is not to be missed and always results in new found respect for the Toyota Landcruiser.

Our final stop on this trip is at Broken Hill where I expect we'll take a look at the very good Royal Flying Doctor museum and their art galleries before heading back to Bathurst the following day.

The planned route is 4,577m (8,476km) although might be a little higher with the obligatory scenic diversions particularly in the Kimberley region.  At 115kts (213km/h) our flight time is expected to be around 40 - 45hrs.

I can't wait - bring it on!