Diary of an aviation nut: Saying goodbye to the Kimberley

Our stay in Cygnet Bay was great, we enjoyed a nice dinner and, although it was hot, we slept comfortably in our eco-tent.

A fine red dust dominates the Cygnet Bay airstrip. Despite our best efforts, it was hard to avoid our aircraft getting covered in red dust both inside (off bags and shoes) and outside during taxiing and take-off.

ZK-LDY taking off from Cygnet Bay (*)

Our flight south from Cygnet Bay to Broome took about an hour and was along the west coast of the Dampier Peninsular along beautiful white sandy beaches. Broome is a staging place for people going to the various resorts and towns on the Peninsular and so we had to be more mindful of other air traffic outside controlled airspace than we've needed to be so far on this trip. Interestingly, VFR aircraft in Australia generally do not require ADSB-Out so I can't rely on my aircraft instruments to give me an early warning of aircraft in my vicinity.

In planning this trip one thing we had overlooked was the Australian school calendar. In the first half of July, most schools are closed for the holidays. As the weather is warm and settled in the north, many families have packed the car and driven distances that defy basic mathematics. The result? Trying to find a room for the night has become a competitive sport. We wanted to have a break and stay two nights in Broome and check out the pearling industry history and have a swim on Cable Beach. But, after much ringing around and many internet searches, we could only find accommodation for one night. The place we found was nice and had a great pool so we didn't stray far from there.

Andrew, John and I are now getting pretty slick at planning our departures and route (normally over breakfast) and when arriving at the aircraft, getting them untied and uncovered, packed and completing our pre-flight checks. Many airports we've visited have mobile Avgas tankers that come to you when you call them by phone or on the radio. That also makes getting away quick as you don't have to taxi somewhere for fuel, shutdown, fuel and start up again for departure.

As we left Broome on 11 July it was with a heavy heart. I really love the Kimberley area (as you can probably tell by now) and I wonder whether I'll ever get to come back. I hope so before I have to hang up my headset.