If you've read this far, you've been with me on a wonderful adventure. In this post I've recorded my final thoughts and recorded the key statistics associated with this REALLY Big Trip to and around Australia.
Actual Track
Our actual track is shown below but doesn't include the many meanderings off track to take in the wonderful sights and features we passed over:
The places we landed, distances and times are detailed in the The REALLY Big Trip Route Log.
Photo dump
Andrew has generously allowed me to share the gallery he's assembled which includes the photos he took on our trip. They're all superb.
Some thoughts - in no particular order ...
When I sold my business and had the time to tackle a REALLY Big Trip like this, I was prepared to do it on my own. A nomadic adventure in Australia doing my own thing appealed. When Andrew and John expressed interest in joining me that was welcomed as it's always good to fly with friends. Crossing the Tasman Sea is a serious undertaking and it was good to have them assist with the planning for that and their company, albeit in another aircraft, during the crossings.
It's also fun to share experiences with others and we all got on well even after spending a month together. The only tension between us was when we tried to work out what timezone we were in and what the local time was!
Andrew is a superb photographer and I'm grateful for the photographs and video he's shared with me and allowed me to use in this blog.
A trip of this type requires flexibility and resourcefulness. There's a continual series of problems to be worked through and solved. Some big, some small. We tackled border issues and bureaucracy, aircraft problems in remote places, unfamiliar procedure and airspace challenges, new airfields, problems getting accommodation, and, of course, weather. I'm sure those issues have all contributed to our growth as pilots.
One thing we didn't realise until just before we left New Zealand was the Australian School Holidays occur in the first two weeks of July 2026. That presented some challenges getting accommodation in places but also forced us to change our plans for the better. Interesting and lovely Groote Eylandt was one place we stayed because we couldn't get accommodation at a planned stop. We never booked any accommodation more than 1 - 2 days in advance so our plans had to be necessarily fluid. That was part of the fun.
Due to our fuel endurance, it was necessary for us to land at Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands as we crossed the Tasman. Both islands are great and we enjoyed our stays there.
However, the bureaucracy associated with our arrivals and departures was way over the top due to each island's governance status. Lord Howe Island is governed by New South Wales, which means it’s a very pretty outpost of the Sydney bureaucracy — paradise with paperwork. Norfolk Island is an Australian external territory, which is a polite way of saying Canberra is in charge but the island still likes to pretend it’s semi‑independent, especially when it comes to anything involving forms.
To land at each island you have to notify and seek permission from the Australian Border Force (ABF) and Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry (DAFF). Their websites are bottomless bureaucratic wormholes — the kind where you wander around for weeks, clicking links that lead to more links, until you start questioning your life choices. We spent ages trying to figure out which forms were required, who needed them, and which department actually cared. Even the ABF and DAFF staff couldn’t agree on the rules; it was like watching two pilots trying to agree if high wing or low wing aircraft are best.
For example, on the way home across the Tasman, the Norfolk Island ABF gave us a proper telling‑off for not having a Certificate of Clearance from Lord Howe Island … which was fascinating, because we never saw an ABF officer on Lord Howe, despite dutifully notifying them of our arrival. It's a bureaucratic shambles.
Since being home I've been asked by several people which part of the trip I enjoyed the most. That's tough to answer.
For emotional and family reasons the absolute highlight was flying Thunderbird 6 into Aldinga airfield in Adelaide to be greeted by Grandchildren Arlo (nearly 7) and Annabelle (5) waving enthusiastically will be a memory I will keep for a long time. That and then taking them for their first ride in a light aircraft a few days later was so special.
The Kimberley region in NW Australia is a beautiful beautiful place to fly. So remote with dozens of small islands set in an crystal clear azure sea it's stunning. I've flown in that area 3 or 4 times and will never tire of it.
Shark Bay on the mid Western Australian Coast was unexpectedly beautiful and the many pods of whales we saw frolicking off the coast was cool.
Remote Forrest airport on the Nullarbor Plain is somewhere I've wanted to spend time since first briefly stopping at in 2009. We all thoroughly enjoyed that stop, the hospitality of the manager Allan and his wife Donna and the time we spent learning about Forrest's railway and aviation history.
All in all it's been a wonderful adventure. Until next time ... 😉
The REALLY Big Trip Insights
Dates: 29 June - 30 July 2026 (incl)
Flight hours: 78.2
Unique airfields visited: 32
Landings: 42
Total track miles from Paraparaumu airfield: 9,510nm (17,612km) - doesn't include meandering and exploring!
Total fuel: 2,361 litres
Total fuel cost: Don't know and not adding it up!
