CLOCKWISE AROUND OZ 2012

Around Oz in theUGlyDuckling June July 2012

The title photo (above) was taken last year (2011) after landing on Lord Howe Island to commence the flight from this eastern-most Australian airfield (Lord Howe Island) to the western-most, a small strip on Dirk Hartog Island, just west of Shark Bay, W.A.

(That flight-story can be seen on the blog archive; and follows the flight in 2010 from the northern-most Oz airfield on Boigu Island, Torres Strait, to the southern-most at Bathurst Harbour, South West Tasmania).

Planning is now finalised for the next marathon flight in theUGlyDuckling.  The aircraft is a 1975 Cessna 172M, registered VH-UGD and hence the name. After all, in the nursery rhyme the duckling turned into a beautiful swan.  The pilots are Alan Elliot and John Livsey. John has flown for many years and has built and flies a Zenith Zodiac, VH-JNL based at Kyneton, and will share the flying in theUGlyDuckling with Alan, who has owned and flown this aircraft for over  25 years. 

Alan is a long time member, Committee member and past-President of the Kyneton Aero Club, http://www.kynetonaeroclub.org/ and reciprocal member of the Bendigo Flying Clubhttp://bendigoflyingclub.blogspot.com.au/ and a volunteer pilot with Angel Flight Australia http://www.angelflight.org.au/ 

John is also a member of Kyneton Aero Club and is on the National Council of the Sports Aircraft Association of Australia, http://www.saaa.com/ 

The flight will leave from Kyneton,Victoria on 6thJune 2012 and travel clockwise, visiting many iconic outback places, returning mid-July.

The Google Earth map shows the proposed landing points, but these will be flexible at all times and may alter as the journey proceeds

ALAN

JOHN

Heading west, the Nullabor Motel/Truckstop/Airport close to the coast of the Great Australian Bight; the railway settlement of Forrest with a resident population of two; the old mining town of Mount Magnet; and the gold and nickel township of Leonora (Population 400).

On to Shark Bay and the islands of the Francois Peron National Park on the far western central coast; Marble Bar, Australias' hottest town, which in the 1920's set a world record for the greatest number of consecutive days with a temperature over 100F ---- 160 days!!  

Then heading further north to the tourist town of Broome with its pristine beaches and pearling history; and then inland to Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek in the vast and remote Kimberley wilderness. 

Turning north again via Kununurra to the modern city of Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory, followed by a short hop over to Bathurst Island, a member of the Tiwi group of islands. 

Then via Jabiru to Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpenteria, part of the Arnhem Land Aboriginal reserve; and a renowned sports fishing spot for marlin, sailfish, tuna and Spanish mackerel. Next, tracking south westwards to Daly Waters with its huge World War 2 airfield and renowned outback pub! Then eastwards again to Adels Grove, Normanton and Undara National Park with its unusual lava formations from an ancient volcano, and the airstrip at 2,500 feet above sea level.

Further south through Queendslands' outback towns of Hughenden, Windorah and Cunnamulla; and the New South Wales opal mining settlement of Lightning Ridge, before heading home through Narromine and Griffith.

Follow us as we fly around this great country taking in the vast vistas from between 7000 and 9000 feet, and imagine the taste of a cold beer after a long days flying, in such places as Marble Bar and Daly Waters

WEDNESDAY JUNE 6th.

Our flight begins today. The weather looks good with a light south easterly this morning, and the aircraft was packed last evening. We will fuel at 9am, pre-flight and should be in the air by 10am.  First stop will be Bordertown for lunch. 

Loading up at Kyneton--2 sleeping bags, 2 tents,2 matresses,  2 pairs jocks, socks and t-shirts each, and 'provisions'

Fuelled up and ready to leave Kyneton this morning. The 'light south easterly' turned out to be a pretty strong breeze and we averaged 108Kts between Kyneton and Bordertown.

Also pretty lumpy and not very pleasant flying.  Landed and had our suasage sandwiches at a deserted Bordertown airfield.

Deserted that is, except for the poor lost dog advertisement on the Bordertown and Keith Gliding Club door door

Only a mother could love it---Blind in one eye, severed ear, only three legs and CASTRATED!!--AND THEY CALL HIM LUCKY!!!!

Back in the air after lunch, an on to Jamestown. Still with a good tail breeze, and getting 110 to 115 Kts. We had to divert a bit to keep away from Edinburgh RAAF restricted zone.  Over some pretty flat and lifeless country--what do the stock eat out here?

For miles over this region their are rows and rows of these eyesore wind farms--I guess all the graziers need a bit more income in lean times--keeps the 'greenies' happy even though we end up paying more for power because of the subsidies. Landed at Jamestown 4pm EST and phoned the re-fueler. No call out fee, and after tying theUGlyDuckling down, he (Tony) drove us into town and we settled into the Commercial Hotel. A basic but clean, cheap and comfortable pub.  Like most country towns, Jamestown has a Railway, a Royal and a Commercial pub. And not much else. As John noted, it seems like a town in decline. One of the most notable sons was RM Williams who lived here as a kid before starting up the famous boots and clothing company.

To bed early after a counter tea and a couple of Coopers.  Tomorrow we head on over Spencer Gulf and to Ceduna, our lunch stop, then on to the Nullabor truck stop to camp the night. This is the very eastern end of the great treeless desert. The country should get more interesting from the air from here on.

THURSDAY 7th JUNE

Up early and over to the bakery opposite for hot chocolate and a 'cow pad' (also known as a coffee scroll) for breakfast. Climbed out and tracked out over Spencer Gulf, over Whyalla and set heading for Ceduna. John is pilot in command today and I am official photographer. At 4,500 feet the air was as smooth as--- and we were getting 115 to 120 Kts.

Whyalla and airstrip with the Gulf (top)

Landed at Ceduna around midday and made tuna sandwiches for lunch at the terminal. Then back in the air and climbed out over the bay where oysters are farmed.

On ground Ceduna

Oyster Bay

Lunch at Ceduna

Salt Mining

And then the high cliffs of the Great Australian Bight, in the area of the whales calving territory.

High cliffs below, approaching Nullabor

And then on to the Nullabor airport, truck stop, motel, pub and general rip-off area.

On final for Nullabor, right over the staff quarters

We have booked into the backpackers here--something like a large shipping container--very basic, bunks, shared toilets and shower, no mobile phone, but have skype and wifi reception.

Time for a look round this place, the Eastern end of the Nullabor.

The Biliy's on

Pretty profitable racket

Dingos can 'injure people'-- REALLY--tell that to Lindy Chamberlain.

Parked outside our humpy

There are 'Grey Nomads' everywhere in the parking area and two aircraft nearby. Ours tied down just before sunset and us 'Stray Gonads' head off for some sustenance.

Not really a major problem for us

1st bike to be ridden across the Nullabor, 1962--why bother!!!

5 star acommodation

Noodles and soup cooked on Johns' gas cooker for 'dinner' and some Minto Moonshine (single malt) as a nightcap!!

FRIDAY 8th JUNE

Bloggers note:  The chronology of entries here may be a bit out of sync.--Pictures are often added and text edited along the way--if you can be bothered, it's worth going back and checking what has been added since you last visited the site.

Dingos Den--Par 5--one of the holes on the Worlds longest golf course--across the Nullabor plain.

After lift off this morning we climbed out over the cliffs to the whale watching area  about 1nm out to sea and circled a few times, and John took a good photo of two great white 'whatever they're called'.

GREAT WHITE SOUTHERN WHALES--ACTUALLY THEY'RE BLACK!

We then turned inland and tracked to Forrest--where there is everything BUT a forest.  As we called inbound, the caretakers drove out to the field and were waiting for us. To my surprise they were the same people Des and I stayed with there last year. Claus and Tania, who greated us my name--they checked that it was theUGlyDuckling as we joined the circuit. Fuelled up here, and had our baked bean sandwiches which we made at Nullabor. 

John telling lies to Claus, Manager Forrest airport

FORREST POST OFFICE

Tania made us coffee and even brought us out a fresh homemade cup-cake each with cream, and choc chips. Great friendly outback hospitality. We would love to stay here again, but have planned for Kalgoolie today.  

And now we struck the first head winds so far--and a long flight of well over four hours to Kalgoolie, getting about 80 Kts most of the way, and only at about 3,500' with lots of cumulus cloud above tossing us up here and there.  Landed at Kal about 4pm local time, and straight to the clubrooms. John proceeded to try and burn the clubrooms down with a cigarette butt, and as penance, I have noted it here as part of my ongoing campaign to eliminate smoking!!  (Heather, I love you my darling, and really miss you, but will try to maintain contact by Skype each day if we have www coverage on the Mac.)

Naughty Boy!!--but it's nearly out now!!

The usual Friday night social gathering was not on, so we had to resort to a backpackers in town. Then to a cheap pub for a good home-style counter tea and a couple of pots of 'barbed wire', then early to bed--weren't even tempted by the legendary Hay Street hookers of Kal!!!!

SATURDAY 9th JUNE

A flight plan ammendment today.  Fuel, which I had phoned to check for weeks ago from Leonora and Mt Magnet, now only available in drums--200 litres for $600 and must take a full drum which we don't need.  Bugger. So, weather not too good that way either, and we have now planned to fly to Northam today, and from there direct to Shark Bay tomorrow.  My BP Carnet card swiped 'Invalid" at the Kalgoolie BP, so we called the agent who insisted on a $100 call-out fee as it is Saturday!!!! When he arrived and checked my card on the computer, it was found to be embossed VH-VDG--not UGD. So we reluctantly paid the $100 call-out, and the card was used for the fuel--and the card belongs to an A320 with an Australian marsupial on the tail!!  I may get an account, or Allan Joyce may find he is out of pocket--we'll see.  In any case, I would expect BP to refund the $100 call-out fee! After lift-off from Kalgoolie we climbed out over the enormous 'pits' and John took a good photo. 

The 'black dots' in the walls on the road down the pit are old gold mining tunnels which go for miles under the town. Note the size of the monster truck down the bottom, dwarfed by the size of the pit.

The flight to Northam was very slow with a strong wind on the nose and 85-90 Kts all the way. The weather ahead seemed to be deteriorating but we had a number of alternates on track if they were needed. Eventually arrived at Northam and landed on runway 14.  After parking in front of the clubrooms we were met by a welcoming Peter and Mavis and offered hot coffee. 

Hot coffee on arrival, Northam AeroClub

They are a very friendly bunch here and the club camaraderie is great. The weather really closed in with extreme winds and rain, and we were offered the clubrooms to camp in; a far more attractive option that our tents outside. 

Before long President and airport Manager Matt arrived and was happy to refuel us just on dusk--no call out fee, and Avgas about the same price as Kyneton and cheaper that Kalgoolie--aren't BP a pack of pricks.

We settled into the clubrooms with our swags, and the bar opened at 5pm.  Cold beer, colder weather outside but very warm and welcoming hospitality.  We met Des, Debra, Errol, Heather and Ashley. 

CLAUDE MENIEUR (CENTRE)

Later on Claude Meunier arrived.  I had met Claude in 2002 at the Earthrounders conference in Perth. He completed a solo RTW in an Aerostar some years back, and holds a number of distance records including Sydney to Perth non-stop in a Robinson R22. Claude is an active member of Earthrounders, and a stalward of the Northam Aero Club.  http://www.northamaeroclub.com/

Matt, Les, Dedra, Claude and some other old fart

Parked in front of Northam Clubrooms prior to the storm

SUNDAY 10^th JUNE

Northam is also the base for a commercial Ballooning operation (Windward Balloons) which operates from April to November.  We had hoped to depart for Shark Bay this morning, but the weather was even worse than overnight. There are 160,000 homes in Perth and surrounds with power outages, and trees and buildings have suffered havock. 

So we will stay here today and plan for tomorrow. 

Heather and Errol called in, and Heather lent us her car to go into town and top up our provisions. And the bar opened again at 5pm, so after dinner of noodles and soup we had a couple of sedatives and bunked down in the clubrooms again!

MONDAY11^th JUNE

We will have another day to cool our heels at Northam today--the weather is just as bad as yesterday with howling winds and scattered showers. Time to check out some interesting items on the clubhouse walls!

NORTHAM HONOUR ROLL

And I now really need a loan of the honour roll above,desperately; having temporarily deleted the entire blog! After a no fly day yesterday with gale force winds and rain, we had hoped to leave the comfort and hospitality of the Northam Aero Club today and head to Shark Bay, some 420nm north west. The Club held their Committee meeting here at 7pm and we were able to 'sit in'. It was down to business, and well chaired by Matt.  Errol, Ashley and Peter were also involved in the Committee deliberations, and John asked that a vote of thanks for the Clubs’ hospitality be recorded in the minutes.

TUESDAY 12th JUNE

Overnight the wind died down and there was only a bit of a light drizzle.  We were up at 6am local and after coffee for breakfast packed up the aircraft and took off towards Shark Bay at 7:50am local time. The cloud base was around 3000 feet; and with a moderate wind on the nose we initially got almost 100Kts. Some 65 miles out we passed over the tiny township of Ballidu which has both a very powerful NDB and VOR for reasons unknown. We had their NDB as an alternate and some 40nm past, the cloud base was down to zero so we retreated and landed on runway 32 at Ballidu.  Population 117.

Tying down after landing Ballidu

A small general store, post office, hardware and pub.  The pub accommodation is a couple of blocks away and here we are in single room ‘dongas’—slightly up-market from a shipping container. Julie and Roger run the pub, which opens at 4pm to whenever.  Julie is the mouthpiece and Roger the quite farmer come chef.

Dunn aviation at the airstrip seems to be the only real industry with seven huge Air Tractors crop-dusting the surrounding grain farms. All with huge Pratt and Whitney kero burners using 300 litres an hour.  And well over a million dollars a piece.

A mixed grill for tea at the pub was our first hot meal for four days! 

Life here would provide some challenges. There is no butcher baker OR candlestick maker, no fuel, no supermarket, no bank, no fresh food and no mobile reception unless you are standing in the doorway of the pub or right under the only tower.  The nearest major centre would be Northam (not that big) or Perth.  But everyone seems happy with their lot, and are very friendly. There is also no crime and we hear of people leaving their wallets on the bar or the counter of the only shop, and they are invariably returned intact the next day.

We have been offered rides to and from the airfield, toast and coffee for breakfast at a house opposite these dongas, and their favorite spot to stand for mobile coverage of a sort.

Our donga co-dwellers are Nigel, a truckie carting grain, and Patrick, a young Irish visitor helping on a farm with a work visa.  Nigel drove us to and from the pub, and out to check the aircraft after tea.

WEDNESDAY 13^th JUNE

It rained heavily overnight and the wind really built up again. Perth and the surrounding area had its third storm in a week, but with much less damage this time.  This morning (6am local) it is not raining, the wind seems to be abating and is forecast to ease during the morning. I hope theUGlyDuclking is still tied down at its moorings.

Perhaps we will get out of here and on to Shark Bay later today, 328 miles to run. There is a Notam on Shark Bay airstrip due to some rain damage to the dirt runway but I will (try) and phone and check before we take off. (There is a mobile ‘booster’ out at Dunns at the airfield here.)  I was able to call Heather by walking was up a dirt road to a spot where there was SOME reception.  And John called Margaret the scenic flight operator at Shark Bay and confirmed the runway was OK and that we could get some fuel to get us on (in a couple of days) to Carnarvon to top right up!

We took off from Ballidu mid morning and set heading for Shark Bay. The fuel calculations indicated we would get there with about 40 minutes reserve as long as the power settings were not too aggressive and well leaned out.  A good smooth flight, 283nm.  First two hours under low cloud and a bit bumpy, but getting over 100kts. 

And about 65 miles out, the sky cleared and the sun shone as we flew over this beautiful bay and into the airport at Shark Bay. We had flown 5.6 hours since refuelling at Northam, and landed with some forty minutes reserve, giving an endurance of over six hours for the 'ole girl'; and a range of over 500nm with a few litres left.

After landing and unpacking, John checked out reasonable accommodation in Denholm; a C210 belonging to Margaret of Sharkbayair www.sharkbayair.com.au landed, and we got a ride with Margaret into Denham and set up our base at the local YHA Bay Lodge backpackers—very clean, comfortable and cheap.  Even has a pool which I will test in the morning—it’s getting warm and shorts weather at last!!!!!

With full facilities here it was my turn in the kitchen to prepare a hearty meal. Just for some variety and to show a bit of culinary flare, I prepared a banquet of sliced Span Lite sandwiches, toasted, and with Heinz baked beans drizzled on top. Quite a feast, washed down with a drop of Minto white lightening and diet coke. Followed by a bowl of Singapore noodles each for sweets.

After tea we intruded on a big group of young backpackers enjoying their meal in an open dining area opposite us.  It is good to see young people from all over the world who have got off the backsides and become budget travelers, and not malingerers. 

This group are on a budget bus tour out of Perth. Germans, Scotts, Poms, the lot.  Their tour leader later presented us with a pot of pasta and bacon in excess to their requirements, which we will have for lunch or dinner tomorrow.

THURSDAY 14^th JUNE

Up at 6am local and today we will explore this beautiful place. Our backpackers itself is about the best I’ve stayed at. Very clean, as all YHA’s are, full kitchen, in ground pool, and an aviary right outside our door full of very noisy but pretty ‘sandgroper’ parrots of some kind. The beach is just across the road and this morning it's as still as a millpond and lots of boats have gone out for an early morning catch.

Time for breakfast and it's Johns' shout. A nice local cafe opposite the beach. 

Eggs and baked beans and hot chocolate for me,

and scrambled eggs and bacon for John.

Later on we met up with a couple of young poms on the pier, both marine biologists.

 

Load of fish species in the clear water, so thought I'd catch our dinner later!!

All the non-local ‘experts’, full of advice known colloquially as bullshit, assured me that this spiny fish was poisonous.  It looked like a bream to me and I assured them I’d be eating it! Maybe they were a bit peeved that I’d caught it on a $3.20 hand-line with one hook and a piece of stale bread; and they were all wetting their flash new Jarvis Walker outfits worth much more, and not getting a bite.

It tasted pretty good however, and I feel as well as can be expected today. John had a taste also and is still alive and topped the meal off with a bowl of the backpackers’ mushroom and bacon pasta.

The sunset over Shark Bay was magnificent and all the hopefuls crowded the pier, and a genuine local started pulling in nice squid with a jig.

FRIDAY 15^th JUNE.

With a free shuttle to and from Monkey Mia for backpackers, we decided to stay another night and see a bit more of the area including the dolphins. I have arranged with Margaret to get a ride to the airport tomorrow for a bit of fuel for Carnarvon (50nm) where we will top up and continue on. 
The tour leader of last nights backpacker group had over catered for breakfast and offered us bacon and eggs to have with them, which of course we accepted.  In addition, they had some steaks and snags and eggs which would have been discarded and were donated to our cause. So we are set for dinner this evening also!!

The ‘shuttle’ arrived at 7:15am and turned out to be a beaten up old Magna station wagon.

The driver turned out to be a real character and we got a great commentary on the 20-odd Km drive to Monkey Mia. He does daily tours out in a bit catamaran. Driving right into the rising sun he couldn’t even see the white lines on the road through the crazed and spattered windscreen most of the time, but at 110Km/hr we somehow made it. Talk about laid back!!  Suntanned and in shorts and thongs; spending every day floating about on the bay taking tourists for a ‘ride’. 

The cat would be worth thousands, I think he could easily update to a Ferrari any time soon.

The dolphins came in right on queue at 7:30am and a huge crowd gathered to watch their antics and feeding.  A bit artificial I guess, but interesting.

After an interesting morning at Monkey Mia our driver returned from his daily catamaran tour, and the drive home was just as entertaining.
Steak, snags and eggs for dinner, and we contacted Marble Bar for accommodation which is mostly booked our. We can get rooms in the caravan park quarters for $100 each--wouldn't have thought there would be a great demand for tourists at Marble Bar!!
So tomorrow we plan to fly to Carnarvon, refuel, on to Karatha for fuel again, and then on to Marble Bar for the night; leaving enough in the tanks to get to Broome on Sunday.
SATURDAY 16th JUNE
Margaret Prior the owner and chief pilot of the local scenic flights operation kindly arranged a ride to the airfield for us with Jason, one of her pilots. We were able to top up the tanks here from her private fuel supply and at a reasonable price of $2.20/litre.
Jason had a couple of customers for a scenic flight and while he loaded up the C207 we taxied out and rolled on runway 18.  We decided to track over Carnarvon and on to Karatha for fuel.

 After lift off from Shark Bay the flight to Carnarvon was over water and hence as smooth as silk and very scenic.

Approaching Carnarvon (above) we called up and obtained a clearance to track direct to Karatha at 3,500' through Learmonth RAAF airspace. A long flight of 386 miles from Shark Bay to Karatha which is a busy towered airfield, but not too much traffic on a Saturday and we were cleared for a straight in approach on runway 08.  By filling up here we will be able to continue on to Marble Bar with enough fuel for Broome tomorrow.  Also got 8 litres of oil for an oil change at Marble Bar.

The scenery between Karatha and Marble Bar is constantly changing with many mining camps with substantial airfields including the Fortescue River and road house where I hope Twiggy is frantically digging to save me from financial oblivion.

With 'Biggles' as always keeping a constant watch out, we passed over massive ridges, rock formations and endless emptiness full of earthly riches this country will continue to release. Fascinating from the air; but invisible at ground level, as Lang Hancock noted.

As the shadows started to lengthen below, the settlement of Marble Bar came into view and we flicked the PAL lighting on as we landed on runway 09, and the sun set as we were unloading. And we drained the hot oil ready to fill up tomorrow.

Sunset, Marble Bar airstrip

Margaret from the caravan park kindly came out and collected us (10Km out of town) and will give us a Cooks tour of this unique place in the morning.

But of course before bed we had to visit the famous Iron Clad pub along with a bar full of backpackers.

SUNDAY 17th JUNE
Up early. Margaret brought us some bread and butter and jam and we this has a feast for breakfast, plus a bit of the left over spaghetti and sauce I cooked last night.
And then she took us on a brilliant tour of Marble Bar.

The 'town' is in a basin surrounded by a stunningly coloured rim of red ochre hills.

At the foot of the hills on the northern side is an all season water hole which floods in the wet season to become a long lake.

 In the eighteen hundreds the Chinese grew vegetables in this oasis, the only fertile area for miles,and sold them to the miners.
We were shown the jasper formations in this area, which change colour when whetted with water.

Apparently an earlier miner mistook the jasper for marble, and hence the name of the settlement.

We also visited the high hill on which the water supply is located--artesian water of course, treated to make it reasonably 'soft'.  And I mean reasonably soft--- no good for showers or washing but drinkable in a strong mug of tea.

Margaret and John near the water srorage
Power to the town is entirely from a solar system, set up of course with Federal funding--as it should be.

Solar power in mid-field of picture

And of course we had to see the Iron Clad pub by daylight.

Margaret is a typical local, and loves the place and of course it is truely home!!
Carvings done by a welder decorate the road in to town with typical Australian themes.

And to top it all off, we were driven to the airfield and thanked for our stay.

Fresh oil added, and we took off and set heading for Broome.  However, almost on track was Sandfire Roadhouse which has a very long gravel airstrip behind the restaurant. An interesting spot with Grey Nomads streaming in for fuel and refreshments.

 After a Coke and a sausage roll we climbed out towards Broome. John was in charge on this leg and we tracked over water for quite a white, then called the tower and were directed in on the very long runway 09.
Really hot on the ground. We called a cab and are at the Kimberly Club Backpackers--sounds exotic, but pretty basic. Indeed so basic I wouldn't even recommend it to George W. We were designated upstairs dorms with four to a tiny room, no cooling and junk from others everywhere. And top bunks at that. Not being accustomed to such luxury, I moved downstairs and tried unsuccessfully to sleep on a couch in the 'lounge'.
With 'dorf' 'dorf' music all night, I got next to no sleep, and we will have to upgrade to a private room, downstairs, tomorrow.

MONDAY 18th JUNE
Firstly, a couple of notes to followers of our blog.
All the photos posted here appear fairly small. Depending on what browser you are using, and Safari or Firefox seem to work best; all photos are 'clickable' and will enlarge considerably, showing much more detail. Then just click outside the picture area or on the 'X' in the right hand top corner if there is one, and it will immediately return to where you are reading.
I have checked the statistics from Google; and since we left on 6th June there have been 3,015 'hits', and that doesn't include each time I go into editing mode to update things.
The 'audience' of course is mainly from Australia but in addition there are followers from the United States (111), Myanmar, Russia, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Indonesia and even 4 from Peru!!

Hot and sunny in Broome today and not a cloud in the sky. There are lots of things to see here so we need a set of wheels for a couple of days.  Topless Rentals seemed the best deal--a pretty ordinary Hyundi Excel with millions on the clock for $45 day including 50Km, and 28c per Km after that. We can see most of Broome in under 50Km. I picked the car up at 8:30am local and we went for a short drive into town and had a look at the old wooden pearl luggers and shops in Chinatown near Roebuck Bay.

By midmorning I was totally stuffed and as we had secured a private room, I moved in and fell asleep instantly.  After a great sleep it was mid-afternoon, so down to Subways for breakfast/lunch.  We then stocked up with some snags,mince, bread, potatoes and tomatoes for the next couple of meals in the communal kitchen. And then it was time to head down to the famous Cable Beach for a dip, and to watch the sunset.  The photos are Johns', the whale in the shallows os probably me!

The tide was way way out, and we watched this and other Cessnas join final over the ocean, just before dusk.

And of course there is no twilight in the tropics, as soon as the sun is below the horizon the shutters come down with a bang, and it was time to retreat to our base and organise some dinner.

This young German girl 'probably only wanted my body', but instead settled for some basic advice on how to cook her kangaroo steaks; while I prepared our more excotic fare of beef sausages,hamburger patties (made in our room with diced onion), grilled tomatoes and potato slices. And while we cooked, another young backpacker gave us a couple of eggs that would have been tossed out, but ended up as part of our feast.

I now really needed a good nights sleep in our five star room, and so after watching the fan drying a tee-shirt, I fell into a deep hypnotic trance and slept for almost eight hours.

This method of drying clothes on the run was perfected by the writer, and a certain plumber from Faraday a couple of years ago on Horn Island. It is not only a practical means of recycling limited clothing while on a flying adventure, but also a warped but stimulating source of entertainment and mirth!

TUESDAY 19th JUNE
Up early and now very refreshed and ready for a day of exploration in Broome. Another very warm sunny day and a  cloudless sky.

Breakfast of toasted sandwiches with left over snags, a fresh chilled tomato each and a tub of low-fat yoghurt--how utterly healthy!

First stop was this monument in town; Broome certainly copped it on 3rd March 1942. I didn't realise so much damage happened here. The Japanese certainly got close to home. I was unable to be conscripted as I was only six months and two days old when the raid occurred.
It was then on to the very interesting Broome Museum which included much about the Japanese raid, about the telephone cable to Indonesia laid from here and hence the name Cable Beach.  Regrettably no photos allowed here which is a pity, but it is an excellent collection.
We then drove around the Roebuck Bay area, the golf club and the wharf area.

Another pretty hot day here, 30 odd degrees; and so after topping up provisions at the supermarket, it was back to our six star luxury and time to do some washing in the pool.

Then time for pre-dinner Minto cocktails followed by an identical feast to last night and early to bed after feeding the coin in the slot with one dollar pieces to keep the aircon going over night--how bloody lousy they are here.

WEDNESDAY 20th JUNE
Today we will refuel and leave Broome for a scenic flight to Cape Leveke, and then on to Fitzroy crossing for the night. Returned our Rent-a-Bomb and got a ride to the GA park of this huge airport. The tower cleared us for 'Cape Leveke, coastal at 2,500' and thirty one miles out we could do our own think. Tracked a bit off the coast for this 100nm leg and the scenery was magnificent. Only those who flight  could ever appreciate the beauty of the area. By dirt road, the only prize would be the destination itself. How privileged we are.

Departing Broome

Private strip near fishing shacks

Oil Rig just off the coast

Cape Leveke Strip

40 degrees flaps, setting up for---

--a tricky approach right over the resort

Parked 50 metres from the resort

The resort is owned by two local aboriginal groups but managed by us invaders. Cape Leveke is stunning from the air and the ground; one of my favourite places so far. But WHY would you built a complex right on the centre line and threshold of a runway??--don't the 'dark side' bother about the far North??
BUT, what a magnificent spot to have a coffee looking over the pristine ocean with Timor 'almost' visible on the horizon!!
We lingered here for quite a while, and then took off again for Fitzroy Crossing, heading out over King Sound for the first sixty miles then inland to Fitzroy.

Over King Sound

Very smooth, 5,500'

Johns' brother David admiring my new acommodation

At Fitzroy Crossing we were met by Johns brother and sister-in-law who drove us and all our chattles to the caravan park--a huge park full of nomads, very clean and tidy.

 Lots of Barramundi are caught in the Fitzroy river here, even just under the bridge.
David and Nola with their travelling mates Murray and Judy have been travelling round the country for several months now. They made us very welcome at their caravan with icy cold beer, and later we feasted on a great steak dinner with baked spuds and salad. A superb 'home cooked' meal.

 After a couple of reds, it was off to our tents--I think I'm 'over' tenting!!!  Freezing over night also! Cold nights and hot days in the outback up here.

THURSDAY 21st JUNE
Today we will fly to Halls Creek for fuel, and then on to Kununurra for the night. Packed up our tents and David drove us to the airfield which is about 8Km away. After packing theUGlyDuckling we set heading for Halls Creek, 121 nm. As the day heated up the flight got lumpy, at 5,500' is was smooth but many 'potholes' on approach and landing on the long runway, which has been sealed and lengthened since I was here last. The re-fueler was resting in the little office on the field and as I entered he didn't smile much. "What can I do for you blokes"?  "I'd like bacon and eggs, and a beer for me mate" should have been the answer--WTF did he expect we'd taxied to the bowser for??!! After turning on the pump his only comment was, "OK, all yours", thrusting the fuel nozzle at me. Then back to his busy office--a hard life working on the field at Halls Creek. As I paid him, I asked "Whats that old Mooney doing sitting out there rotting away on the hot sand?"  "Thats MY Mooney"!!!----which didn't enhance our friendship; and he drove off in a cloud of red dust, I guess for lunch and probably a siesta; after all it WAS 12 noon local.  We walked in the stinking heat the 200 odd metres to the pub, which has been extended and modernised also. I could have killed for a beer, but we settled for a hearty hamburger with the lot and a can of diet coke each.

Then out an on to Kununurra. VERY hot and lumpy down low and after a very long climb to 9,500 feet the outside air temperature was down to a comfortable 18 degrees and above the high inversion layer it was as smooth as silk. We flew quite a bit right of track and John took some pictures of the Bungle Bungle.  There were lots of aircraft down at 2,500 on scenic flights--fancy paying to be cooked and tossed all over the place down there. And the airstrip way down there is used for the scenics I guess.

We then tracked over the Argyle diamond mine, another huge hole in the ground--how the hell did they know to look for diamonds out here; and why for that matter?

This (taken in Broome) could be the answer to the second part of my question!!

The Argyle airfield was straight ahead and then over Lake Argyle which of course is fed by the Ord River.  An enormous body of inland water.

And then a long slow descent from 9,500 into Kununurra.

After getting through 'security' via the General Aviation escape hatch, we got a ride in to town with the lady running one of the terminal cafes and are staying at a nice backpackers at $99 for a twin room.
I Skyped Terry Collins and then called two of his daughters who are in Darwin, and they will be able to pick us up from Darwin International tomorrow afternoon.

FRIDAY 22nd JUNE
Up early after a great sleep, I was pretty buggered yesterday!! Baked bean sandwich and fruit bar each for breakfast, and packed more b/bean sangas for in-flight catering.
The backpackers had a courtesy bus to the airport at $5 each which is very good value as it is about 8Km out of town. John called Darwin Approach and established that the Restricted areas on route to Darwin are inactive today, and obtained details of requirements for General Aviation entry into Darwin International. We planned at estimated arrival for 4:00 pm local.
After takeoff from Kununurra we tracked over the huge Ord River and many irrigated areas; it seems that the current project if plantations of sandalwood trees which look like being very profitable.

Again pretty lumpy down low and after a long climb we levelled out at 9,500' and the outside air temperature had fallen to a comfortable 15 degrees. We tracked coastal for quite a while---

and then inland about 70 miles out and through very heavy smoke with burning off below;  and poor visibility---

--up to over 9,000 feet. Further on it cleared as we approached the coast, but was still very hazy.

 We called Darwin delivery, with details at 50nm  and were cleared to continue the approach at 7,500 and to call the tower at 20nm. The tower directed us to descend to 4,000 and continue visual approach, confirming we would hold short on runway 36 (1,524metres), with a lot of traffic using the longer cross-runway 29.

With less than 3nm miles to run we had intercom failure and could hear the tower but they could not receive our transmissions. Over the threshold and pretty busy, I was told to 'go round' and with the headsets off, grabbed the old Cessna hand mike and flicked switches to the overhead speakers.

With 2-way communications re-established we continued down wind and this time received the magic "Clear to Land" and the landing was uneventful. Directed to the General aviation park after waiting for a couple of 737's, before being cleared to cross runway 29. The GA park is quite a way from the terminal, but no problems escaping here, and we were picked up by Arlene Collins, my neighbour Terry Collins daughter, and taken to her sister Róisin's place, out in the pretty Darwin suburbs.

Róisin was on duty as a Midwife at Royal Darwin, and Arlene picked us up from  the airport and took us for a drive round the city area and the wharf.

And then drove us out to their house in the leafy suburbs and we settled down for a couple of local coldies.

We put in for take-away pizza and then sat in the downstairs area and enjoyed them in the cool balmy evening. Róisin and her fellow house mate Jen arrived home from work, and they kindly set us up for the night in the downstairs area and I had the best sleep for many nights!!
Both girls love it up here, but Arlene returns home to Faraday next Friday. We Skyped Terry and he was able to talk to and see his lovely girls on the video.

SATURDAY 23rd JUNE
After coffee and toast for breakfast at this great motel, we were driven into town and booked into a room at one of the many backpackers which line the main street.

Here at the Youth Shack they certainly party hard and well into the night; Australia has been discovered in a big way by the youth of the world. Irish, Germans, Asians and a few Aussies seem to predominate here. Even a few fossils like the writer stay YHA and  are generally well accepted by the kids. We love listening to their stories and they are interested in our adventures also. Even in such unlikely places as Marble Bar and Fitzroy crossing. I admire how they get to see places with their worldly belongings on their backs and a copy of  the Lonely Planet.
John visited the Aviation Museum here today while I had a bit of a grampa nap, and look at the desperates he happened to run into---Murray and Andrea Wallace from Kyneton, with their son Andrew who works here!!

After a long career as a Professional pilot Murray still flies a Marchetti, a CT4 and of course a real aeroplane (a Cessna 180), and here he and Andy are, wandering around coveting old Mitchell bombers and  Yankee  B52's.

When I surfaced from my nap however, I coveted this Lambo parked opposite our modest abode--the 'Darwin Godfather' or just another wanker who can't afford a Ferrari or a Bugatti Veron?

The party was in full swing again before sundown (actually it had begun by a few at 11am).  Even us oldies had to have wrist bands fitted to establish our bonafides for the restricted bar at the backpackers.  This lot could down five beers to one of ours, but then they dissintegrate like a ton of bricks and don't surface till mid-morning.

And after a couple of heart starters, we ventured out for a great sidewalk indian meal--superb and cheap--dahl, chicken, beef, lamb and rice. And check out the shop window in the background! Then to bed by 11pm as the dorf dorf noise and the party continued--but pretty quiet in our upstairs twin room.

SUNDAY 24th JUNE
Another warm but pleasant day in paradise. Time to update these notes, check out a few airfields ahead for Avgas and  accommodation availability, and have a bit of R and R. So, we will stay here tonight and tomorrow also, before heading off to Jabiru and then Groote Eylandt on Tuesday morning after re-fueling here in Darwin. I will also get oil for our next oil change which may be about Normanton.

11AM and the partygoers still haven't emerged

12 noon and a couple of light sleepers are recovering!

Accommodation at Groote Eylandt is both very expensive and booked out, so after landing for a lunch stop, we will fly a lap of the Island and then head off to Daly Waters for the night. The extra day here should ensure that the fuel that the Daly Waters pub have ordered and expect by Tuesday should be there before we leave on Wednesday, as we will need a full tank for Adels Grove.
At Darwin we have now flown 3,900nm (from the GPS) which has included a few deviations off track to look at interesting features both in the air and on the ground. We are now at the Northern most point of the flight and thus when we leave here we will be a little bit further south-east each day, and a little bit closer to home!

A pretty comprehensive menu here!!

We have decided on Indian again tonight, it was so good; and it's just turned beer o'clock so a couple of the local brew before our dinner.

This Swedish trio (do they share or is there a forth?) are preparing a traditional meat ball dish and explaining the recipe to us in fluent Swedish which we found interesting but incomprehensible.
Before dinner I showed John how to play pot back,

But being a good sport and a bad loser, I let him win.  What the hell!

The Indian place had closed at 8pm, so we settled on Thai instead.

MONDAY 25th JUNE
Decisions, decisions--what will we do in Darwin today?  There are plenty of options for those who don't need to buy Avgas.  We settled on an open hop-on hop-off bus tour of the main sites, in an ancient Toyota Coaster. A great commentary by the driver as we drove round the city and suburbs.

The salt water swimming lake filled with filtered sea water and hence free of stinger jellyfish and crocs. Note the large tree in the foreground which some thoughtless Council worker planted just as I pressed the shutter.

Along tree lined roads everywhere--this could be Nauru forty years ago except there are no potholes or wild pigs crossing!

Around beautiful Fannie Bay with the other side of the harbour just on the horizon

 and the city skyline in the background from this elevated spot.
We then hopped off and spent an hour at the Darwin Museum, which is very comprehensive and modern and includes an excellent section devoted to the invasion of Darwin, and an impressive collection of photos before and after cyclone Tracy. In the 'Cyclone Tracy Lounge' we were treated to a great talk by a retired 'chalky' who lived through the cyclone and recounted her experiences, and the aftermath.  Unfortunately no cameras allowed in the museum which is a pity, but ensures exhibits are not harmed by artificial light.
After re-boarding the tour continued, and John got off at the new Darwin War Museum built by the NT Government which is a worthwhile visit. In Johns words, "It has many interesting exhibits and of course its main focus is the attacks on Darwin (and other locations) early in WW2. Many of the original artillery units that were placed around Darwin to protect against both air and sea attacks during that conflict are still extant. The largest artillery pieces, massive 9” guns, were unfortunately broken-up and sold to, believe it or not, the Japanese in 1959 as scrap metal. The actual gun emplacements, massive concrete constructions, have had the original 9" guns replaced by replicas, which give some idea of the size. It should also be mentioned most of the submerged ship wrecks that lay at the bottom of the sea around Darwin and its harbours were also recovered and sold as scrap to our former foe. Yet more brilliant political decisions.

The museum also features some very good audio visual exhibitions that give a detailed history of the conflict in this part of the country, a history I would think that many Australians are unaware off."

I continued on back to base, and passed this monument to Keith and Ross Smith which it the very spot then landed on Australian soil,

and this and the old Qantas hangar are both located on the formed Darwin airport which closed in 1945.
After a genuine Turkish kebab and can of diet coke (which doesn't work) for lunch ($10), I Skyped the Daly Waters pub and booked a room for tomorrow night ($60 for a twin room) and they tell me their avgas 'will' arrive there this afternoon. I'll call again later to confirm!!

TUESDAY 26th JUNE

A long and very interesting days flying today.  To get to Daly Waters pub for the night we need to get out of Darwin early. Up at 5:30, shower and pre-prepared rolls of ham, feta and sundried tomato for breakfast with a cuppa, we had packed up and caught a taxi to the airport by 7:30. Refueling was not a problem, and while I walked a fair distance to get 7 quarts of oil for our next oil change, John went back to the backpackers to get our sleeping bags which had been held in storage!!—very clever.  The Shell oil place is located in what was the Darwin aero club which folded a few years back—Heather and I and Des Pitts camped there about 1997.

Getting out of Darwin was pretty straight forward except for a long wait at the holding point for runway 11 with a lot of ‘heavies’ coming in.  

The tower and departure controllers were extremely busy. Also a group of 11 aircraft on a Safari were departing VFR route 2 (as we were), including a DC3. Cleared to turn left and climb to 3000’ and later to 5,500’ for Jabiru.

We flew right over the Kakadu National Park at 5,500’ but the visibility was poor due to the usual ‘burning off’.  

Over the huge South Aligator river, and into Jabiru Airport.  It was VERY rough down low on approach.  The small terminal here is the cleanest I’ve seen, but I guess it is a very popular tourist point, and for Fly-in Fly-out (FIFO) miners.

Just east of Jabiru airfield we passed the huge Ranger Uranium mine and then over some very rugged cliffs often seen in the Kakadu brochures. 

The terrain from here on towards the Gulf appears totally inhabitable, and probably is. Except perhaps for a few REAL aborigines who continue to light fires this time of the year to create regeneration for the animals to come in as tucka next season.

 A huge plateau of crevassed rock extended for miles with occasional rivulets with waterholes. I guess a spear, a water hole and two sticks for fire is all the basics they need.  Even far to remote to carry a bottle of metho out here!!

There was a built up of fluffy cumulous as we crossed the coast and headed out to Groote Eylandt. 

Apart from that, not a cloud all day and twenty miles over this pristine water we descended into Groote, primarily to empty the bladders and top up the tanks.

There is some 1000 permanent residents on Groote, plus quite a few FIFO miners working the huge manganese mine which has been operating for many years.

We departed on the VERY long sealed runway with a bit of cross wind which I think turned into tail wind as we accelerated. After climb out we were immediately over water and commenced a slow climb to 6,500, for Daly waters—230 nm to run. The first seventy miles were over the clear waters of the gulf with tiny islets here and there, some just strips of sand that may be covered by the tides. Any of my ‘greenie’ friends who ever came out here would probably put this down to climate change and the melting arctic icecap but I guess they would be too busy hugging trees in the suburbs or annoying the shit out of Japanese whale hunters. 

We crossed the coast at the opening of huge Roper River at the south-west corner of the Gulf Carpentaria. John flew this leg including down to Daly Waters.

As advised, we circled the pub complex down low before landing and as expected, the pre-arranged pickup from the field didn’t happen. 

The noise and music from the pub would have probably drowned out the sound of a low flying Yak or Nanchang and a glide approach in a C172 would have gone un-noticed. So we walked in with our gear, and it’s a long hot walk—what a thirst!!

Heather and I flew in to Daly Waters in the UGlyDuckling  about 15 years ago. There is now a huge caravan park full of Stray Gonads AND Grey Nomads. Many self contained cabins, tent sites, deluxe outbuildings. All part of the pub complex. As for the pub itself, nothing has changed. I doubt it ever will. It is legendary. The Australian outback had certainly been discovered internationally.

I have now flown to numerous outback pubs over many years and NONE come within a bulls roar let alone a bees dick of Daly Waters.  Not Birdsville, not William Creek, not Oodnadatta, not Marble Bar, not Ballidu---- NOWHERE!!!!

The bar was packed to the doors by 6pm, the only main menu item—‘beef and barra’ had been sold out already, so we settled for their giant ‘burgers. I always feel ‘a few words are worth a thousand pictures’, but will let the cameras have a bit of a say!

Yes, it sure gets cold here at night and we needed an open fire

The ‘free’ floor show was as good as any Broadway, Covent Garden or Opera House extravaganza.

Within a hour of landing here, John had a proposition to tentatively put—‘How about we stay here for another night?’ I was delighted, he hadn’t been here before and I was afraid he’d may have been wondering what the hell we were going to Daly bloody Waters for??  

REASSURING!!

I immediately conformed the second night of our booking here.  Perhaps there bad been a misunderstanding as management thought I had only booked one night. And so after a long day flying and a night of  entertainment we both slept like logs in our self-contained room at $60 a night for the two of us.  Including aircon, linen and even towels and soap!!

WEDNESDAY 27th JUNE

 Up early and it’s quite cool, so even a jumper on for an hour or so. I believe the avgas has arrived, an d we will check and fill up sometime today. There’s only one other aircraft at the airfield—a C182 and the locals think they have their own fuel arrangements for a nearby mine.

The breakfast menu was pretty comprehensive and delicately worded. We both settled for ‘Toast with Bumnuts and Bacon’. Chunky damper-like toast with two bumnuts and a very generous serving of bacon, which we ate sitting at log tables at the front of the pub. 

Before 9am we ordered out Beef and Barra for dinner tonight. This would be all sold out by 10am.  Each order is numbered and names called out when it is served, with ‘sittings’ at 6, 6:30 and 7pm. We elected for 6:30pm.

Much of the day was spent exploring this iconic complex. In the days of ‘film’ cameras, it would be an extraordinary expense to even scratch the surface.

 There is sort of wifi coverage here—OK for email, lousy for Skype and www. I found a shady spot in the caravan park about a Km away and managed to load a couple of pictures, but it’s a bit of a challenge.

The signage is brilliant. My warped sense of humor found the following the most humorous.“ IMPORTANT: PLEASE TURN OFF MOBILE PHONES BEFORE ENTERING AS THEY MAY INTEFERE WITH OUR NAGIGATION SYSTEM” This really cracked me up!!

The pubs handyman George drove us out to refuel in the pub Land Cruiser with trailer and an opened drum of Avgas. The fueling operation was interesting. 

The pump allegedly delivers 750ml for each turn of the handle. After about ten winds to prime it, George starts counting, but allows about two to three litres our way for mathematical uncertainties and the age of the pump. We took on about 115 turns of the hand pump, but it was rounded down to 90 litres when we returned to the pub and he completed the long-hand conversions.

George is the local plumber, power generator supervisor and water chemical expert. All the water for the pub complex is from a bore, and quite drinkable. George is responsible for adding sodium hypochlorite to kill a few of the germs. “I like to keep that chlorohydro stuff about ‘5’. But if the germs are strong, I put it up to ‘7’”.  We drank it and showered in it and are still alive so perhaps he has it under control! George proudly showed us the water tower, the power supply.  “We get bats shorting out the lines regularly-one night last week I had to come out five times after dark to get the buggers off the lines”  A tower of  local knowledge and a true blue outback Aussie.

At 4pm the free stage show started, and all the caravaners from both the pub park and the many free- campers poured into ‘town’. The warm up act was ‘Sax and the Single Girl”, a bird who played a tenor sax from four to six pm.

  A few people listened and the music improved after a couple of beers. Right on six, the first sitting of beef and barra was ready, and people were called my name and thus the meal was straight off the barby and topped up with damper bread and salads. Our turn came at 6:30. 

The Barra was so fresh and the steak cooked to perfection. At 7:30 the main show started—“Chilli”s Australian Outback show. I think any teenagers had been shuffled off to bed and the jokes would have gone through to the keeper with the little tackers. He took the piss out of everyone, particularly the Yanks, our poor dumb friends

It was about a six-pot show and afterwards we slept well in our nearby room oblivious to the continuous music and noise from the bar.
Daly Waters have their own opening hours—24 hours a day.

THURSDAY 28^th JUNE

Up early and packed carefully, it’s a long way to come back here for lost property. A long climb to 7.500 and set heading for Adels Grove. I flew the first hour, then John took over and a I had a nod for quite a while. The terrain changed dramatically during this 320 nm flight. Firstly, sparse grazing country and then the very rocky plateau of the Barkly Tableland.  High rocky plateaus with deep sharp escarpments and rivulets, some with pools of water. This continued till some 20nm from Adels Grove where it ended quite abruptly onto a lower flat plain with larger streams and more vegetation. The Century Zinc Mine was visible some 40nm out and is some 6nm beyond Adels Grove  John took me for a circle round the ‘Grove and we landed on the long smooth gravel runway. The tour guide Nick picked us up form the airfield and waited while we unpacked, and then drove us to the complex. This is a real oasis in the middle of nowhere.

 Out furnished tent’ accommodation overlooks a wide stream filled with small fish and also an occasional barra I believe.

 Perhaps the hand line will get a wetting in the morning. 

Two other aircraft came in  including a group of three in an Arrow out of Moorabbin who are touring about a bit. 

The complex is booked out. We walked along the river which is surrounded by many exotic tropical trees, and then back to the dining area for our meal. 

A fixed menu of chicken, rice and mixed veg for dinner, followed by bread and butter pudding and icecream. After dinner we sat round an open fire with a few others including the Lance pilots, and shared a bottle of red.

Our tent overlooking the river has a waterfall in front which rocked us to sleep without much effort, but aggravated the bladder a couple of times during the night.

FRIDAY 29^th JUNE

Up at 7 am and I walked back to he aircraft and got some soup and munchy bars for our breakfast. Then went form a wander round the river and a couple of blokes were trying to catch fish. Serious fishermen who are flying the Lance, and going out to Sweers Island after the BIG ones.

The Lawn Hill national park in which Adels Grove is located is a renowned archeological area—along with Narracorte in South Australia it is renowned for the range of ancient fossils. I guess that includes us also.

Packed up and checked out of our tent, will fly to Normanton today and perhaps on to Undara if the pubs in Normanton are booked out, which we hear was the case yesterday.

Topped up with Avgas from a big tank at Adels Grove and departed for Normanton at noon. Climbed to 5,500 and tracked to Burketown on the coast and then flew coastal over these clear blue waters. 

The Leichhardt river opens into the Gulf near Burketown, with Sweers Island
 just a few nm out to sea on the horizon. Over Kununurra and then into Normanton which is visible from the former. A straight in approach to runway 14 with quite a bit of traffic ahead and behind.  After tying down and re-fueling, the fuel gut kindly drove us into town and we have a cabin at the Albion pub; right where Terry Collins and I camped several years ago.—and yes it is Friday, and they DO do pizza on Fridays-- cooked in the pub—it was the best I’d had last time here.
I had pizza for dinner and John had calamari and chips--I'm sure you all needed to know that!
Band speakers, drums and mikes were set up on the pub deck as we booked in; it could be a noisy night. Only a handful in the bar until seven o'clock, and then the whole town and surrounding population arrived--it was the annual B&S ball night!!  They came on foot, by four wheel drive and also several busloads. People in drag, in mock formal, our tee shirts and shorts would have fitted in well.

The music started at forty decibels and after reaching atomic levels we retired, but were still entertained till about 2am. The beer flowed freely, and  I guess a few of the locals got lucky; if not it wouldn't be for lack of trying.

SATURDAY 30th JUNE
Today we head slightly south east to Undara, 203nm.  A resort at the lava tubes site, we are booked into 'converted shipping containers' which don't come cheap in these tourist places. We will stay there tonight and tomorrow (Sunday) night.

John flew most of the leg after the first 50nm miles. We climbed to 7,500 in a cloudless sky as usual, well above any potholes.

 About 50nm from Undara the first cloud built up we have seen for a month appeared ahead, probably between 5,500 and 7,500.  John decided to descend to 4,500 where it was still pretty smooth with cumulus built-up above. 

We flew over Mount Surprise, a small township, with a big strip, possibly a mining community. The ground rose as we approached Undara which has an elevation of 2,500' and after checking out the strip we landed over a hill at one end and with plenty of runway to spare before the swamp over the far end. Flew over the complex and landed and were picked up by our prearranged minbus at the field.

 Booked into our accom which has aircon and is quite comfortable.

The whole resort is based on a railway theme, with old carriages for accom, and in the dining area and office.

Had our evening meal in the dining area—Hughendon sausages and veg for me and for me and slow cooked corn beef and veg for john.

 We also arranged bookings for the 8am tour to the lava tubes in the morning.

After dinner we gathered round the campfire to listen to a young chap singing and gitar playing—a bit insipid music but be was playing for his supper. 

I gets quite cold in the evenings and we needed jumpers and long pyjamas around the fire

SUNDAY 1^st JULY

Seasons greetings to Schreck and Mista Rabbit—surely you can do better that this dumb lot!!

Up early and joined the 8am bus tour to the lava tubes. A long walk along and down wooden walkways to view this extraordinary geological feature, with an experienced guide. 

The tour lasted 2 hours and was a bit testing on this old bugger, but I made it with the ‘walking stick I had fashioned last evening. 

For lunch we bought some bread and made our own corned neef sandqiches and topped them off with a mug of noodles each using the boiling weater at the dining area. In the arfvo, I had a good grampa nap, then a shower and did my washing as usual under the shower.
We bought a bbq pack and are going to prepare out own dinner at the free bbq adjacent to our accom.

Tomorrow it will be up early as we will have the bushmans breakfast around the campfure—eggs and bacon, coffee/tea and toast made over the open fire. Then we have a long day flying. We have plenty of fuel on board to get to Hughendon to refuel (158nm), and then on th Windora for the night, a further 288nm.

So we will be well on the way south, and the next overnight stop should  be Lightning ridge via Cunnumulla.

MONDAY 2^nd JULY

Up at 5:30 so we can take take in the bush breakfast and have time to pack up before our ride to the airsrip at 10am. An early morning walk to the bush breakfast and we were the first customers. 

 A help yourself affair including fruit pieces, muselli or coco pops etc, fruit juice, and then ready cooked bumnuts, bacon, baked beans, and ratatoli. Slices of fresh bread to cook on forks in the open fire, then buttered with veg, peanut butter, jams or honey. A real feast that will have to keep us sustained for a long flight.

Got a ride with Allison in the minibus to the airfield at 9am. She drove up and down the strip a few times to chase any roos off, and waited while we did a daily inspection and run up, and took off.

It was rough down low on take off and with a rocky hill looming a bit beyond the field, I turned left at about 100, feet and climbed and departed over the top. As we climbed further we flew over the lava tubes which are only dissernable from the air as more heavily treed areas snaking along for quite a few kilometres. 

There are ancient volcano cones all over the place hers, some more distinct than others. This terrain continues for white a few miles and then we were over the flat, almost treeless northern region of the Channel Country. Big big cattle stations out this way, mostly over 100,000 hectares—REAL hobby farms.  

Not mustering, taken with Johns tele-lens at 6,500'

Even at 6,500' we could make out Brahman cattle gathered near watering holes here and there.

This terrain continied on to Hughenton where we landed and the fuel man who John had SMS'd in flight, was waiting to top us up.

Out of Hughendon we flew over miles of Channel country and the vegetation constanly changed, with homesteads scattered here and there. Generally following the tributaries of the Cooper Creek and the Barcoo, with numerous private station strips; 

and also over the Jorn ‘Over the Hosizon’ Radar complex—are we getting is paranoid as the US out here in our wilderness? John was on duty for this long leg 320nm, and then I took the wheel descending into Windorah from 8,500 feet  and did a crappy landing on this long, wide sealed strip.

Windorah is something else. Firstly the terminal is spotless and obviously cleaned daily. Coffee tea and bonox are available free of charge from a dispenser with disposable mugs beside it. The refueler lady arrived as pre-arranged and while we tied down and unpacked she drove back into ‘town’and gfort the lady from the cabins we are booked in to come out and pick usn up.

WIndorah has a population of ninety including children. There is a a pub of course, and a corrugated iron affair at that—more ‘genuine’ that the 'Iron Clad' at Marble Bar. There is a small general store come post office, and a service centre/tyre/cigarette/general repairs place. 

And this set of modern cabins also does meals and has a bar. 

We ate in the pub as you do, then joined the others in the cabins. Everyone here is employed, the whole 90 less the kids. The school is modern and tidy and the men work on stations. They work up a healthy thirst.

There is no mobile phone coverage, no internet, no public fixedline phone. At the pub the portable phone is handed round for people to make short calls with a donation to the Royal Flyinfg Doctor. I called Heather for one minute to cancel SAR, and she was able to call me back for a chat a bit later. But this evening it's freezing and one degree is expected overnight. A lot of people seemed to be passing through –from where to where is anyone’s guess; its hardly on a road to anywhere much. But it is the outback racing season and many are fiollowing the circuit from hamlet to hamlet, with the big annual event, the camel races, coming up in about a week. 

The saddelry man is following the racing season and doing pretty well. 

Some power comes from those huge set of solar collectors behind theUGlyDuckling, but it needs supplementing by two large generator sets. As the proprietor of the cabins noted, the Solar collectors cost 4.5million and are bloody useless, but the generators cost 2 million and power the whole area. He should know, his job is to look after the power to the town and he has lived in Windorah all his life. The Minister who turned on the solar power agreed that "they won't put out much power and are inefficient, but the town has 'ticked all the boxes' !!". However, the beer is cold, the people friendly, and there is obvious pride in the four streets that make up the CBD!! The Flying doctor had arrived for the monthly clinic in the PC12.

We slept with the reverse cycle air conditioner on HOT all night--diesel powered!!

TUESDAY 3^rd JULY

Up at 6am in our cabin and planning the next leg. We can’t call ahead for details of accommodation or fuel.

And so after a routine twenty five hourly oil change, we flew on to Cunumulla where hopefully we can get mobile coverage and call ahead and check if there is any accommodation at Lightning Ridge.At  Cunumulla got fuel without any problem, and then on to Lightning Ridge which has heaps of accommodation. I thought everyone lived in holes in the ground at Lightning Ridge, but apparently these days it is quite a tourist place and tourism is fast becoming the major economy.  It's school holidays with heaps of tourists here, but we booked iunto a motel room opposite and owned by the bowling club, and got a ride into town by the proprietor. And a lady from the motel kindly drove our and picked us up.

The answer to my question of how many people live in Lightning Ridge was interesting, and quite believable. There are 1,900 on the electoral role, the bowling club has 2,900 members, and over 4,000 people collect their mail from the local post office!!. So work that one out. Opal is valuable, doesn't take up much space in the glove box of the 'ute, and is readily converted to cash for various ongoing transactions. The place would be a nightmare for even the most hardened taxation investigator!  This part of the Channel Country breeds real businessmen.

WEDNESDAY 4th JULY

Ho bloody Ho to all our Sherman friends who apparently gained independence on this day some time back. I wonder if Australia will ever celebrate our independence from their bloody paranoia.  We must be getting well south, as the weather report is getting back to 'normal' for the run to Narramine today. Early fog and low cloud, but it is an easy run and we will wait until things lift. After a hearty breakfast at the motel we were driven out to the airfield and took off into a sunny sky with nothing more that fluffy cumulus cloud for the whole run to Narromine. Except that is for about a 30 knot head wind.

Getting through airport security was of course the usual challenge! An unlocked picket fence with the usual 'Authorised persons only' sign attached.
We circled this outback Opal town and John got some pictures of both planned and itinerant shacks and their holes from the air.

Recent rains have filled  a number of dry lakes in the background, which doesn't happen often. All the town water is artesian and is untreated but quite drinkable.

But we were still able to land at Narromine at 1pm local, and are now established in the cabins on the field, and John has gone off to the SAAA office here to do some work and thus make this trip totally tax deductible. I think he learned all sorts of lurks at the 'Ridge!!

And so tomorrow morning we will be heading home.
We prepared a great meal of stir-fry snags and vegetables in out camp for dinner.

Only 163nm to the baked-bean-sandwich lunch stop at Griffith, and then 195nm to Kyneton, and a short drive home to my darling Heather. We have flown over 6,500nm and it will be just over seventy hours flight time and just over a month since we started.
But don't go away--there are heaps more photos to add and miles of text to refine--it's just a matter of jotting a few things down as and when they happen on the go--if and when we have wifi.
And that 'Barrel' hasn't even got the meniscus off it yet!!

THURSDAY 5th JULY
It is a cold morning in Narromine but the sky is clear except for a bit of stratus. We have had a hearty breakfast and packed our lunch for the stop at Griffith, and will get into the at about 11am. After Griffith it was a great run home at 6,600 on top of fliuffy Cumulus.

After a circle of 'Minto' it was in to Kyneton and great to see Dave Lewis on the field to welcome us home and take this arrival photo.

REFLECTIONS IN THE SPINNING PROP:

AIRPORT SECURITY.

Not long after the Twin Towers fell, I stood beside that fenced-off gaping hole in Lower Manhattan, New York and wept unashamedly along with visitors and locals alike. Ribbons, cards, flowers and heart wrenching messages of despair, hope and defiance covered the wire mesh a hundred or so feet above workers clearing and searching the dusty debris. Like the rest of the world I wondered why. Like millions of others I had watched on TV, and in real time, the most effective strike on any target anywhere, ever; achieved with clinical precision and horrendous results.
On that September day in 2001 the first ever 'World Director of Aviation' had officially commenced his career. The appointment had been made without the luxury of a selection process, and by none other that the then President of the United States of America. As the principal head of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden would henceforth, and later posthumously, determine the course of aviation security worldwide. Cited justification for the attacks included continued U.S. support for Israel, sanctions against Iraq, and the continuing presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia.
Before the dust had settled the U.S. launched The War on Terror and invaded Afghanistan to piss the Taliban off and generally annoy the shit out of the Middle East.
Our Grand PoohBah invoked article four of the ANZUS treaty, effectively dragging us down the gurgler with the U.S. The NATO councils' interpretation that 'an attack on the U.S. represented an attack on all NATO nations' effectively handed Britain and her allies into the palm of the U.S. And the protracted and futile war on Iraq, and and un-winable war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, have achieved nothing but hatred, greed and grief.
Enough of the potted history, but what has all this to do with Aviation Security 'down under' today?
The North American paranoia spread like smallpox throughout their Western allies, and over half a world away all our airline passengers, airport workers and airline pilots became instant potential terrorists. Impenetrable barriers were constructed around the perimeters of our major airports as astonishing cost. Less sophisticated barriers either completely or partially enclosed remote, outback and small-town airfields. The divide between 'airside' and 'landside' widened. For anyone to be permitted airside at any controlled airfield requires an  Aviation Security Identification Card (ASIC) to be worn at all times, or an Aviation ID (AVID) in 'less sensitive' areas. Both require a Police Check, two passport photos no more than six months old and payment of almost $200.
Licensed General Aviation pilots are not immune. Our Civil Aviation Safety Authority-issued Licences and Medical Certificates, amount to nothing as security documents.
A massive aviation security infrastructure costing millions to establish, and 'employing' thousands of otherwise unemployable layabouts to administer, has risen from the dust of Manhattan. As long as we maintain our mindless support of the American ideal regardless of its arrogant futility, we will forever live in the shadow of their fear of terror. They just don't get it; but let's get the fuck out of Afghanistan and leave them to fight their dirty, filthy, corrupt and unjust wars under their flag, and leave ours untainted. Sure they are our allies but the time has come to clamp the umbilical cord.

So what about our own airport security today in practice?  On this trip we have landed at thirty five airfields including three International, Control-Towered airports and many others with Regular Public Transport (RPT). On NO occasion were we required to display ASIC or AVID cards. Access to and from our aircraft was at all times unhindered and unquestioned. Many of the smaller airfields of course have introduced a concept known as common sense with regard to their airports. Systems more directed at the security of our parked aircraft during our absence. Huge fenced off boundaries on the entrance side of airfields erected at major expense to local authorities but with simple, sensible and pilot friendly access systems including bolted but unlocked gates, numerical keypads accepting local radio frequencies, and many unmanned 'terminals' with free coffee machines, chilled water coolers and spotless toilets and washrooms.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THEM ALL--in particular such gems as Shark Bay, Northam, Marble Bar, Windorah, and the classic at Lightning Ridge (Below)
 The AVID and ASIC system is yet another unnecessary impost on ALL pilots and aircrew. If you strut around wearing one of these expensive photo-tag lanyards and it makes you feel warm and cosy, that's fine. You might even get ten cents off a 'burger at Maccas at some terminals, but it's a bloody expensive Big Mac. And the discount is twice that if you show your Pilots Licence--you know, that document you EARNED after hours and hours of study of aviation theory, air law and many hours of flight training.

AUSTRALIA FROM ABOVE.

If you fly from Sydney to Perth or Adelaide to Darwin on commercial flights you will see    nothing more that the terminal at both ends. During the flight you might catch a glimpse out a window of the sky, cloud or terrain some 35,000 feet below. But the only way to see the REAL Australia is the uninterupted view from a light aircraft. As we fly along at 7000 to 9000 feet the ever changing colours and the expanse of the outback of this  extraordinary country take on another dimension. The horizon if fifty miles and often much further away. The tiny dots of earthbound  cars, trucks and vans and their ever present dust trail are a world away. Ocean, coastal, lake and river views from above are the domain of light aircraft and with little concept of movement the panorama moves slowly and seamlessly.
The view from down there is very limited. But of course when we land the detail is more distinct but projected on a much restricted screen.  On the road perhaps it is the destination more than the journey while by aircraft the enjoyment of both is heightened.

SOME STATISTICS.

Total distance:        6671nm
Total Fuel:               2366 litres
Total Hrs flown:       76.1
Fuel burn:                31.4 l/hr
Total Fuel cost:      $5,631
Average fuel           $2.38/l
Dearest Fuel          $4.30/l
Cheapest Fuel        $2.05/l  (Hughenden)
ONLY callout fee    $100  (Kalgoolie BP)
Landing fees:          $18.77 (Kununurra)
                              $24.82 (Darwin)
                              $14.32 (Ceduna)
                              $14.60 (Normanton)
                              $20.00 (Halls Creek)
                              $82.50 (Broome-Parking)

NATIONAL PARKS AND MINES.

State, National and 'World Heritage' areas are springing up all over our great outback. It seems that where ever there is nothing much, a National Park is declared. No doubt this provides employment for a variety of Rangers all over the country and makes the Greenies feel warm and fuzzy. However the locals are not always impressed. For example the fishermen of Denholm and Monkey Mia in the far West now have stringent restrictions on what and where they can fish. As long time centres of a prosperous fishing industry they are pretty pissed off, and whilst the new influx of tourists may do something for other businesses in the town, Denholm was established because of the fishing industry.
And then there are other anomolies such as the Century Zinc Mine plonked in the firmer pastoral lands of Adels Grove, the huge Ranger Uranium mine in Kakadu and the Manganese mine on Groote Eyland. These mines seem to co-exist in National Parks, perhaps it is 'out of sight, out of mind'. I have watched the 'locals' slaughtering giant turtles and dugongs on Boigu Island (Part of QLD, across Torres Strait) a couple of years ago; after all they have been a major food source up there for years. The Greenies would love it!! So why all the inconsistency?