Kestrel Aviation

Flying over the Great Australian Bight

I have long held the desire to fly around Australia in a helicopter and in March of this year I started out to realise that dream.

Departing from my home field at Riddells Creek on 28th March, I flew via Horsham and Waikerie for my first stop at Port Augusta. From Port Augusta I attempted to stay as close to the coast as possible, spending the second night at the Nullarbor Motel where I was able to leave the helicopter just outside my motel unit. The third day was the longest of the whole trip with scenery that ranged from the cliffs along the edge of the Great Australian Bight to the rugged and desolate coastline between Esperance and Bremer Bay.

Convenient parking- Nullabor Motel

On my fourth day I struck some areas of low cloud and rain which forced me to wait in Albany for three hours before I could move on to my planned overnight stop at Margaret River. From Margaret River I flew to the GA Airport for Perth.

North of Perth I now had head winds and limited choices for refuelling stops which made it necessary to phone ahead to ensure fuel was available at the places where I had planned to stop. While the Nullarbor was a barren place, it is well frequented by travellers but in the northern parts of the country I was flying over desolate places with few signs of human habitation.

I overnighted at Carnarvon then flew via Karratha to Port Headland. While these towns were planned stops for fuel, each day I stopped for photo opportunities when something caught my eye. I saw some great places and used the flexibility of the helicopter as I imagined it would be possible to do.

Port Headland to Broome was to be one of two extra long legs between known fuel supplies. I was able to arrange with the manager of Anna Plains cattle station to purchase fuel from stocks they hold for use during the mustering season. The winds on this day were reducing my ground speed to 70 knots, even flying low did not help me to avoid them.

I planned to stay close to the coast line through the Kimberleys but because of the lack of fuel for sale at several stations, I was forced to re-plan my trip and go inland via Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek.

From Fitzroy it was on to Halls Creek zig-zagging along the way to visit several gorges. After Halls Creek I tracked via Bungle Bungles National Park to Kununurra. The rock formations of the Bungle Bungles are best seen from the air, truly a landscape that reminds one of the photo's of the surface of the moon.

The Bungle Bungles National Park

From Darwin it was necessary to fly inland to Daly Waters for fuel and then back to the coast. I had to land at the pub where the fuel was stored, I was surprised that no one took any notice of a helicopter landing at the pub, it seems that it is a regular occurrence during mustering season.

Weipa to Horn Island was a short day but one which gave me a taste of the days to come, now the SE winds were setting in and it promised to give me a slow trip down the east coast.

From Horn Island I flew low down the east coast of Cape York then on to Cairns. That day I was left contemplating what I would do if I had to force land; the rain forests were so thick that I could imagine being swallowed up and never seen again. Thankfully the R22 kept purring and I made it to Cairns where I felt I had re-entered the inhabited part of Australia.

My treck down the coast was a slow one, the winds were still strong from the SE and I had come to accept my 70 knots ground speed. From Port Macquire to Maitland I had to weave my way around showers.

Showers continued during the trip to Merimbula. With my path ahead blocked by a heavy rain storm near Broken Bay I decided to land on a sand dune near the Surf Life Saving Club and wait for the rain to clear.

On the final day of my trip I departed Merimbula early and flew via the coast to Bairnsdale then direct to Riddells Creek, where I was met by family. All up trip took three weeks and four days; 120 hours flying time. My only moment of trouble occurred when the wire to the alternator broke on my second day, however I was able to fix that at the Nullarbor Motel.

The trip of a lifetime in a fantastic Helicopter.