The Ultralight - Harrison Aero

Transcription

Flyabout
A Family's Journey Around Australia
On July 17, 2000, the Musarra Family embarked on a 5 month journey around Australia. Our goal: to
circumnavigate the continent of Australia in an ultralight aircraft. Larry and Aren Musarra fly the ultralight, while
the rest of the family, Lenne', Sungie, and Tim, take the low road, following the route in a motor home.
This web page will be updated as the journey progresses. We will add photos, interesting stories of the road and
air, as well as the daily logs of the crew. To learn more, click on the links below.
The Ultralight
The X-Air is a conventional three axis control aircraft which conforms to the category of
Microlight / Ultralight Aircraft. By definition, an Ultralight Aircraft is a fixed wing aircraft,
with a maximum all up weight not exceeding 490 Kg, and not designed to carry more than
two people.
The advantage of the Ultralight category is that, as aircraft have to be built to lower weight
limits, and as they are generally non-aerobatic and fly at lower speeds than conventional
aircraft, the construction techniques used are simpler and less expensive than conventional
aircraft, they are also cheaper in capital cost, as well as operational and maintenance costs.
Ultralight aircraft are a practical choice for individual owners who fly as a hobby, or perhaps
farmers who will use their aircraft for checking on stock and water, as well as being used for
basic training for new student pilots.
The latest model X-AIR has been developed over a number of years and in excess of 500
aircraft have been exported all over the world including France, Italy, Spain, Greece, India,
South Korea, Canada, USA, Portugal, Great Britain, and Australia.
AIRCRAFT DESCRIPTION
The X-AIR has a conventional three-axis aircraft layout, two seater side-by-side, with high
wing, and tractor configuration Engine in the front, it also has tricycle-landing gear. The
cockpit can be semi-open, or fully enclosed, with the optional lexan doors offering cold
weather protection and a panoramic view to pilot and passenger.
AIRCRAFT CONSTRUCTION
The X-AIR is constructed using a technique that has been refined over the past 12 years using
aluminum alloy tubing covered with Dacron sailcloth. This technique has many advantages
over other methods of construction, such as economy, lightweight, and easy replacement of
components by the user itself, making maintenance and repairs cheap and simple. Moreover,
the structure will deform under impact, absorbing energy, thus providing an excellent passive
safety factor.
CONTROLS
The X-AIR features full dual controls; its behavior in flight is very similar to a conventional
light aircraft, such as a Cessna 150 for instance. This makes the X-AIR an excellent machine
for basic flight training at minimal capital and running costs, which are very low when
compared to a conventional light aircraft. Both the pilot and the passenger have their own
control stick which is located between the legs, each person has a throttle control and the pilot
has toe operated brakes; aircraft used for training can also be fitted with an emergency brake
operated by the instructor. The control inputs in the X-Air are firm and very positive, the
aircraft will fly for extended period's hands off, and the aircraft is self-stabilizing in
turbulence. The X-Air also has a solid wooden floor in the cockpit.
AIRCRAFT DIMENSIONS and WEIGHTS
Length 5.70m
Wing span 9.80m
Max height 2.55m
Wheel track 1.60m
Wheel base 1.45m
Empty weight 503 * 230kg
A fully optioned aircraft with instruments, radio, doors, fuel etc.. Weighs in at
X-Air 503 251kg
X-Air 582 270kg
X-Air 618 279 kg
GENERAL CONFIGURATION
Two seater, side-by-side
Conventional 3 axis controls; Ailerons, elevator and rudder
Full dual controls
Front mounted puller engine
High wing, good protection
Tricycle landing gear, with hydraulic suspension
Steerable nose wheel, linked to rudder pedals
Toe operated differential drumbrakes
Enclosed cockpit, lexan windscreen
Enclosed fuselage
Elevator trim
ROTAX ENGINES
The X-AIR is available with three engines from Rotax-Bombardier of Austria, the Australian
produced Jabiru engine and the HKS from Japan. Rotax engines are the worldwide recognized
standard for Ultralight aircraft, with the available options being the 52 HP "503" or the 65 HP
"582" and the 75HP "618". The Rotax 503 is air-cooled, while the 582 & 618's are liquid
cooled, all engines feature dual electronic ignition, electric start, reduction gear boxes to
improve propeller efficiency and carbon fiber Brolga ground adjustable props. All the Rotax
engines are two strokes designed to run on normal automotive fuel mixed with two-stroke oil
similar to motorcycles. Hence there is no need to go in search of aviation fuel, which makes
the X-AIR less dependent on airfields and aviation fuel supplies. The fuel tank capacity of
just over 59 liters gives a comfortable endurance of at least 3 hours at normal cruise with a 1/2
hour reserve. The X-Air can also be fitted with the Australian made Jabiru four cylinder four
stroke engine. The Jabiru engine produces 80 horsepower and consumes approximately 15
liters of fuel per hour, whilst the Jabiru is an expensive option it is still worthy of serious
consideration. The HKS engine has been successfully fitted to several aircraft overseas, but to
date we have none flying in Australia.
ENGINE SPECIFICATIONS ROTAX 503
52 HP purpose built aircraft engine Twin cylinder air-cooled two strokes Dual electronic
ignition with two spark plugs per cylinder Dual carburetors Forced air cooled with fan
assistance E type electric start gearbox Three blade carbon fiber Brolga prop
62 HP purpose built aircraft engine
Twin cylinder water-cooled two stroke
Dual electronic ignition with two spark plugs per cylinder
Dual carburetors
Liquid cooled
E type electric start gearbox
Three blade carbon fiber Brolga prop
75 HP purpose built aircraft engine
Twin cylinder water-cooled two stroke
Dual electronic ignition with two spark plugs per cylinder
Dual carburetors
Liquid cooled
Oil injection, standard
E type electric start gearbox
Three blade carbon fiber Brolga prop
PERFORMANCE
At close to sea level, under standard temperature and pressure conditions with the aircraft
loaded 450kg all up weight, and with the Rotax 582 engine, aircraft fitted with doors, the XAir performance figures are as follows.
Stall speed 25 knots
Max speed 80 knots
Cruise speed 65 knots
Economy cruise 55 knots
Rate of climb +1000 ft/min
Climb out speed 45 knots
Best glide ratio 7@40 knots
Rolling distance at take off
30 meters (582)
Distance to land 50 meters
Fuel consumption
15-17 l/h at 55 knots (582)
AIRCRAFT STRENGTH
Structurally the X-Air will endure stress up to 6 Gs positive and 3 Gs negative. This is far
beyond the limits, to which the aircraft will be exposed to, even in the most severe turbulent
conditions. However, it is important to note that the X-Air is not designed to perform
aerobatics. All components are protected from corrosion, by epoxy / polyurethane paints, or
electrolytic processes to ensure a safe and long life of structural components even in coastal
environments.
X-AIR ASSEMBLY
The X-Air is extremely easily to build; all that's needed are basic tools and an assembly area
similar in size to a single car garage. The manuals supplied are in English and demonstrate the
assembly procedure by the use of computer generated three-dimensional drawings, all that's
needed is to start on page one and work your way through. Any questions can always be
answered by telephone and we have assembly pictures on the web site for the most often
asked questions. Should you feel assembly might be past your abilities we can offer
"Commercial Assistance" in the assembly of your kit. Basically this means, an experienced XAir assembler can offer assistance in the building of your aircraft, you have to be in
attendance during the construction period and are in control of the assembly but we can assist
and offer guidance during the project and test flying of your aircraft.
Special thanks to X air Australia for the bulk of the above information.
The Crew
Larry
Larry Musarra, age 45, recently retired from the United States Coast Guard. He flew Sikorsky
HH3F and HH60J rescue helicopters throughout the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, and the Great
Lakes. During his career he has accumulated almost 5000 hours of flight time and had the
opportunity to fly across the United States in a helicopter on 2 occasions. He has an Airline
Transport Pilot rating in heavy helicopters and is a helicopter flight instructor. Larry is also
instrument and commercial rated in single engine land aircraft and has a commercial glider
rating. Larry is active in a variety of outdoor activities. He holds an advanced SCUBA divers
certification, is an avid sea kayaker, enjoys backcountry skiing, and mountain climbing.
Lenne'
Lenne' Musarra, age 49, grew up in Tacoma, Washington, U.S.A. but has also lived in
California, Oregon, Rhode Island, Florida, New York City, Louisiana, Michigan and Alaska.
She spent 10 months living in Hyderabad, India in 1965 when her dad received a Fulbright
Fellowship. She and Larry have been looking forward to exploring and living in other
countries. Lenne' has recently been pursuing certification in early childhood education. She
student taught in a kindergarten classroom in Juneau Alaska during the 1999-2000 school
year. She also has been a creative movement teacher for young children for many years. With
a master's degree in dance therapy, she has led movement groups for such diverse populations
as the mentally ill, prison inmates, seniors and the handicapped. Lenne's hobbies include
writing, dancing, knitting, organic gardening, hiking, music, and alternatives in education and
the healing arts.
Aren
Aren Musarra is 16 and is ecstatic about the trip. In preparation, he has completed Aviation
Ground School, taken a photography class, and gotten his Advanced SCUBA diving
certificate. In attempts to keep up with his father, he enjoys kayaking, scuba diving, hiking,
and presumably flying. He also wrote and designed this web page. During the trip, Aren will
be missing half of his junior year in high school and intends to correspond with his classes
over the internet. He is also seriously considering going to college in Australia.
Sungie
Sungie Musarra, age 12, is a seventh grader at Dzantik' I Heeni Middle School. He plays the
Baritone in his school band and he lives for sports & friends. He's into basketball, baseball,
volleyball, tennis, running, wrestling, skiing and playing soccer. He enjoys socializing with
friends; like talking on the phone, chatting on the Internet, and going to movies, the mall, and
to friends houses.
Tim
Tim Musarra is 9 years old and attends third grade at Gastineau Elementary. He enjoys
kayaking, skating, bike riding, and sledding. He also likes building things and working on
science projects. He's looking forward to seeing koala bears, crocodiles, and kangaroos.
Daily Log - Week One
Day One - Intro to Australia
We departed Los Angeles International Airport on Monday, July 17th at 9:30 P.M. and
arrived in Brisbane Australia on Wednesday, July 19th at 7:55 A.M. all healthy and eager for
the adventure that lies ahead. Because we crossed the International Date Line, Tuesday, July
18, 2000 did not exist for us. All our luggage, 9 checked bags and 7 carry-ons, were
accounted for and we cleared customs with no problems. It was 8:30 A.M. when we stepped
outside and were greeted by sunny weather and a mild 60 degrees temperature, not bad for an
Australian winter day! Mr. Terry Friar from the Brisbane Motor Camper Centre picked us up
at the airport and drove us to his dealership to pick up what was to be our home for the next 5
months. We spent the morning completing the paperwork and checking out the features of our
motor home. Once the credit card payment was accepted, the keys were ours, and the
adventure of driving a standard left hand shift, right hand drive, opposing wiper/signal levers,
22-foot vehicle through the streets of Brisbane was to begin.
It took a bit of skill and backseat driving to drive the five blocks to the grocery store. After
stocking up on a few essentials we started driving south to the Gold Coast to see our
ultralight. We arrived in Burleigh Heads around 5PM and called Michael Coates, the X-Air
dealer for Queensland. Michael met us at the local shopping center and escorted us to the
warehouse where we would set up camp for the night. He showed us around and left us to
work off our jet lag. We all settled down for the night with dreams of flying over Australia,
seeing koalas and roos, diving the Great Barrier Reef, experiencing the Outback. Dreamland
finally hit us all!
Days Two and Three - Beginning the Ultralight
Building the Ultralight: We awoke to the cacophony of strange bird songs. Michael arrived
around 7:30 and a short time later we were into the box of ultralight parts. We took inventory
and started to unwrap the dozens of pieces that would soon be our unique flying machine.
It didn't take long for the ultralight to take shape. With Michaels help, Aren, Sungie, Tim, and
Larry assembled the cockpit frame and keel, installed the fuel tanks, vertical fin, and landing
gear, and added the stiffeners to the aft fairing. Next we connected the fuel and electrical
systems, installed the dashboard/windshield and mounted the engine to the frame. By the end
of the second day, we were actually able to turn the key and push the starter to crank the 75
HP Rotax engine. What an experience! Here we are - Down Under - building an airplane!
Days Four, Five, and Six - Flight Lessons
Michael had arranged flight lessons for Larry over the weekend. To be certified to fly
ultralights in Australia, Larry needed 5 hours of instruction in an ultalight. We left the
populated Gold Coast behind and drove to Tyagarah, a small community about a 1.5 hour
drive south into New South Wales. The grass airstrip was host to a variety of small general
aviation and experimental airplanes, motor gliders, trikes, and a skydiving club. Larry met the
instructor, Graeme Johns and received a briefing on what was in store. It was going to be a
few hours before the lessons were to begin so Larry drove Lenne', and the boys to Tyagarah
Beach, a remote swimming beach a few miles from the airfield. Larry returned to commence
lessons in the Drifter ultralight, a tandem seating taildragger, with a pusher 2 cycle 50 HP
Rotax engine. Even though the temperature was a pleasant 70 degrees, Graeme and Larry
wore snowmobile suits to protect them in the exposed cockpit. After Graeme pull-started the
engine, Larry jumped in the front seat and with Graeme in the rear, Larry applied the throttle,
setting the delicate little craft in motion down the grass field and lifting off at the end of the
runway.
They climbed to 1000 feet and it didn't take long before they were over the beautiful sandy
beach with dolphins swimming in the surf. After a few turns and stalls they dropped down to
100 feet over the sandy beach and flew over Lenne' and the boys, waving their towels in
greeting. After a couple of touch and go landings and simulated emergency landings without
power, they landed for the day. One hour of training down and four to go! We spent the night
in the town of Brunswick Heads, a small fishing community just north of the airfield. The
second day of instruction was more of the same except that Larry soloed for 40 minutes
around Cape Byron, the eastern most point of land on the mainland of Australia. By late
afternoon, a bit tired, we drove to the town of Byron Bay where we checked emails at an
internet café, got some groceries, and celebrated Sungie's 13 birthday with oriental food. We
decided to drive back to Tyagarah field for the night so that we could all sleep in. Early the
next day Larry saw his first wallaby. Flight training began with Graeme showing Larry the
features on the Australian aeronautical charts and chatting a bit about what to expect while
flying around Australia. By 11:00 it was time to solo another 45 minutes around the area.
After a terrible landing, it was time for lunch. The remaining time was spent doing some more
engine out landings, spiraling turns, and spins. With 5 hours of ultralight training completed,
the fun was over and it was time to say goodbye to Graeme and Tyagahar field for now. We
drove back to Byron Bay and drove up to the lighthouse to watch a glorious sunset over the
Great Divide.
More time at the internet café, more groceries, a couple of pizzas and it was time to rest up for
the night. Parking at Tallow Beach just inside the Cape Byron Reserve, we walked to the
beach, ducking as fruit bats flew by. The brilliant night sky captivated our attention as we
gazed at the expansive Milky Way and searched for the Southern Cross, 4 prominent stars that
point to the south pole. The wind had picked up from the NE during the day, but in the lee of
Cape Byron, the only remnant of the wind was the sound of the surf crashing off the distant
headland.
Day Seven - Play Day
Tuesday, July 25th we were awaken by the ranger knocking at the door of the motor home.
Guess we weren't allowed to camp there. We were told to move along so we drove up to the
lighthouse to watch a spectacular sunrise. After eating breakfast at a pull-out, Larry and
Lenne' jogged back up to the lighthouse and around the cape to another beautiful sandy
beach.
After a short swim with the boys, we spent the rest of the morning looking around town
playing tourist before driving back to Burleigh Heads, arriving around dinner time. Michael
was still at the shop so we reviewed what still had to be done on the ultralight.
Daily Log - Week Two
Day Eight - Finishing The Ultralight
We put the wings on the ultralight. Michael phoned around and got 2 sponsors for our trip.
Pacific Flyer Magazine will follow our trip. And Penrite Lubricants is donating $100 of fuel.
Michael also made logos for the pod. An American flag is on the right side, the Alaskan flag
is in the middle and the Australian Flag is on the left.
Both the Big Dipper and the Southern Cross are used as aides to navigation. Two Gold Coast
Newspaper reporters interviewed us and a photographer took a lot of pictures. An ultralight
inspector inspected the aircraft for safety. Fortunately for us, there is an indoor and outdoor
swimming pool a block away, so Lenne', Sungie, and Tim have been busy.
Day 9 - Thursday, July 27th
More rain and cool weather but the wind wasn't blowing and for our standards, we considered
it a nice summer day in Juneau. The Aussies would look at us like we were a bit touched
when we said that. We took the wings off to get the Xair ready for trailering and went
shopping. We mailed off some postcards, got headsets, charts, tools, tarps, gas cans and a cell
phone that we can use throughout Australia. While we were at the Pilot shop getting the
headsets and charts, Michael told the proprietor, a man in his late 60's, of my plan to fly
around Australia. He immediately said he always wanted to do that and pulled out a map of
Australia and stated that he was planning to sit down tonight to mark his route. Larry and
Lenne' met Andrew, a gentleman who was helping move the ceramic shop next door to
Michael's warehouse. He plays guitar and is learning piano so we had a good conversation
about music in Australia. After grocery shopping and finding sandals for Tim, Phil and his
wife came up from Mudgee. Phil, a friend of Michael's, owns an Xair and has more flight
time in them than anyone else in Australia
Day 10 - Friday, July 28th
We woke up early to clear skies and got ready to trailer the plane to Caboorture airfield,
where Michael keeps his Xair. Michael and Phil arrived about 8:30 with the trailer and several
newspapers with the photo and article about our adventure. Bravo for the reporter and
photographer! They did an outstanding job capturing the spirit of our adventure.The plan for
the day was to do a start up in the driveway to see if the engine would run, put the plane on a
trailer and head to the airfield for a run-in. If we had time, Michael would do a test flight and
the plane was mine to fly. We got a late start and by the time we arrived at the field, put the
wings on, and fit the battons there was only enough time to run the engine in. The procedure
was to run the engine at various RPM's for set periods of time. In all it took 1 hour and six
minutes to complete. We tied the plane to a fence post and I started the engine. It fired right
up. Phil sat with me for the first few evolutions and then left with Michael to pick up two
more Xair's in Brisbane. Aren joined me and kept the sequence for me. We completed the run
in and put the plane in the hangar. It was time to take Aren to Redcliff to meet his friend that
he met on the internet. We drove back south for about 20 minutes, and with help from
Sungie's sharp eyes, found the street where Shontelle lived. We all got out to meet the parents
to ensure it was OK for Aren to spend a weekend with their daughter. John and Francine were
prepared for Aren's visit and we stayed for about 30 minutes chatting about Alaska and our
adventure while learning a bit about their life. Two of Shontelle's friends arrived seconds after
we did to check Aren out. A barbie (barbeque) and movie were planned for the four teenagers
that night, followed by picking up pony on Saturday, to join the horse that Shontelle owns
already, followed by a trip to Dreamworld amusement park. The rest of us decided to drive
back to the airfield and sleep in the next morning. Michael was due to arrive at 9 AM.
Day 11 - Saturday, July 29th
We awoke to the warm sun shinning on the airfield. Small planes were taking off in the early
morning calm air. Michael arrived around 10 AM with the doors for the Xair. It took an hour
and a half to fit the doors and do a final inspection before the first flight. By 1130 it was time
to take off. The Xair started without any problems and Michael taxied onto the busy field.
Small aircraft, ultralights, and gliders were lined up for takeoffs and landings. Xair 3403 took
the active runway and lifted off in less than 30 meters. One of the glider pilots said the Xair
looked well fed, like a fat yellow canary, but it climbed and flew like a hawk. Michael flew
over the field for a few turns and stalls and when he felt comfortable with the handling,
landed in a short distance on the runway and taxied back to the hanger. The only problems
were a blown fuse and a malfunctioning air speed indicator. Michael went to get some fuses
while we pulled his Xair out of the hangar and put mine away. A new Xair needs to have 25
hours of flying time before it can be flown with a passenger so we had to use his plane. After
lunch, Michael returned and was ready to fly. It was my time to fly a plane that I had
researched, bought, and built. We started the Rotax 618 and taxied to the active runway. It
was during the lunch hour so there was less traffic in the pattern. We took the active runway,
added power, and Michael showed me the takeoff characteristics of the Xair. Just amazing.
The aircraft jumped into the air and was climbing at 800 ft per minute. Michael trimmed the
plane at a climb attitude and took his hands off the controls. The Xair just kept climbing. We
reached 1000 ft and did a few turns. The Xair just needed a bit of rudder and a touch of
aileron to complete the coordinated 360 degree turn. Michael brought the nose back to show
me a stall. At about 25 knots, the nose dipped a bit and settled out. He did another stall with
more aggressive back stick and another slight dip in the nose and again the Xair settled out.
We lost about 60 feet in the two stalls. Not bad. It was my turn to take the stick. I did a few
turns and stalls before it was time to head back to the runway for some trips around the
circuit. Michael took the Xair in for a very smooth landing. A bit of power and we were off
again, climbing to join the pattern for a few more landings. It took a while for me to get the
sight picture for the final flare but touchdowns were always smooth. After several touch and
goes, it was time to taxi in as Michael was taking Sungie and Tim for flights. I was pleased
with the Xair's performance and looked forward to flying it around Australia. It was time to
put the plane in the hangar and get some dinner.
Day 12 - Sunday, July 30
We took a day away from flying to take the kids to DreamWorld, an Australian version of
Disneyland. We woke up early to pick up Aren, Shontelle, Sarah, and Sandi. Spent the day on
the rides and seeing the sights. See Aren's ramblings about Australia for details of this day.
Day 13 - Monday, July 31
We took another day away from flying to climb the 1157 meter Mount Warning. We left
Burleigh Heads by 10:30 AM arriving at Mount Warning National Park by 11:45. The
mountain was named by Captain Cook to warn future mariners of the offshore reefs he
encountered in May 1770. Mt. Warning was designated as a National Park in 1966 and
included in the UNESCO World Heritage Listing in 1986. Mt. Warning is significant to
Aboriginal people, providing tradition that extends back to dreamtime. Called "Wallumbin"
meaning "fighting chief of the mountains", the Aboriginal people believed that lighting and
thunder were warring warriors and that landslides were wounds obtained in the battle. The
trail to the summit went through a variety of vegetation communities including subtropical
and temperate rainforest, wet sclerophyll forest and health shrubland. The final push to the
summit was steep and a chain railing was anchored to help climbers to the summit.
From the summit we were offered spectacular views of the surrounding countryside and we
saw the enormous bowl of the caldera landform. Twenty million years ago the height of the
volcano was twice the present height. The volcano was formed by massive outpourings of
lava that stretched for miles. The height of the volcano trapped moisture from the coastal air
and over the millennium the many small streams produced by this moisture carved the unique
landform. Mt. Warning was the central plug to this enormous volcano. It took just under 2
hours to climb the mountain and by 2:30 it was time to start our descent. Sungie, Tim and
Larry decided to jog down while Aren and Lenne' took a more leisurely hike. By 3:30 we
were all at the parking lot, tired, but feeling good from the exercise. We drove back to
Burleigh Heads for another night.
Day 14 - Tuesday, August 1
Off to Caboolture for a final check of Flyabout - Xair 403. We changed the airspeed indicator
and installed a vent in the cockpit. After a thorough preflight it was off for another flight
around the pattern. The Xair flew flawlessly but I did blow another fuse on my final landing. I
taxied in and Phil took a look at the fuse holder. Apparently when we were installing the
airspeed indicator we must have pulled a wire from the fuse holder and it shorted out. A quick
and easy fix and I took the plane up for another flight. Michael was busy getting his plane
ready to fly down to the Gold Coast and beat the dark rain clouds that were moving in from
the north. I decided to stay the night in Caboolture and hope for better weather the next day.
Daily Log - Week Three
Day 15 - Wednesday, August 2
We awoke to a beautiful sunny morning. A family of kangaroos was grazing on the runway.
We drove to the Australia Zoo in the morning and it gave Lenne' some more supervised time
behind the wheel of the motor home. The zoo is home to the TV's Crocodile Hunter.
We drove back to Caboolture and I went into the Warbirds Flight School and asked about the
Noosa airstrip. I was told it may be closed and was given a number to call to see if I could
land there. Fortunately, when I called John the groundskeeper, he said I was welcome to land
but Lenne' may not be able to drive to the airfield. Apparently the 100-meter road to the
airstrip is privately owned and there is a dispute with a landowner and the airstrip owners. I
wasn't going to let that stop us so I decided to go to Noosa. We pulled Xair 403 out of the
hangar and got ready for our first leg. I set the Lat/Long of Noosa strip in the GPS and Aren
set the same Lat/Long in the motor home GPS so Lenne' and the boys could find the airfield
too. Jeff, who graciously let me keep my Xair in his hangar, was flying his Xair that morning
with Mario and said they wanted to escort me to the Glass House Mountains just 20 km north
of Caboolture. We both started up and the two Xairs taxied to the runway. Jeff and Mario
took the active runway, applied power and lifted off. I was right behind them and we climbed
to 2000 feet heading towards the mountains Captain Cook named over 200 years ago. The
mountains are a surreal series of volcanic crags that rise abruptly out of the plains to 300
meters. Once over the mountains, Jeff and Mario turned back to Caboolture and I continued
on to Noosa. This was it, our first leg of a long journey! It is only 40 miles to Noosa direct but
I also had to fly around the Maroochydore airspace and I kept the Xair at 50 kts to savior
every minute of the flight. I arrived over Noosa in less than 1 hour. Still wanting to get some
time on the Xair, I decided to fly over the shoreline to find a swimming beach for the next
day. I descended to 1500 feet and returned for a landing. I landed on runway 11 and taxied to
the hangars. John was there to meet me and directed me to the tiedowns. Graham Allen just
flew in and drove over to see the Xair. He and his wife Joy were with another couple and we
chatted about flying adventures. It was time to find Lenne' and the boys. John let me use his
cell phone so I called them. They were lost. The GPS led them to a new housing development
across the river from the airfield. Close but they couldn't get here from there. John and I got in
his car and tried to find out where they were. After a few calls we finally connected. John
gave me the key to the gate and Lenne' drove the motor home to the field for the night - our
first leg complete. After dinner we were all exhausted and it was time for bed.
Day 16 - Thursday, August 3
We all got to bed early the night before so everyone woke up refreshed and ready to explore
the Noosa area. Lenne' and I got up before the kids and went for a jog down the runway as the
sun was coming up. After breakfast we drove to the Noosa National Park and hiked 2.7 km on
a beach trail to the headland. We explored a few beaches and spent time on one beach
balancing rocks. It was a pleasant place to spend the day and we saw our first wild Koala,
Goannas, and Kookaburra's.
Day 17 - Friday, August 4
We woke to the sound of rain on the motor home. The wind was blowing 15-20 kts out of the
Southeast. I got up to put a tarp around the Xair. The showers continued and I wasn't too keen
on flying in the rain and gusty wind. John arrived and gave me the key to the semi abandoned
pilot lounge to see if we could plug into the phone and update the web page. Unfortunately,
the phone jack wasn't compatible so it was off to town to pick up some more groceries and a
telephone jack. We arrived back at the airstrip and got the internet to work. Graham stopped
by and provided us with information about landing strips and things to do and see on our
journey. The more we hear about what lies ahead, the more I want to get going, though I
realize we won't have enough time to see and do everything.
Day 18 - Saturday, August 5
More rain, only this time it was steady, a good day to get caught up on our writing. The
weather forecasted more of the same until Monday. It is now that we appreciate the little
things like hot water for showers and dish washing. John was gracious enough to turn the hot
water on for us before he left. So now we have the use of a toilet outside the motor home that
we don't have to empty, a place to plug in to charge batteries, and a phone to use to update the
web page and check emails. We asked if there was anything interesting going on in town over
the weekend and he told us about a celebration at one of the local schools. He gave us
directions and we were off. We never found the school but drove up to the Laguna Lookout. It
gave us a good view of the surrounding area and a better look at the weather. There were
showers still lingering in the area but the ceiling and visibility were good so we decided to try
to fly out. We drove back to the airstrip and Graham was there doing some maintenance on
his trike. The wind had picked up again but I untied the Xair and took the tarps off. I figured I
could fly up to see what the weather looked like up north. If it wasn't too bad I could land and
call it a day. Graham told me if the wind shears at the end of the runway just plan a long
landing and to avoid some of the bumps. I started the engine, taxied for takeoff and applied
power. I'm still not used to the aircraft jumping off the ground but I was 500 feet before I
reached the center of the field. It was a little bouncy at first but calmed at 1000 feet. I could
see some showers to the north so I turned to fly up the coast. I was reading 55 kts indicated
but the GPS was showing 76 kts over the ground. Yikes! I turned back to the field and my
speed over the ground slowed to 36 kts. With 20 kts of tailwind I'd be at Rainbow Beach in 30
minutes. I entered the pattern and landed. Some bumps on final approach but nothing serious.
The Xair handled the wind well and I was impressed. I could do the flight but it was getting
on to 2PM. By the time Lenne' and the kids got ready for the 3 hour drive, they would be
arriving just before darkness. Graham stated that the flight to Rainbow Beach is beautiful and
best in the morning sun. About that time another shower was moving in and the wind picked
up. So I pulled the Xair over to the tiedowns and called it a day. Sungie wanted to see a movie
anyway so we decided to spend another day at Noosa. Graham and I started talking about all
the gadgets I had and how it was difficult keeping the batteries charged. He mentioned he
purchased a small inverter to charge the batteries from the motor home's DC power. I thought
I better get one so we drove off to the local Tandy dealer. Aren stayed behind to chat on line
with his friends. We arrived at 4 PM to find the store closed. I'm still not used to stores
closing early around here. Sungie and Tim spotted a play land and decided they had to go.
Time was getting tight to see the movie, have dinner, and allow the kids time to play. I drove
back to get Aren as the plan was to make dinner in the parking lot while the kids played.
When I got back with Aren, Graham called and invited us to a Barbie. We got the kids
McDonald's meals and took them to the theater. But the kids couldn't all get in to see the
movie without a parent accompanying them. So I called Graham to let him know of our
dilemma and he said to bring the gang over. When we first got there we were all served
something to drink and then Joy decided the younger boys should have a video so she hopped
in the car and drove them down the hill to pick one out. While Larry and Graham discussed
flying, Joy focused on talking with Aren about his experiences and future plans, as she
reflected upon the lives of her two sons. She kept emphasizing how important it is to decide
what you want to do before your last two years of high school. All three of her children have
pilot's licenses and the two boys fly for an Australian airlines. We had a lovely dinner of
steak, sausages, potatoes, tossed salad, and rich chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert.
Graham and Joy had taken their three children to Canada, the States, Mexico and Europe in
1979 for a 12 month motor home safari. Their eldest, a daughter, was 15 and their two sons
were 13, and 11 at the time. So we had much to chat about, including both the highlights and
the difficulties of living in a small space with five people. We chuckled about the intense
moments and the need for personal space to regain balance and perspective. The frustration of
being grounded by weather the last three days has had a toll on our boys so we've had some
serious discussions that have brought heartfelt tears to the surface. Aren wants to be on the
move constantly as he feels overwhelmed by the distance we have yet to travel. Sungie misses
his friends and freedoms in Juneau and still isn't convinced that the length of this trip is
necessary or worthwhile. Tim gets overwhelmed at times with the intensity of our focus and
the business of our surroundings and at other times he's bored with our apparent lack of
activity, while the rest of us are enjoying relaxing. We were so thankful to be asked to dinner
and to have our needs met. It was wonderful to get to know this adventuring Australian
couple better. As a family, we departed with a peaceful sense of well-being, and with
enthusiasm and unity for our mission.
Day 19 - Sunday, August 6
The rain stopped in the night but the wind was still fresh and there were some dark clouds to
the south. We planned to go for the next leg - a 30 mile flight to Rainbow Beach. For
Lenne'and the boys, it would be a 2-3 hour drive. I took the tarp off of the Xair, did a
preflight, and fired it up. I planned a trip around the town to check the weather so I flew for
about 15 minutes and landed. The weather wasn't the best, 20 kts of wind, scattered rain
showers, and a 3000-foot ceiling, but it was acceptable. It was time to go. Graham stopped by
to say goodbye and return the "Alaska Bush Pilots" video I brought along to show people who
have an interest in flying in Alaska. Lenne' and the boys prepared the motor home for the trip
and I did my preflight. It was 10:30 by the time I lifted off. I climbed to 1000 feet and headed
north. With 20 kts of tailwind, I was cooking along at 76 kts and once over the beach, I
descended to 500 feet to enjoy the scenery. Thirty miles of sand, sand dunes, surf, and 4x4s hundreds of them - the Aussie's form of recreation on the Sunshine Coast. I rounded the Cape
into Wide Bay and headed toward Rainbow Beach. Spectacular colorful sand dunes rose 1000
feet from the bay.
I made an orbit over the quaint town of Rainbow Beach and headed toward the point. The
airfield looked decent enough but I made a low overflight anyway. It was a bit bumpy on final
but within limits. I added power and entered the circuit again for a full stop, landing at 11:30.
The field was sandy so I had to add a lot of power to taxi to the tiedowns. The hangar was
abandoned and had caught fire recently. I tied the Xiar down and waited for Lenne'. They
showed up at 1:15, all in one piece, except the motor home was missing a lower 6"X12" piece
of siding on the passenger side. As Lenne' was driving around a hilly S curve and over a very
narrow bridge with on coming traffic, she bumped a pole which took out the 1/16" thick,
wood siding. After stopping for a lunch break, we walked the beach and watched 4X4's drive
onto the Rainbow Adventure barge that transports people to Fraser Island. Rain continued to
pour down that evening so we checked in at a Motel for the night so we could spread out and
relax.
Daily Log - Week Four
Day 20 - Monday, August 7
We relaxed in the comfort of our hotel room this morning. We had a lot of options of how to
spend our day but we were still undecided. Going to Fraser Island was a bit expensive for a
one-day jaunt and even more expensive for two days, even if we could afford the time. The
weather was favorable for flying but we wanted to stay in the area because it was so peaceful.
Lenne' wanted to see Rainbow Beach to see if the name appropriately described the colorful
sand dunes. We crossed the street to the beach and started hiking. The mouth of Wide Bay
extends five miles and forms an arc of 300 ft, colorful dunes that extend from Double Island
Point to the town. The hard packed beach was perfect for walking and the rainbow dunes were
highlighted in the morning sun and the sand ranged in colors from white, beige, pink, redish,
brown, to black. As we started walking we noticed small blue jellyfish lying in the sand. Tim
and Sungie were walking barefoot so we had to watch every step. We knew these jellyfish are
hard to see in the water due to their color and long tentacles, and that they can give a very
painful sting. Thousands of them had been blown in by the strong easterly winds that had
been in the area all week. The beach had several small caves that were carved in the
sandstone. Tim took pleasure in crawling into them and discovered one that led to a hole that
opened above the dune. We hiked about 2 miles and started back. It was 11 by the time we
checked out. We discovered that check out was at 10, but in the Australian tradition, "no
worries mate". We humbly checked out of the hotel and headed to the internet café to file a
report on the damage to the motor home. I took a digital picture to send to the Brisbane Motor
Camping Centre. We also wanted to see if we could update the web page. The first internet
café was at a gas station and the people weren't sure about letting us plug our laptop into their
phone lines. We tried the backpacker café but they had a Mac and didn't even have a disk
drive. It was still a good stop. We asked the proprietor about things to do in the area and told
him of our plans to go to Hervey Bay. He wasn't a lover of Hervey Bay, saying it was too
overdeveloped and the only big attraction was the whale watching. We were all familiar with
whale watching so decided not to go and were given some ideas for things to do in the
Rainbow Beach area. The best idea was a drive to Tin Can Bay to interact with the dolphins.
Two humpback dolphins have been coming to the area for years and approach people almost
every morning. We hadn't read anything about dolphins in the area and it is apparently a bit of
a secret as it is not in any of our tour books. I called Terry at the BMCC and reported the
damage - again "no worries" was the reply. What a great country! This attitude sure helps us
maintain a proper perspective on life. Off to Tin Can Bay. It was a 30 minute drive to Tin Can
Bay and what a magical place. The town is at the end of a small peninsula that is surrounded
by protected water and definitely off the beaten track. We arrived at the boat dock about
dinner-time. Kids were fishing, swimming, and just having a good time on the dock. The
narrow sheltered bay was ringed with sailboats, houseboats and fishing boats. Puffy cumulus
clouds to the west were arranging themselves to highlight the upcoming sunset. I went up to
the Volunteer Coast Guard Station to gather more information about the "volunteer Coast
Guard" and Lenne' started dinner. We parked the motor home in the corner of the parking lot,
ignoring the No Camping signs - we were just parking not camping - and went to bed. We
were awakened by the sound of heavy rain but it was still dark. Hoping the shower would
pass by daylight, we went back to sleep.
Day 21 - Tuesday, August 8
I woke up before sunrise and prepared to go jogging. The rain had passed and the puffy
cumulus clouds that had graciously placed themselves to the west at sunset had politely
moved to the east to enhance the rising sun. I started past the beach where the dolphins would
be, and as I approached, I heard the familiar posh of a dolphin breathing. The dolphin was
moving slowly in the shallow water. I ran back to wake up the kids. Dolphins away, I hollered
as I opened the door to the motor home. It didn't take long before the kids were up and
dressed. Out the door they ran, Lenne' right behind. With the exception of the volunteer who
was there to ensure the dolphins weren't harassed, we were the only ones there. Aren walked
into the water first and I took pictures. The dolphin approached and Aren put his hand in the
water. She gave him a little nudge and then backed away.
Tim was right behind Aren and Sungie followed. Another family showed up and then another
dolphin. The large female, Scary was caught in a trawl net in 1953 and was aided by a family
in Tin Can Bay. She gave birth to a male 8 years ago and the two dolphins have been coming
to the beach regularly. It was a very special moment for us but it was time to continue our
journey. We drove back to Rainbow Beach and had time to hike to the Sandblow, a half-mile
long sand dune that offered spectacular views of the countryside and wonderful opportunities
for climbing a hill and hurling yourself down without fear of getting hurt. We drove back to
the airfield and prepared the Xair for the next leg. Ray Parker, the owner of the airstrip was
there when we arrived. Just as I took the tarp off, another rain shower started so Lenne', Aren,
and I waited under the wing. Ray told us of some magical places to fly over and I was anxious
to get going. A quick lunch, thorough preflight, another 20 liters of fuel and I was ready. The
wind just shifted which meant I didn't have to taxi to the end of the runway but I was looking
at a headwind to Bundaburg. Because of the soft sandy runway I planned to do a soft field
takeoff. I brought the stick back to keep the nosewheel off the ground and applied power. I'm
still not used to the quick liftoff and high climb rate of the Xair. When I used the same
technique in a Cessna, I had time to think about the procedure and used the necessary control
inputs before I rotated. In the Xair, the evolution happened so fast that I was airborne and
climbing at 800 feet a minute before I realized I was not on the ground anymore. I was
impressed but just as I got over the rapid take off I noticed 2 large rain showers to the right
and left of my track. Too bad, I was hoping to fly over the beaches of Fraser Island till abeam
Hervey Bay and track the shoreline to Bundaburg. Looks like I will have to track on the west
side of Fraser and cross the sound south of Hervey Bay. I climbed to 1500 ft and was getting
bumped around a bit from the turbulence off the rain showers. I also didn't like the terrain
below me - some rough places to put down it the noise stopped. I tried to get some more
altitude but the base of the clouds were about 2500 ft. I continued on and could see clear skies
around Hervey Bay. I switched the radio to the Hervey Bay CTAF and called entering the
MBZ. There was a parachute drop going on so I knew the weather was better ahead and
skirted the edge of the dark rain shower to the west. About 10 miles south of Hervey Bay, the
weather cleared and the air smoothed out. I headed for the coast just north west of Hervey
Bay and, with more paddocks below, descended to 500 feet. I set the RPM at 4800 and was
cruising at 56kts indicated and was making 46 kts over the ground. It was a beautiful flight to
Bundaburg. I continued along the shoreline to Burnett Heads and came in for landing at 4PM.
I used 20 liters of fuel in the two hour flight. Lenne' and the boys arrived just after 5 PM and
we went off to dinner at Sizzler. Later we parked on a dead end street next to the Cinema, and
took in a movie. Sungie finally got to see "The Patriot".
Day 22 - Wednesday, August 9
I was getting an intermittent squeal on the Microair radio and Michael had arranged for me to
have it looked at while I was at Bundaberg. Microair is co-located with the The Jabiru factory
at the airdrome. We arrived back at the airport around 9:30 and I went into the factory. I met
Edward and explained the problem. He told me to taxi the Xair to the factory and he went off
to get some tools. It was after lunch when Edward deemed the problems was not with the
radio but with the headsets. Fortunately, he had headsets in stock and I purchased a new pair
and took the Xair up for a radio check. A quick flight around the pattern and there was no
squeal. The problem was gone so I sent the other headsets back to Michael hoping he can get
me a refund from the store that I purchased them from. It was getting too late to try the next
leg to Gladstone so we decided to spend another day at Bundaberg hoping to get an early start
in the morning. There was still time to explore the area so we drove to the Information Center
to find out what there is to do in the area. Tim wanted to go swimming but the pool was
closed. We were told that there is a wonderful beach that fills a small lake when the tide
comes in. Kelly's Beach is about 30 minutes from Bundaberg. We were off. We found the
beach and Tim and Sungie found a small, shallow pool that was ideal for snorkeling. After
dinner we went for a walk on the beach and we watched another sunset. Back to Bundaberg
and our little dead end street for a nights sleep.
Day 23 - Thursday, August 10
Off to get a few more items in town and back to the airport. I finally got off the ground at
noon, climbed to 1500 ft and aimed for the beach. There was a fair bit of turbulence over the
sugercane fields but once over the beach the turbulence subsided and I descended to 500 ft.
The coastline from Bundaberg to Gladstone is mostly remote and accented with the
occasional town.
Another 2.5 hours of flight time and I arrived at Gladstone at 2:30. Once on deck, I taxied to
the parking area and filled up with 23 liters of fuel. I chatted with a fellow who was doing
some maintenance on his plane while I waited for Lenne'. I also inquired about a place to stay
and things to do in Gladstone. Lenne' and the boys arrived by 3:30. We went off to find
another information center and to learn more about our surroundings. Gladstone is the largest
port in Queensland and the 4th largest in Australia. It has the largest alumina plant in
Australia and will soon have the largest alumina smelter as well. The area is heavily
industrialized which is very noticeable from the air but once on the ground, we found the area
to be very pleasant. The information center is located at the well-maintained harbor. There
was a park there that had a playground for the boys to let off some energy so while they
played, we made dinner. It was getting dark by time we were ready to leave and it was off to
find a place to park for the night. We found a parking lot by a marina, which we explored, and
then settled down for the night only to be awaken by the stream of water from a lawn
sprinkler hitting the back of the motor home in the wee hours of the morning. A quick drive
across the street and there was still time for another hour of snooze.
Day 24 - Friday, August 11
I got up early and went for a jog in the thick fog. I guess I'm not going to get an early morning
start today. No worries, I just went over ten hours and had to change the gearbox oil and
retorque the prop. I didn't have all the tools I needed but was able to borrow a rachet and
safety wire tool from the Marine Helicopter mechanics. Thanks guys! With the maintenance
completed it was time to get airborne. Our next destination was Hedlow and permission to
land was required so I called Paul and was granted permission to land. I finally got going by
1:30, climbed to 2500 ft and aimed for Mt. Larcom, the large 632 meter peak to the north of
Gladstone. (I enjoy climbing mountains so if I can't climb the peak I will fly over as many as I
can.) The air was a little bumpy so I climbed to 3500 ft to see if it would smooth out a bit and
because the terrain below me didn't have many landing options in the event of an engine
failure. I stayed at 3500 ft until I crossed the Fitzroy River Delta and once I intercepted the
beach, I descended to 500 ft. I flew over beautiful remote beaches and noticed that the terrain
inland was starting to get more remote also. It was only 50 miles direct from Gladstone to
Hedlow, but I still need to get time on the plane before I can take passengers, so I stayed
along the beach, flying slowly over the towns of Agnes Waters, Seventeen Seventy, Emu
Park, and Yeppoon. I even climbed to 4500 ft to make the 4 mile crossing to Big Keppler
Island. I was having too much fun! But it was time to find Hedlow and land. Hedlow airstrip
is just west of the Rockhampton airspace so I stayed at 1000 ft and came in from the west. I
found the airstrip and set up for a left downwind for runway 7. There was about 5 kts of wind
blowing right down runway 7. I set down on the narrow strip of dirt and taxied to park. Paul
and two other chaps were there to meet me. They took a good look over the Xair and,
although still new to the plane, I told them of the performance characteristics. The roomy
cockpit impressed them. Paul gave me a quick tour of the area and I was invited for tea. We
had a nice chat about the differences of flying in the US and Australia and Paul provided me
some information about landing strips to the north of Hedlow along our intended path. I called
Lenne' and the boys and they were just entering Rockhampton. I decided to get airborne and
meet them as they flew down the road to the airstrip. It didn't take long to find them. They
were just about 1 km from the turnout when I spotted the motorhome. I gave a call to them on
the radio but no answer. I flew over the intersection to the airstrip and watched them turn on
the dirt road. I waited for the parachute drop to clear and watched Paul and his student take
off in the Jabiru. I was enjoying the flight but it was time to meet the gang so I landed, taxied
in and secured the plane for the night. This airstrip was another magical place. Paul, the
owner of Planet Aviation, leases the two runways that sit on an 800-acre cattle ranch. The
facility is well maintained with an equippd kitchen, showers, a washing machine and clothes
line,
and 6 guest rooms equipped with beds and desks. Cows were grazing all around us in fenced
fields. Two cowboy types were repairing a corral, and their dog, obviously a herding dog,
judging from his smell and behavior, came over to greet the boys. We watched the sunset
behind the 400 ft. volcanic plug and made ourselves at home on the ranch.
Day 25 - Saturday, August 12
We drove to see the Olsen's Capricorn Caves just north of the Hedlow airstrip. We were
hoping to go on the adventure tour where we would have the opportunity to crawl through the
limestone cave system. Unfortunately, we didn't book a day in advance and the youngest age
was 16 so we settled for the one-hour.
After the tour we drove back to Hedlow and thought about trying to fly to the next
destination. When we arrived back at Hedlow the wind was 20 kts out of the SE and gusty.
The parachute guys cancelled their drops because of turbulence below 2000 ft and Paul had a
couple of cancellations for flight instruction. Looks like a good day to wait out the weather.
Paul told us about the free, Big River Family Jazz Festival, that was going on in
Rockhampton Saturday night so we decided to join his family. As we were preparing to
depart for the jazz festival the wind calmed down and Jill, Paul's wife, called and said she was
running behind schedule. What a perfect setup for an evening flight. Paul, a flight instructor,
knew of a good beach just north of Yeppoon that was good for landing. We decided to go for
a flight so Paul could teach me some beach landing techniques and have a chance to fly the
Xair. Paul and I climbed into the Xair, started up, and taxied to the runway. I had just filled
the gas tanks and with Paul and me in the plane, this was my first time taking off with a full
load. I applied power and the Xair jumped off the ground, climbing at 600 ft per minute.
There was still a bit of turbulence during the 8 miles to the beach but the Xair flew well. We
flew over the beach and Paul showed me the area of beach that makes a safe landing spot. I
set up the approach and flew in for the landing. The beach was firm and landing the Xair was
easy. We flew a few more circuits to the beach and called it a day. Paul, Jill, his 15 year old
daughter Christie, and Christie's friend Gabby arrived just after we landed. They escorted us
to the outdoor park on the riverfront. It was a pleasant evening out with good music and good
company. Thank you Paul, Jill, Christie and Gabby.
Day 26 - Sunday, August 13
Lenne' and I woke up early and went for a jog down the ranch road. Grazing cattle began to
run as we jogged by - I guess they thought we were herding them somewhere. It was a long
stretch to our next destination of Mackay so we wanted to get an early start. There were also
some rain showers and more wind moving in from the SE. We woke the kids up, ate breakfast
and actually were underway by 8:40 A.M.! I called the Mackay tower the day before and
requested a landing at Mackay. My landing was approved so this was to be our longest leg of
the trip to date. The flight direct to Mackay was approximately 160 NM and there was a small
airstrip about halfway where we planned to have lunch. I got airborne and followed Lenne' to
the Bruce Hwy just avoiding the Rockhampton airspace. I stayed with them for a while and
continued on to St. Lawrence. As I flew further north, I was able to beat out the rain showers
and flew into clear sunny skies. About an hour and a half into the flight, I started looking for
the unmanned airstrip just off the Bruce Hwy. The field was where the chart showed it to be
and the coordinates I plugged into the GPS were right on. The runway was perpendicular to
the highway and there was a slight crosswind. I set up for a low approach and flew down the
runway about 100 ft. It looked good so I set up for a full stop - landing about 10:30. Lenne'
hadn't showed up by 11:00 and they weren't responding to my radio calls. Time to look for
them again. As soon as I lifted off, Aren was on the radio saying they were at the town of St.
Lawrence and didn't find the airstrip. I thought I explained to him that the field wasn't near the
town but, since when does a 16 year old listen to his dad? I directed them to the field and
landed again. Lenne' pulled up and we had lunch.
I put another 20 liters in the Xair and by 12:00 we were off again. I must have picked up a
headwind because the motor home was getting ahead of me. I increased the RPM's to 5200
and stayed 1000 feet above and along side the motor home. About 30 minutes later they
called saying they were pulling over for ice cream. Oh well, I headed over to the beach and
descended to 500 ft. enjoying the flight around West Hill Island, Cape Palmerston, and the
river deltas. The fun flying was over and it was time to call Mackay tower for landing. I called
the tower at Sarina and was given direction to stay one nautical mile inland, report abeam Hay
Point and remain a 1500 ft. The directions were later amended to fly direct to the airdrome
and enter a right downwind for runway 14. Not a problem. Other than the Husky in front of
me, the airport was pretty quite. I called entering downwind and was cleared to land. The
tower operator and the Husky pilot were asking what kind of aircraft I was in - obviously the
Xair call sign didn't give it away. I landed and taxied for fuel. Another 16 liters in the tanks
and it was time to call Lenne'. Fred, the attendant, let me use his phone and even gave Sungie
directions to the General Aviation parking. Thanks Fred! The Aero Club was closed and the
small plane parking area was full. I repositioned the Xair to the other side of the field and
another mate by the name of Paul, met me. We chatted for a while and he invited us over to
his house. By the time we got the Xair secured, we were beat. So we drove to a small park on
the beach, had dinner, played a few games and called it a night.
Daily Log - Week Five
Day 27 - Monday, August 14 - MACKAY
We spent the morning replenishing supplies for the motor home. We also stopped in at the
information center and found out about the platypus viewing at Eungella National Park. The
drive to the park took one hour and entered the Pioneer Valley just west of Mackay. We were
off to see if we could view a platypus in the wild. We arrived at the Broken River Bridge just
before dusk. There were several people standing on the small bridge looking into the small,
muddy creek below. We parked the motor home and walked over, stopping first to check out
a python that was wrapped around a wooden post and shedding his skin.
After several minutes on the bridge we could see a small black object surface in the water
about 50 yards away. Not much to see but there were platypus here so we decided to spend
the night, wake up early, and try our luck with the platypus again in the early morning. The
Park campground was full so we found a caravan park where we could plug in to AC power
and charge batteries to the computer, camera, radios, etc. We drove back to the small
mountain town of Eungella and pulled into the park. They were closed but the owner was just
going into town and told us to pull up along side the fence and she would be right back. When
she came back we plugged in and enjoyed a game of spoons before retiring for the night.
Day 28 - Tuesday, August 15 - MACKAY TO BOWEN (87 NM)
Lenne' and I woke up early to beat the rush of campers to the showers and observe the
sunrise. The caravan park, situated at the edge of the Clarks Range, offers a panoramic view
of the Pioneer Valley. As the sun rose, we took a few pictures and headed off to see the
platypus. Back to the Broken River, this time we walked a short distance to a viewing
platform and waited. It wasn't long - a platypus surfaced and swam just a sort distance from us
before diving into the muddy river. We waited some more and were treated to another
surfacing and short swim just under our platform. Aren was able to get some good video and I
took a few slides.
Sungie and Tim finally woke up and were treated to more close viewings. It was time to say
goodbye to the platypus and drive down to Mackay. We arrived back at Mackay around 11:00
and I met the flight instructor from the flying school just a few buildings away from where I
parked the Xair. I wish I had seen the school earlier. I asked for information about the next leg
of my journey and was shown some interesting areas to fly by on my way north. Time for
some lunch and we were underway before 1PM. It was only 87 miles to Bowen but I put 2.5
hours flying over the diverse country. I diverted east to see Conway National Park and
followed the coast most of the way north. I enjoyed flying over the deserted beaches looking
at the animal tracks in the soft sand.
On one of the beaches I thought I saw what could have been croc tracks. I arrived at Bowen at
2:45 and did my usual fly over to see the beautiful Horseshoe Bay and Edgecumbe Pt from
the air. The Bowen airstrip has two runways and with the wind being fresh out of the NE I
lined up for a downwind to 04. I landed at 3PM and was greeted by a gentleman who lived
down the street from the airport. He was an ultralight enthusiast so we chatted for a while
until Lenne' showed up. As Lenne' drove into the airstrip, another motor home drove in also.
The driver, Trevor Heinz, owned two ultralights and was also interested in flying around the
country. We chatted for a good bit before the kids started getting restless as they wanting to
go to the beach. We drove to Horseshoe Bay and parked. The wind was still fresh on the
beach, too chilly for swimming, but the rocks surrounding the Bay were great for climbing
and Tim jumped out and ran over to climb around the unique formations. It was such a pretty
area we stayed for dinner. Our stay was rewarded by the full moon rising over Gloucester
Island. We hiked to the Rotary Lookout in the moonlight before returning to the motor home
and calling it a night. We found, what we thought would be a good place to park for the night
at the marina. but were awaken to the sound of knocking at the door and a security guard
saying we couldn't park there. Back to the airport to finish our nights sleep.
Day 29 - Wednesday, August 16 - BOWEN
It was a pleasant morning and the wind did not pick up until noon, so we spent the morning
swimming at Horseshoe Bay. We read about the coral formations that are within swimming
distance so Tim and I donned our snorkeling gear and headed into the bay. A short swim later
we saw colorful reef fish and bit of coral clinging to the rocks. It was pretty exciting to be
swimming with Tim as he experienced his first coral formations. We swam out a little further
and saw more species of fish and larger pieces of coral. It wasn't long before I started to get
chilly and headed back to the beach. Lenne' and Sungie also took a turn at snorkeling. When I
warmed up a bit Aren and I swam out a bit further and were treated to more coral and bigger
schools of fish. We swam to the end of the bay and hauled ourselves out on the rocks. We
were getting cold and decided to walk around the headland before heading back to the beach.
By noon wind had picked up and the few people on the beach started to leave.
We went into town and while we waited for a load of laundry to wash, Aren spent time
uploading another chapter to the web page. And we spent another night at the Bowen airstrip
counting the many green frogs hanging out in the toilet tank.
Day 30 - Thursday, August 17 - BOWEN TO JONES ROAD (ACE AVIATION at
WOODSTOCK) via AYR (90 NM)
I woke up before everyone else and washed the road-dust off the motor home. It was about 8
AM when the rest of the gang started to move. By then the wind was already blowing about
15 kts out of the SE. We didn't have far to go but wanted to get moving. I taxied to the
runway by 10 AM and by now the wind was blowing at least 20 kts. With that much wind
directly down the runway, I was airborne in about the time it took me to add full power. I flew
over the highway and followed the motor home until the turbulence directed me to the coast.
The air was much smoother over the shore but the white caps on the water told me that there
was a fair bit of wind pushing me along. I wanted to fly around Cape Upstart but knew there
would be a fair bit of turbulence on the leeward side of the Cape so I climbed up to 2500 ft
and flew up the Burdekin River to Ayr.
I landed at Ayr and waited about an hour for Lenne'. We just missed the air show at Ayr last
weekend but one of the WWII planes was still there being repaired as we ate lunch. It was
only 35 NM to Ace Aviation at Woodstock and with the wind still pretty strong out of the SE
I knew it wasn't going to take me long to fly there. I lifted off in the crosswind and flew direct
to the field. I was moving along at 60+ kts groundspeed at 4700 RPM. I had to divert to the
south to fly around the base of Mt. Elliot and started to worry about the turbulence on the
other side of the mountain. I was below the Townsville airspace and couldn't climb over the
1432-meter mountain. Fortunately, the turbulence wasn't as bad as I expected and I was able
to land at Jone's Rd. with no problems. I landed to the east, taxied to the hangar area, and shut
down only to find the place deserted. This place looked like the airstrip from the Black Sheep,
the old television show about, if my memory serves me right Pat Boyington's WWII fighter
squadron in the pacific, except that the hangar was filled with ultralights instead of fighters. I
waited about an hour and with Lenne' not answering on the radios it was time to get airborne
and have a look. It didn't take long to find them. They missed the airstrip turn and were
heading back to the intersection. I guided them to the field and landed. I shut down and was
met by Gordon Bailey. Gordon emailed me a while back and invited me to Jone's Road. I was
glad he did. We chatted for a while until Bill, the owner of the 80 acres, arrived from town
and opened the gate for us. I parked the motor home next to the caravans that are used for
student pilots and then Bill provided us with power to the motor home. I still need 2.3 hours
before I could take passengers in the Xair so when the air calmed down about an hour before
sunset, I decided to see some of the countryside by air and put another 0.7 on the Xair. There
was a hangar that was being built and Bill let me keep the Xair there for two nights.
Lindsey and his son Justin showed up as I taxied in. They are students of Pat McGraw and
just bought a Thruster to use on their 13,000-acre farm. It was a long day and as the sun goes
down so does our energy level. After a long day, exhaustion creeps up slowly but sleep hits us
hard in the cool, peaceful evening of an Australian winter night.
Day 31 - Friday, August 18 - TOWNSEVILLE
We spent the morning at the Reef HQ aquarium, paying particular attention to instructions
about how to avoid and treat poisonous sea snakes, Stone Fish, and Box Jellyfish encounters.
Our dramatic guide kept iterating that "The Box Jellyfish is the most deadly creature in the
world! And you've got to be absolutely crazy to walk around on Northern Queensland beaches
without proper beach shoes because the spiny Stone Fish are everywhere!"
That afternoon we walked around Flinders St. admiring the old buildings, stopping for ice
cream and a few games of chess at the ice cream parlor. By coincidence, we happened to
come across Trevor and his wife in their motor home as they were driving into town. Another
good chat. That evening we participated in the Multicultural Festival by tasting foods at the
foreign cuisine booths and watching and listening to cultural dancing and music. Lenne' did
the video taping for this event.
Day 32 - Saturday, August 19 - JONES ROAD TO INNISFAIL via INGHAM (122.5
NM)
I left Jones Road around 10AM and headed toward the shoreline keeping the Townsville
Controlled Airspace to the south and the restricted area to the north. The visibility was
reduced to 10 miles from the wild fires that were burning just west of the airstrip but cleared
when I reached the beach. More miles of sandy beaches punctuated by river deltas and
mangrove swamps. I reached Ingham with 25.1 hours on the tach so now I could start taking
passengers after a few maintenance checks on the engine. Lenne' and the boys arrived shortly
after I landed and Tim ran to check the time on the tach. Sungie jumped in the seat and I took
him for a quick trip around the pattern. Tim was next for another quick flight. It was finally
Aren's turn to fly his first leg of the trip.
We took off after lunch and headed toward the south tip of Hinchinbrook Island with the
intent of flying on the outside of the Island and checking out the remote beaches I had been
told about. I climbed to 2500 ft because the forest below afforded few spots to land in the
event of an engine failure, but at that altitude I was bucking about 15 kts of headwind. So far
this was the most challenging of all the legs. There was a cloud layer covering the tops of the
mountains and with the rugged terrain below, high cliffs, waterfalls, and the narrow, protected
waterways close to the open ocean, I could have been flying around Hinchinbrook Island in
Prince William Sound, Alaska.
And with Aren adding another 140 lbs of weight to the aircraft, I noticed my climb rate
dropped so I had to start my ascents a bit earlier to go through the mountain passes and to
gain altitude after a low fly over the beach. The Island was truly magnificent but because of
the remoteness and inhospitable terrain below me, I was relieved when we crossed over the
strait and reached the shoreline just north of Cardwell. The rest of the flight up the coast to
Innisfail was more unique as we flew over expensive homes and banana plantations on rolling
hills along the beach. I headed toward Innisfail and called the CTAF 5 miles out. A Jabiru
gave a call and stated he was arriving close to the same time I estimated landing. I was in no
hurry and flew over the town to let the Jabiru land. There was also a twin over the field
conducting NDB approaches so we kept an eye out for the traffic. We landed on runway 14
and I taxied in and shut down. Ron Watson, the pilot in the Jabiru, came over to greet us. I
told Ron about our intentions to leave the Xair at Innisfail for the week while we were at
Cairns, and because Carlo wasn't there, he offered me space in his hanger. Gordon Bailey had
called Carlo from King Reef Aviation before I arrived and arranged for possible hangar space.
Ron hadn't seen the trike that shares the hangar for a while and if the trike didn't show up that
week, the space was mine. We exchanged phone numbers and Lenne' drove up just as we put
the Xair in the hangar. Ron's wife and Dad showed up and we had a good conversation about
flying and driving around Australia. I wrote down the phone number for King Reef Aviation.
With the Xair safe for the night we drove to Cairns and checked in at the Coconut Caravan
Resort.
Day 33 - Sunday, August 20 - CAIRNS
I missed Ron's morning phone call but I found out later through is son, that the trike was back,
and the Xair was move to the hangar at King Aviation. Thanks mates! That morning we
checked in at Pro-Dive to get more information about our dive charter. Lenne' and Sungie had
to get a physical prior to getting lessons so we went to the 24 hour clinic to get the doctors ok.
We spent the rest of the day lounging at the resort while the kids played basketball, table
tennis, and went swimming in the pool. Hey, we are on holiday!
Daily Log - Week Six
Day 34 - 36, Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday, August 21-23 - DIVING LESSONS
Lenne' and Sungie spent Monday reading the dive manual in preparation for their SCUBA
class on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Meanwhile Larry, Aren, and Tim spent Tuesday and Wednesday getting ready for the three
days on the boat.
Day 37-39, Thursday/Friday/Saturday, August 24-26 - DIVING FROM A
LIVEABOARD
At 5:45 A.M. we were picked up by Pro Dive and transported to their downtown store to wait
for the gathering of all 32 passengers. By 7:00 A.M. we were underway. Lenne' and Larry
were assigned a cabin just off the galley as were Sungie and Tim. Aren shared a room with a
diver from Sweden on the lower level. The crew consisted of Hienz, the skipper, Melinda, the
Canadian cookie (or cook), Australian dive instructors Kenny and Cameron, the New Zealand
dive instructor, Scotty, and the German dive instructor, Brondon. The passengers were a
diverse group from England, Italy, Germany, Holland, Australia, and the U.S. Everyone
belonged to one group or another; snorklers, open water dive students, certified divers,
advanced dive students, or rescue dive students. It was a great group of people! Nick, a
student who had been in the dive class with Sungie and Lenne', became Tim's snorkeling
buddy. Lenne' completed 2 of the 4 required dives on day 1, but gave up diving and replaced
it with snorkeling because she couldn't stay warm nor could she equalize her ears on descents.
Sungie completed the 4 required dives for certification and participated in all the other dives
as well, even the night dive. (And he's afraid of the dark when he's got two feet on the
ground!) Words cannot adequately describe the Reef itself. As you approach it, it stretches out
before you, displaying infinite colors, patterns, textures, and forms of plant and animal life
interacting in a rhythmic fluid dance. It is humbling to witness its beauty and existence.
Saturday evening, exhausted, the crew and passengers gathered at a restaurant for a farewell
dinner in Cairns. For more writing and pictures, check out our Dive Log section.
Day 40 - Sunday, August 27 - CAPE TRIBULATION
We drove north into rain forest country and took a ferry across a very tropical looking river
into Cape Tribulation National Park. We settled for the night at a Caravan Park that provided
a communal kitchen, hot showers, and electricity as there were no remote campsites available
in the National Park.
While there we discovered a gigantic moth and beetle and met some more wonderful people
who were caravanning around Australia in the opposite direction. So we swapped stories
about road conditions and things to do and see. We have tended to avoid caravan parks to date
as they seem so crowded but it is important and so good to meet others who are traveling too
and from interesting places.
Daily Log - Week Seven
Day 41 - Monday, August 28 - CAPE TRIBULATION TO WONGA BEACH
We started rolling around 10 AM after exchanging addresses and saying goodbye to our new
friends. It was a short drive through the spectacular rain forest to Cape Tribulation. Captain
Cook named the Cape when his ship ran onto Endeavor Reef. Firsts we hiked a trail to learn
about the mangrove forests that covered the area. The trees live in swampy areas and instead
of dropping seeds or cones, the seedlings sprout on the trees and wait until wind and rain
transport them to moist land where they take root and grow. The trees later adapt to the
swampy conditions by shooting up a lot of snorkel roots, about the size of a pencil, in order to
obtain air and provide stability. We had lived in New Orleans, so memories of our canoe trips
through cypress swamps with stubby cypress knees came back to us. Leaving the forest, we
ventured onto the white sandy beach of Cape Tribulation and jumped in for a swim.
The sign said that crocodiles had been sighted there but we went in for a short swim and
watched out for one another. Bear have been seen in the forest behind our house in Juneau but
we still go hiking. Guess there is a risk in anything you do in life but being taken by a croc in
a paradise setting wasn't something we wanted to experience.
Day 42 - Tuesday, August 29 - A TOUR OF A SUGAR PROSSESING PLANT &
MOSSMAN GORGE
Because Tim desired to understand how all that sugar cane that was growing around us was
transformed into that wonderful sweet crystal he loves so much, we toured the Mossman's
sugar processing plant.
We learned that it takes 16 months to harvest sugar cane and that once cut, it must reach the
factory within 16 hours or the quality of the sugar deteriorates. In order to expedite the
transportation of all this cane, they use cane trains to get the sugar cane from the fields to the
processing plants. Queensland is a large producer of sugar and exports 80 % of it (Japan being
the recipient of most of it), keeping 20% for Australian use. Our guide informed us that they
are an ecological manufacturing plant as there is no waste. The cane fiber is used as fertilizer
and distilled water used in processing the sugar crystals is recycled. It was an informative tour
and nice to learn about the sweet things in life. After the sugar plant tour we drove to the
Mossman Gorge and went swimming among the boulders in the cool river water. Another
sign warning that deaths have occurred here did not deter us. (The water level was low and
the river current was gentle. I don't think we would have gone swimming during the rainy
season.)
We left our little swimming area and drove to Cairns for dinner with a detour to Kuranda.
Kuranda is a small mountain town surrounded by tropical rainforest and is famous for its
markets. It is a popular tourist attraction that can be accessed by skyrail, train, or road. We
arrived just before dark and after the rush of tourists. We had just enough time to see the steep
Barron Falls and Gorge and drive through the town. By the time we finished dinner at Cairns
it was dark so we opted to drive the hour to Innisfail so we could be there first thing in the
morning. We arrived at the airstrip at 9:30 and went to bed.
Day 43 - Wednesday, August 30 - INNISFAIL
Carlo from King Reef Aviation had already arrived by the time I finished breakfast so I
walked over to introduce myself. Xair 403 was parked in the back of the hangar, longing to
complete another leg of this fantastic journey. I chatted for a bit with Carlo and he helped me
clean the fuel filter and replace a damaged fuel hose on the Xair. Tim and I changed the spark
plugs and added oil to the tank. I also called Michael and found out that the ballistic parachute
was mailed from Brisbane and could arrive at Innisfail Thursday or Friday. I pulled the Xair
out of the hangar expecting to fly a few trips around the circuit but the kids had other ideas:
they wanted to go swimming. It was getting warm so I put the Xair back in the hangar and
suggested driving 40 minutes north to the "Boulders" Wildland Park, a swimming area that
sounded similar to Mossman Gorge. We went to town to get supplies and next to the shopping
center the kids found the city swimming pool - so much for the Bolders. By the time the kids
were finished with their afternoon swim it was too late to drive so we found a local caravan
park that had a pool, mini golf, a playground, and close to a beach. We checked in and while
the kids played, mom and dad finished some writing and cleaning of the motor home. By
evening, Tim and Sungie decided to write their journals. Sungie has to write his journal as a
part of his schoolwork but Tim wants to share his writing with you, so we hope you
enjoy Tim Tam's Tales.
Day 44 - Thursday, August 31 - THE BOLDERS
We made it to the Bolders for a swim in the cool, clear mountain stream water. How
refreshing. The water was a bit colder than Mossman Gorge but we hiked upstream and found
another pool that was a bit warmer. It was also off the main trail so rather than putting on wet
swim suits, Tim and I decided that skinny-dipping was in order. It was a lazy day at the river
and we finished it off by driving a short distance to see Josephine Falls and returning to the
airport for the night.
Day 45 - Friday, September 1 - INSTALLING THE BALLISTIC PARACHUTE
We received a call from the Post Office stating that the ballistic parachute arrived. Carlo
drove me to town to pick it up and Ron and I spent the morning installing the chute on the
Xair. Michael emailed photos of a parachute that he mounted on an Xair in his hangar so at
least we had a good reference. We measured the area where I thought the mounting bracket
should go using the pictures as a guide. Unfortunately, the Xair Michael installed the chute
on, didn't have the wings on yet. When I tried to mount the brackets in the same place, the
nylon straps that are fastened between the wings were in the way. I called Michael again
saying that I moved the bracket in front of the straps and he suggested I run the strap under
the bracket and keep the mount as far aft as I could to keep the Center of Gravity from getting
too far forward. Easy enough - after a few trial and error mountings, and another call to get
some ideas on where to mount the trigger, the chute was secured and ready to be test flown.
Michael suggested mounting the trigger on the center overhead so I placed it behind the
EPIRB. I had no problems during test flight and didn't notice any performance differences. It
was time to take Tim, Sungie, and Lenne' for short flights around the area. The haze from the
cane field fires was getting pretty bad so I cut the flights short, landed, and settled in for the
night.
Day 46 - Saturday, September 2 - LEAVING THE RAIN FOREST & BEACHES
BEHIND - INNISFAIL TO URANDA LAVA TUBES via MT GARNET
(100 NM flight, 3.0 hours flight time)
After sitting in the hangar for two weeks the Xair was ready to fly again. Aren was my copilot for this leg and we were airborne by 1030. Carlo was airborne a few minutes later and
stayed behind us in his Lightwing. "Sorry I didn't wait for you, Carlo, but I thought you would
be able to catch up and pass us. I also appreciated all your help." (I never met the man and he
kept the Xair in his hangar for 2 weeks while the family explored Cairns, the Great Barrier
Reef, and Cape Tribulation.)
We climbed to 4500 ft and headed north for the Broken Nose, a 962 meter high pinnacle just
off a ridge on Bartre Frere, Queenslands highest mountain at 1622 meters. I really wanted to
fly low over the ridges but it was pretty hostile terrain below so I didn't take any chances and
stayed high enjoying the scenery at, what helicopter pilots (and now this ultralight pilot)
would call, "nose bleed altitude". We took a few photos of Broken Nose and it was time to
head west to Mt. Garnet. The country below was magnificent.
We flew over gorges with fast flowing rivers, rugged mountains, and watched the transition of
landscape from rainforest to rolling farm fields to grassland savanna. We flew south of Mt.
Fisher and dipped low over about twenty windmills.
I was bucking a 15 kt headwind most of the way and maintained 39 kts of ground speed with
5500 RPM set. When the terrain started to flatten out, the wind-shear and thermals started to
play with the Xair. At times we were climbing at 700 ft per minute and my groundspeed
would go from 39 kts to 50 kts. A few minutes later we were sinking at 500 ft per minute and
back to 39 kts. I spotted the east/west runway at Mt. Garnet and let Aren fly the downwind to
runway 27. It was a bit turbulent on final so I took the controls and landed on the grass strip.
With the exception of a Cessna 185 parked on the side of the runway, there was nothing but
termite mounts and a few cows around. The air temperature was 40 degrees so Aren and I sat
under the shade of the Xair wing and waited for Lenne', Sungie, and Tim. An hour later, I saw
the dust trail of the motor home coming down the lonely road. I moved the motor home under
the shade of some trees and we ate lunch. Tim would join me for the 44.7 NM leg to Undara.
We were airborne at 2:17 PM and flew along the Kennedy Highway watching Lenne' slowly
drive along the single lane highway. At one point I spotted a convoy of 7 work trucks and
warned Lenne' that that they were coming so she could find a spot to pull over. The thermals
were playing with us again. This time, with Tim as a lighter passenger, I was getting lift from
the thermals of up to 1000 ft per minute. I started to use this lift to my advantage and let it
take us as high as I could get, then I would turn the altitude into airspeed by reducing power,
lowering the nose, and descending to a lower altitude at 65 kts. Unfortunately there is a price
to pay for that free altitude: I had to add full power and slow to 45 kts to climb out of the
downdrafts. I spotted a remote field off the highway and made a low pass. The field was not
in very good condition so I pulled up and kept heading toward Undara. When I climbed to
altitude I could see the airstrip and resort area. I made a few circuits over the lava tubes area
and landed on the grass runway. There were no tiedowns so I used the screwits for the first
time. They went in the ground easily, just like screwing in ice screws on the glacier back in
Juneau. We waited for 30 minutes and Sungie called on the Talkabout. We talked for a bit as
they were traveling on the road to the resort but I soon lost radio contact. I wasn't sure if they
took the right turn at the junction and got airborne again to search for them. After a few
minutes we made radio contact and they were at the lodge getting settled in. I gave directions
to the airstrip but was told someone from the resort would pick us up so I landed and waited.
It wasn't long before Sherri arrived and drove Tim and I to the resort. We settled in for the
night and were treated to a slideshow of the local wildlife.
Day 47 - Sunday, September 3 - TOUR OF URANDA LAVA TUBES AND ONTO
TALLAROO HOT SPRINGS
(38 NM)
I woke up at 6:30 and went for a jog on two of the three hiking trails around the park. The
first trail headed west to a ridge so I watched the rising sun illuminate the granite rock
formations. A kangaroo bounded in front of me and disappeared in the brush and boulders. I
reached the ridge and climbed a granite boulder to scan the distant horizon. Time to go back
go for a swim, wake the kids, and eat breakfast so we'd be ready for the two-hour tour of the
Undara Lava Tubes. The Undara crater started spewing waves of molten lava around 190,000
years ago. The lava flowed and filled the land like a giant flood. As the air cooled the surface
of the lava, it left a crust but the lava continued to flow under this crust. When the eruption
stopped, the molten rock solidified and the lava flowed out of the far end of the tubes, leaving
hollow tunnels hidden below the devastated land. Undara means "a long way" in Aboriginal
language. One of the tubes extends more than 160kms and is the longest know lava tube on
earth.
We finished the tour and took another swim to cool off before heading back to the airstrip.
Sungie joined me on the next flight and we were airborne just after lunch. We had planned on
going a short distance to Georgetown but when I opened my chart I saw a circle around
Tallaroo and I remembered that Ron had told me about the hot springs there. I grabbed my
airport directory and read about the five terraced hot springs, therapeutic swimming pool,
camping area, and a runway to boot. I called Lenne' on the radio and mentioned the hot
springs. I wanted to know some more information so I suggested she stop at Mt. Surprise and
ask about the place. Meanwhile I landed at the runway at Mt. Surprise and waited for them to
catch up to us. We waited for 30 minutes and I couldn't establish radio contact because of the
hill south of the runway. We took off and found they had passed us and were on their way to
the hot springs. When Lenne' heard the word hot spring, she was off. I caught up to them just
at the turnoff heading north to Tallaroo. I could see the runway just 3 miles north of the
highway and flew over the resort landing just before Lenne' drove up. There was an empty
hangar but I tied the Xair outside anyway. We drove up to the kiosk and were met by Christy
the camp hostess. Christy took us on a short tour of the hot springs area and showed us the
pool.
We parked the motor home and ate dinner, waiting for the heat of the day to subside. As the
cool night air settled over the camp it was time to soak in the 98-degree water. We hadn't
thought of soaking in a hot tub in the Australian outback but here we were under the Southern
Cross and a crescent moon, with the kookaberras getting their last laugh in for the evening,
and the crickets beginning their serenade for the night. We didn't want to get out but our tired
bodies needed rest, so it was off to bed with the pleasant prospect of returning for another
soak in the morning.
Daily Log - Week Eight
Day 48 - Monday, September 4 - HOT SPRINGS IN THE MORNING AND A SUNSET
OVER THE GULF OF CARPENTERIA; TALLAROO TO NORMANTON via
CROYTON with a drive to KARUMBA
(73 NM)
We woke up early to soak in the springs in the cool morning air before we would have to
experience the heat of the outback afternoon. A kangaroo bounded by the fence to the pool.
What a great way to start the day. Sungie was my co-pilot for this leg. We were airborne early
and flew to Georgetown to top off the Xair with petrol and switch passengers. Aren was my
passenger now and we flew to Croydon for lunch. After lunch it was off again to Normanton
to try to make the sunset at Karumba. We arrived in Normanton with enough time to secure
the Xair and make the 72 Km drive to Karumba by sunset. We made it. Unfortunately, the
sunset wasn't that spectacular but it was an experience to see the pelicans, kites, and gulls
around the beach with the sun setting over the Gulf of Carpentaria in the background.
We found a caravan park and settled in for the night.
Day 49 - Tuesday, September 5 - NORMANTON (& KARUMBA) TO CLONCURRY
via BURKE & WILLS ROADHOUSE
(100 NM)
We woke up and drove back to Normanton. Aren took the co-pilot seat and we were off to
Burke and Wills Roadhouse for lunch and fuel.
Sungie took the co-pilot seat for the leg to Cloncurry. We arrived in Cloncurry to pick up
more groceries and settle into a caravan park by sunset.
Day 50 - Wednesday, September 6 - CLONCURRY TO CAMOOWEAL via MT ISA
(141 NM)
We got an early start and made it to Mt. Isa with time to check email and pick up a few more
supplies. We drove up to Lake Moondara for lunch but there were too many weeds to swim.
Back to the airport and with Tim as my co-pilot we were airborne to Camooweal. This 98 NM
leg took 2.3 hours because of a constant 10-15 kt headwind. Lenne' even arrived there before
us. We landed with only 18 litres of fuel even though I topped off to 50 liters of AVGAS at
Mt. Isa. We landed at the lonely airstrip and were greeted by 2 gentlemen who were traveling
around Australia and staying at the nearby caravan park. They were interested in ultralights
and wanted to see what just flew over them. We chatted for a while and it was time to put
more fuel and oil in the Xair. I couldn't get the screwits into the hard ground and because
there was no fence for security, we parked the motor home opposite the Xair and stayed there
for the evening.
Day 51 - Thursday, September 7 - CAMOOWEAL TO TENNANT CREEK with a fuel
stop at SOUDAN STATION & BARKLY ROADHOUSE and a drive 200 km south
toward ALICE SPRINGS
We pushed hard today. The distances are getting greater and our time is running short. I even
made the decision to leave the Xair at Tennant Creek and drive to Alice and Uluru so we
could make up for lost time and give Lenne' a break from driving. I know I'm going to miss
getting to fly over some fantastic country but we may just take a flight seeing trip when we
get there. The wind was still blowing out of the west early when we left Camooweal. The next
known fuel stop was at Barkly Roadhouse, about 130 NM away. With the headwind, I have
been experiencing greater fuel consumption, another 3-4 liters per hour with a passenger, so I
decided to go solo for more endurance. Before we left Camooweal I found out from an
ambulance driver that there was another landing strip at Soudan Station, just about halfway
between Camooweal and the Roadhouse. We filled up the gas jugs that we keep in the motor
home with 40 liters of fuel and started off. Even though I was airborne by 8:40 I still had 15
kts of headwind that later increased to 25 kts. It took 1.9 hours to go the 63 miles to the
station. Lenne' and the boys arrived before I did and got permission from the owners children.
The kids were concerned about us blocking the runway when their mail plane arrived, but
gave us permission when they understood our need. I put another 20 liters of fuel in the Xair
and we were off again. The turnaround only took 15 minutes! It was another 71 miles to the
Roadhouse and the wind wasn't letting up. At one time I thought I saw puffs of smoke at four
different places in the brush. As I got closer, I found out they were dust devils. One passed
close enough to me that I thought I saw the Tasmanian Devil from the Bugs Bunny cartoon
appear. I put another 500 ft between me and the ground. Another 1.8 hours and it was time for
lunch in the air-conditioned restaurant. I needed anther 30 liters of fuel and the owner of the
Roadhouse said I could taxi the Xair up to the fuel pump. I walked back to the runway and
taxied behind the roadhouse to where we could drive the motor home. I didn't find the route
around the property that would get me safely to the fuel pumps. Just as well, spinning props
and a lot of people walking and driving around don't make a good combination. I continued to
fly solo, Tennant Creek was another 96 NM and the wind wasn't letting up. Lenne' was even
having a hard time getting more than 75 km an hour pushing the boxy motor home against the
headwind. With the exception of a few places where the highway deviated extremely north or
south of the intended flight path, I followed the highway most of the way. But with 25 miles
to go and my fuel getting low, I cut the corner from the Barkly highway to Tennant Creek and
avoided adding more miles by flying west to Three Ways and then south to Tennant Creek. I
told Lenne' that I had 1.5 hours of fuel but that it should only take 40 minutes to get to
Tennant Creek and if I wasn't there in an hour, send for help. I made the final stretch without
mishap and just as I was flying over a refreshing looking lake, Aren called on the radio saying
that Sungie read about a lake near Tennant Creek that we could go for a swim and have
dinner. Sounded like a great idea to me. I landed at 4:20 just as Lenne' drove up. Using the
trip log from the GPS this time, I flew 107 nm in 2.6 hours for a 6.3-hour flight day. Back in
my Coast Guard days, if helicopter pilots landing with more than 6 hours flight time we were
"bagged", meaning we couldn't fly any more unless we had an urgent mission and had
approval from the "Ops Boss". Well I was definitely bagged and swimming sounded like the
perfect ending to a long hot day. We tied the Xair up and drove to the lake for that long
awaited swim. After the swim, dinner, and a shower, I still had some energy left to put
another 200 km on the road to Alice. There were several motor homes at the park and before I
left, I asked the drivers about the road, kangaroo hazards, road trains, and rest stops along the
way. We haven't seen the herds of kangaroos along the road but we've seen isolated dead
ones. The road trains aren't that bad either. I also found out that there were several rest stops
at least every 30-70 km apart so pulling over when I got tired wasn't going to be a problem.
We all decided to see if we could put a few more kilometers behind us so we could get to
Alice a bit earlier. I drove for another 1.5 hours, found a rest stop, pulled over and got some
much needed rest.
Day 52 - Friday, September 8, A LONELY REST STOP ON THE STUART
HIGHWAY to ALICE SPRINGS
Up at 6 to write this log so we can hopefully update our journal from Alice Springs. Internet
access is becoming harder to find out here so we apologize for the time it takes us to update
this web page.
Day 53 - Saturday, September 9 - ULURU (Ayers Rock)
We awoke and started the long drive to Uluru arriving just in time to complete a dash to the
summit. This spectacular rock rises 348 meters above the sandy scrubland. Our timing was
perfect for photographing this richly colored and finely textured monolith. We completed the
evening watching the sunset change the rock into many different shades of rich oranges and
reds.
Our night was complete with dinner at the Outback Barbeque where we cooked our own,
sampling crocodile kabobs, kangaroo skewers, and Emu sausages. Now here are our kids,
who won't eat fresh caught Alaskan salmon or halibut, eating crocodile meat!
Day 54 - Sunday, September 10 - ULURU-KATA TJUTA NATIONAL PARK
CULTURAL CENTER, KATA TJUTA (The Olgas), & DRIVING TO KINGS
CANYON
We started the morning at the Cultural Center absorbing what we could about Aborigines and
their spiritual beliefs about the area. We completed a drive around the rock and did a short
hike before driving to Kata Tjuta for another short hike.
We weren't sure about taking the time to drive the 4 hours into Kings Canyon until I started
talking to one of the many tour bus operators. He told me we shouldn't miss it, so we were off,
arriving at the Kings Canyon Resort just before sunset.
Daily Log - Week Nine
Day 55 - Monday, September 11 - HIKING AROUND KINGS CANYON & RETURN
TO ALICE SPRINGS
We woke up early and drove a short distance to begin the 5.5 km hike around Kings Canyon.
This spectacular canyon consists of shear walls nearly 100 meters high and is a dramatic
example of what millions of years of erosion can do to a crack in the sandstone.
The hike took us into the beautiful Garden of Eden, "a cool enchanting place echoing with
bird calls, where shady River Red Gums and Cycads fringe tranquil pools." From Giles Diary,
1873: "could it (George Gills Range) be transported to any civilized land, its springs, glens,
gorges, ferns, zanias (cycads trees), and flowers, would charm the eyes and hearts of toil-worn
men who are condemned to live and die in crowded towns". Ernest Gills was the first
European person to describe this part of Australia.
We completed the hike by lunchtime and after a well-deserved lunch, it was time to start the
drive back to Alice Springs.
Day 56 - Tuesday, September 12 - ALICE SPRINGS TO TENNANT CREEK with a
stop at THE DEVILS MARBLES
After a morning shopping trip we started another long drive back to Tennant Creek. On the
return, we stopped at the Devils Marbles. Again with perfect timing, arriving just 1 hour
before sunset, we watched another magical place change colors with the setting of the sun.
We cooked dinner and watched a nearly full moon rise over the varied rock formations. After
dinner and with the moon bright overhead casting shadows on the desert floor, we took a
short interpretive hike around the delicately balanced pieces of granite. We continued our
drive to Tennant Creek arriving after dark. Fortunately, when we left Tennant Creek on our
way to Alice we met a caravan of motor homes heading to an Alice Springs convention and
they told us where to camp just a kilometer from the Mary Anne Dam. We found the site with
over a dozen or so motor homes scattered about the field, so we found a spot, pulled over and
rested for the night.
Day 57 - Wednesday, September 13 - TENNANT CREEK TO ELLIOT
(146 NM flown and 2.5 hours with 40 liters of fuel burned)
I woke up early to a strong wind blowing through the trees. I didn't like the sound of it, but all
I could hope for was that it would let up before I had to fly. We drove to the airport and the
wind was blowing out of the east at about 20-25 kts. I arrived in time to ask a couple of pilots
who just flew in with the mail plane about landing sites on the highway north and what the
wind was going to do for the next few hours. The bad news was that the wind was reported to
increase later in the day and the good news was that there was a tail wind component so I
might be able to make the 146 nm trip to Elliot without a fuel stop. I was also told that it
would blow like this till October so I didn't think I could wait it out. Aren was my co-pilot for
this leg so I briefed Lenne on a few of the intended airstrips on the way to Elliot if I needed
fuel and we were off. There was a passenger flight taxiing for takeoff and a Cessna that was
going west doing low-level work behind me. After the passenger flight departed runway 14, I
took off on runway 11 without too many bumps, picked up the highway and headed north. I
asked Aren if he could see the motor home and he said yes but that it was heading south.
Lenne' told me twice that she didn't think she had to head back the same way she came but I
kept telling her that she needed to go back to Three Ways and instead of turning east just keep
going north. I programmed Elliot and Daly Waters into the GPS so I thought they would at
least know where to go. I tried to get her to respond on the radio but got no reply. I turned to
catch up to her but she was just clearing the south end of town and I was bucking a headwind
so I was not making much time. I was concerned about using up too much fuel and figured
she would go a few kilometers, realize she was going the wrong way, and turn around. I made
a 180-degree turn and got back on track. The GPS was showing that it would only take 2
hours to reach Elliot so I had plenty of fuel for this leg. My only concerns were that Lenne'
would go all the way to Alice Springs or run out of gas in the outback. We landed at Elliot at
12:30 with 15 liters of fuel and started the 2-mile walk to town arriving at a small restaurant
in time for a bite to eat. We waited and waiting and by 3:30 with no Lenne' in range, I started
to worry. How far south could she have gone? I started asking drivers that were coming from
the south if they'd spotted a large white motor home. I even stopped by the police station to
ask if there were any reports of an accident between Tennant Creek and Elliot. Nothing. It
was 4:30 when a tour coach driver saw a motor home just behind her. Then Aren heard
Sungie call on the talkabout - they were at the BP station south of town. We finally found out
what happened. They drove about 35 km south of Tennant Creek before Sungie started to
navigate and told Lenne' she was going the wrong way. She turned around, drove north and
started looking for the Xair. Somehow in my briefing about divert landing strips for fuel she
wasn't sure if I was able to make it to Elliot without stopping so she stopped at a few stations
to ask if I had landed. A road crew worker told her that he saw us fly overhead so she knew I
probably made it to Elliot without stopping. So what did we learn? Sungie had bought a book
at Alice and was engrossed with reading it while we were planning the leg, so he didn't know
what was going on. He also didn't help Lenne' navigate until he was finished with the book.
Tim also bought a new game for his Gameboy so he was also engrossed in playing not
helping with the planning. Lenne' thought she had to go south and even though I showed her
the map and where to go, she acted on her impulse and drove south. And I didn't ensure that
everyone understood what was going on before I departed, thinking it was a fairly easy leg.
So why didn't they answer on the radio and save a lot of confusion? We stowed the radio in a
backpack with other miscellaneous electronics when we left for Alice Springs. A black radio
in a black backpack is difficult to spot so they didn't even have the radio out because they
couldn't find it. Upon debriefing about the day, we talked about the importance of teamwork
and having all of us engaged when we were planning a flight. We learned that even a simple
task could go array if everyone is not working as a team. It was too late and we were all too
tired to continue so we drove to the airstrip for the night. We had over 50 hours on the tach so
the Xair was do for new spark plugs and a fuel filter cleaning. It was quiet at the airstrip. The
sun was setting and a full moon was rising, the wind had died down, and the air started to feel
cool - a good time to take care of some maintenance and reflect upon the days' events.
Day 58 - Thursday, September 14 - ELLIOT TO MATARANKA THERMAL POOLS
with a stop at DALY WATERS
(173 NM flown and 3.2 hours with 53 liters of fuel burned)
I woke up to the sound of a gust of wind and something blowing away. I tied the Xair to an
iron bar that was lying on the apron and parked the motor home along side so I immediately
looked out the window at the Xair. It was still tied and not moving. I looked out the other
window to see the tent blowing down the runway. Lenne' had the boys set the tent up thinking
she would spend the night outside. (She was probably still pissed at me for the previous days
events and didn't want to sleep near me.) It wasn't staked down so when the gust of wind
came up, it took off. I slipped on my flip-flops and ran after the tent. I was able to catch it
when it came to rest on a fence about 100 meters away. I took hold of my catch and started
running back to the motor home. I'm glad no one saw a naked man running in the full moon
pulling a dome tent behind him although Lenne' was trying real hard to stifle her laughter
when I got back into the motor home. I collapsed the tent and went back to bed. We woke up
early and started preparations for another leg. The plan was to go to the Mataranka Resort and
soak in the thermal pools at Elsey National Park. Tim was my passenger and we were off by
10:00. Other than encountering a thick section of smoke, it was a relatively smooth leg to
Daly Waters. We landed and I taxied next to the old hangar. Lenne' arrived just as we taxied
up so we went to see the historic Daly Water Pub, the oldest hotel in the Northern Territory. I
called Tindal to enquire about clearance into their airspace and was told there would be a
Mandatory Broadcast Zone (MBZ) in effect after 17:30 and that they would be closing down
around lunchtime on Friday. So I could enter with no problems after 17:30, but if I wanted to
come before that time, I would have to call back with my intentions and request clearance.
We went back to the hangar and had lunch. The airstrip was a refueling point for the London
to Sydney Air Race in 1926 and in the 1930s was an important stopover for Qantas. During
WWII it was a refueling point for bombers flying north and south. While I was reading the
historic panels in the hangar, I could hear the wind start to increase and rattle the old metal
hangar. Time to leave!
We had plenty of runway in front of us for our takeoff and were airborne heading north. One
point six hours later we landed at the Mataranka Resort. Lenne' wasn't far behind. We found
another one of those unexpected gems. We parked and walked the short distance to the
thermal pool. Suits on, we started soaking in the 38 degrees Celsius crystal clear water.
I guess we could go to Tindal tomorrow after lunch. What a way to end the day!
Day 59 - Friday, September 15 - MATARANKA RESORT TO TINDAL
(KATHERINE)
(56 NM flown and 0.9 hours with 15 liters fuel burned)
We spent the morning soaking in the thermal pools and as we were leaving started talking to a
Park Ranger about the bat hazing that was going on by the swimming area. About a half a
million Red Flying Foxes have been taking up residence at the park and they were using a
helicopter to haze the bats from the area. We spotted them the night before. For approximately
15 minutes a line of bats flew over the pools as we were soaking. Anyway the Ranger told us
about another swimming area that just opened and was not as developed. We drove over to
the spring and it was perfect. We were able to jump in at one entry point and let the current
move us along through the narrow tall grass lined stream. The water was clear and warm so
we took the under water video camera. It was a perfect little stream, so nice that Lenne
wanted to do it again. But as all good things must come to an end we drove back to the
airstrip and prepared for the short flight and drive to Katherine. Tindal Air Base was closed so
I had no problems entering the airspace. The only problem was that part of runway 14 was
closed due to a small plane that had departed the runway and collapsed its nosewheel earlier
in the day. Lenne' arrived shortly after and we drove to Katherine for pizza. It was late so we
headed down the road to the Katherine Gorge, found a place to pull over for the night, and
endured the heat before settling down when it cooled off.
Day 60 - Saturday, September 16 - KATHERINE GORGE
We stopped at the Katherine Gorge visitor center to get an idea of what to do in the area. The
temperature was to climb to around 40 deg C so swimming was going to be a must. Renting a
canoe and taking the tour in the boat was out just because of the expense. We asked about
hiking in the area and were told about a short 8.4 km hike into the first gorge with access to
swimming. We packed our suits and set out. The hike started with a short climb to the top of
the gorge and with a lookout over the Katherine River. Then we started down to the river. Just
before the river we found a rockpool that, during the wet, was a waterfall.
We took a dip and continued on to the river staying for a few hours enjoying the magnificent
views.
I even swam across the river to an inviting sandy beach only to see a "DO NOT ENTER
SIGN" in big bold letters. I swam a little closer and read the fine print "crocodile mating
area". Great, and now I have to swim back. I later found out that there are fresh water crocs in
the area but that they are relatively shy and are fish eaters. I also discovered that the park traps
the "salties" that wonder into the area. We enjoyed a bit more swimming and started the hike
back in the heat. Back at the parking lot we jumped in the river again and stayed a while
longer till we cooled down again. We drove back to Katherine and found a caravan park with
a pool for more swimming.
Day 61 - Sunday, September 17 - KATHERINE TO DARWIN
We decided to leave the Xair at Tindal and drive to Darwin and Kakadu. On the way to
Darwin we stopped at Edith Falls for a swim in a beautiful lake. We also stopped at the Berry
Springs Nature Park where we all took a swim around a thermal waterfall and in the spring
fed pools. We arrived in Darwin in time to see some of downtown, explore a beach and still
have time for dinner and the blokes took in a movie. The night was warm and humid and it
was getting too late to drive out of town and find a caravan park for the night. We parked on a
quite street downtown and tried to sleep but just couldn't take the heat, so we checked into a
Best Western around the corner. This was more like it! We enjoyed a 2-room suite with, air
conditioning, a Jacuzzi tub, and a telly to watch the Olympics. And it also had a swimming
pool.
Daily Log - Week Ten
Day 62 - Monday, September 18 - DARWIN
We were enjoying the room so much we decided to stay another night. We had our mail
forwarded to the Darwin Post Office and fortunately it was there when we went to pick it up
on Monday morning. We spent a few hours opening mail and paying late bills. That
afternoon, Lenne' and I treated ourselves to a massage and by evening we drove to a beautiful
beach north of the city to watch the sun set over the Timor Sea.
Day 63 - Tuesday, September 19 - DARWIN TO JABIRU
We checked out of our room early morning and left Darwin. On the way to Jabiru, we stopped
to see the famous jumping crocodiles on the Adelaide River Cruise.
After lunch it was off to Jabiru in Kakadu National Park. "Kakadu is on the World Heritage
List for both its natural and cultural importance. It has a variety of superb landscapes, swarms
of wildlife, and has some of Australia's best Aboriginal rock art." We stopped at the visitors'
center and enjoyed a movie about the changes that occur in the park during the six different
seasons: Gurrungm (mid Aug-Sept), hot dry weather; Gunumeleng (Oct-Dec), pre-monsoon
storm season; Gudjewg (Jan-Mar), Monsoon season; Gerreng (April) knock-em down storm
season; Yegge (May-mid June) cooler but still humid season; Wurrgeng (mid June-mid Aug)
cold weather season. It was off to check in at the caravan park so the kids could swim in the
pool. Because the saltwater crocs inhabit all the waterholes and rivers here, the pool is the
only place that is recommended for swimming. And with the temperature and humidity
climbing during Gurrungm we needed a place to cool off.
Day 64 - Wednesday, September 20 - KAKADU
We were up early so we could catch the 6:45 Yellow Water wetlands cruise. The cooler
morning cruise was advertised as being the best to view wildlife. It was about a forty-minute
drive to Cooinda from Jabiru so we needed to get on the road early. We arrived in time to get
the last 5 seats on the cruise. It was an amazing tour. We saw several crocodiles and watched
one croc catch and eat a fish just a few feet in front of us. There was plenty of bird life:
majestic sea eagles, jabirus, kites, egrets, Magpie geese, ducks, Jacana's, and the beautiful
azure kingfisher.
Our tour ended and we stopped at the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Center to learn more
about the Aboriginal culture in the Kakadu. Next we took a short hike to see several
outstanding rock art sites, an ancient Aboriginal shelter, and views of Kakadu's escarpment
and Nourlangie Rock. I drove to the Jabiru airport to get some information about the area
southwest of Katherine. I called Tindal Control and found out that the Tindal Control was not
going to operate on Friday and only the MBZ would be active. Back to Jabiru and the caravan
park for more swimming and a relaxing night.
Day 65 - Thursday, September 21 - JABIRU TO KATHERINE
We drove back to Katherine stopping to take a short hike to a lookout. The area had recently
been burned and fires still smoldered on either side of us as we hiked the trail.
From the lookout tower we gazed over the smoke and haze and read, "Fire has a major
influence on the Australian environment and has shaped many of the plant communities." We
arrived in Katherine with enough time to take a swim at the Katherine thermal pools. We
checking into a caravan park and took a night cruise on the Katherine River to spot freshwater
crocs and enjoy a dinner of beef stew cooked over a campfire. It was an enjoyable tour. The
guides were entertaining and provided an educational insight into the habitat of the freshwater
crocodile.
Day 66 - Friday, September 22 - KATHERINE TO TIMBER CREEK
(156 NM for 2.9 hours flown)
We drove to the airport and fueled the Xair. After fueling we watched six F-18's take off from
the Tindal Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). This meant that the Tindal Control was in
effect and I would need clearance out of the zone. I decided to go back to town to get some
supplies and wait for the control zone to be deactivated. When we returned the F-18's were
landing.
I stopped in at Northern Aviation to enquire about airstrips on the way to Timber Creek. After
my flight from Camoweal to Tennant Creek, I wanted to know all the airstrips that weren't
listed on my chart that were enroute in case I encountered a headwind again. I found out that
there were strips at Willeroo Station and the Victoria River Roadhouse. I called Willeroo and
asked if I could land there if I needed fuel. I was told that I could land, however, I was also
told that there were a lot of cows on the runway but I could buzz them to get them out of the
way. This should be an experience. Tim was my passenger for this leg. Before take off, I
decided to remove the doors from the Xair and try flying with the wind in my hair for the first
time. When the F-18's were clear of the runway and the MBZ activated, we took off. We
arrived over Willeroo with enough fuel to continue to Victoria River but I decided to land as I
wasn't ready for the wind in my hair experience yet so I wanted to put the doors back on. I
guess that is why I never owned a convertible or a motorcycle. Lenne' was approaching the
Station just as I was making my low approach over the cattle. I landed and experienced a
pretty rough run over the thousands of black cow chips that dotted the airstrip. The Station
just had a roundup yesterday and the place was packed with cattle. Luckily the Xair has good
suspension. I taxied up to the gate and was greeted by four jackaroos. They were all interested
in the Xair and I enjoyed talking about the flight characteristics. However, they didn't think it
would make a good machine for roundup, but they thought it'd be a great vehicle to take to the
pub! I poured 20 liters of fuel in the tanks and took off with Aren as my passenger. It wasn't
long before we were into the Victoria River area and flew over some spectacular gorges made
by the Victoria River. Unfortunately, it was mid afternoon with the sun overhead and smoke
and haze covering the area, making poor aerial photography.
It was also very hot so I had to be careful not to overheat the engine during my climbs. I
landed at the Victoria Roadhouse airstrip and asked Lenne' to pick us up as it was too hot and
buggy to walk the short distance to the roadhouse. We had lunch and I thought about waiting
till later in the afternoon for better pictures. After lunch and a cold drink we just couldn't wait
in the heat and we pressed on. Sungie accompanied me on this leg and we were off. It was a
short flight to Timber Creek but it was a pretty flight over the river. We landed and I tied
down the Xair to a pair of very large truck tires that were on the side of the runway. The
ground was so hard I couldn't get the screwits down in the ground. We drove back to town
and checked into a caravan park, one with a pool of course.
Day 67 - Saturday, September 23 - TIMBER CREEK TO KUNANARRA
We were airborne by 9 and Tim was my passenger. Lenne' drove off before I was airborne
and unfortunately I blew a fuse as I was taxiing down the runway so my radio, strobe light,
and gauges didn't work. I put another fuse in but it blew too so I taxied back to the parking
area and separated a pair of wires that had crossed on the fuse holder. Must have been from
going over all those cow chips. The problem was solved and we were airborne. The air was
really smooth and there was little wind but the haze continued to drop the visibility to 10
miles. I had enough fuel to make it to Kunanarra but we landed at Newry Cattle station to
refuel so I could take time to sightsee and get some pictures of the terrain. We caught up to
Lenne' and told them to meet us at the airstrip. After a bit of confusion as too which airstrip I
was at they found us. There are two airstrips at Newry, one at the station and one about 4
miles west. I was told that the second one was in better condition. Aren joined me to take
video. We flew over some spectacular cliffs just past the border into Western Australia and
headed off to Kunanarra. We landed and Lenne' arrived just 20 minutes later. We gained 1.5
hours crossing into WA so we felt we had some time to play. It was off to town where we
found the city pool that offered a water slide and a other activities for the kids. We stopped at
the local shopping area for lunch and supplies and it was off for a swim. The kids were having
a great time so we decided to stay the night to give our bodies a rest and adjust to the time
change.
Day 68 - Sunday, September 24 - KUNANARRA TO HALLS CREEK
We are at the eastern border of the time zone so the sun sets early but rises early. This means
an earlier bedtime and an earlier start in the morning without grogy kids. We were airborne at
7:30 with Aren as my passenger. More spectacular country to fly over, deep gorges and
jagged cliffs dominated the area. We flew south over the western end of Lake Argyle,
Australia's largest expanse of freshwater.
We continued south and flew over the huge open pit Argyle diamond mine, which produces
35% of the worlds, mostly industrial grade, diamonds.
We landed at a Turkey Creek to refuel and we were off again tracking just west of Bungle
Bungle National Park. I didn't have the fuel to complete the required circuit in the park so we
enjoyed the scenery of the steep gorges and chasms from 3500 ft just outside the park. From
there it was a straight shot to Halls Creek where we landed and stayed for the night. We
actually arrived in time to complete another leg to Fitzroy Crossing but extended our lunch
break too long to go on. With sunset around 5:30, trying to make a three-hour leg, and
possibly a fuel stop, we would have to start earlier than 2PM.
aily Log - Week Eleven
Day 69 - Monday, September 25 - HALLS CREEK TO BROOME with stops at Fitzroy
Crossing and Derby
Our longest day so far. The heat is getting to us, especially Tim. And with beautiful beaches
within a days reach we pushed hard to get there. Tim was my passenger. We left Halls Creek
at 7:15 and were able to make the 143 NM flight to Fitzroy Crossing without refueling, a 10
kt tailwind helped. I followed the road most of the way, even though it took me on a southerly
course and added an extra 30 minutes to my flight. I tried to get permission to land at an
airstrip that was just over halfway to Fitzroy but it was owned by a mining company and
because we came in late Sunday afternoon and left early Monday morning, I couldn't contact
anyone. We stopped at Fitzroy for enough time to eat and refuel. Aren was my passenger for
the 124 NM flight to Derby. The wind started to blow out of the west now so we were going
slower. Curtin was my divert field if I started to run low on fuel before reaching Derby. We
landed in Derby late afternoon and the humidity was on fuel. Lenne' arrived an hour after us
and I thought for sure she was not going to want to drive anymore. To my surprise she was
anxious to get to Broome. Luckily I just refueled with AVGAS and was ready to go. It was
three hours before sunset and the 88 NM to Broome should have only taken less than two
hours. Airborne again with Tim this time the wind was a steady 15 kts out of the west adding
an extra 45 minutes or so to the flight. I landed in Broome 45 minutes before sunset and
Lenne' arrive just after sunset. It was off to find a place to stay for the night in the dark. We
drove around for about an hour, found a Best Western and checking in, ordered dinner and
relaxed.
Day 70 - Tuesday, September 26 - BROOME
No long trips today. This was a day to enjoy the beach. We headed off to Cable Beach only to
find that the west wind didn't just delay my flight yesterday, it blew in jellyfish, thousands and
thousands of them.
They were called smelly jellies by locals and gave a bit of a sting. We didn't stay too long on
the beach. Back to town to do some shopping and it was back to the hotel to enjoy the pool.
That night it was off to see X-Men at the Sun Pictures outdoor theater. A beautiful tropical
night under the stars watching a movie!
Day 71 - Wednesday, September 27 - BROOME
Everyone needs to take a break now and then and this was the time for us. We stayed another
day in Broome. We enjoyed lazing around the pool, walking around in Chinatown, a stop at
the beach to see the camels and another night at the movies.
Day 72 - Thursday, September 28 - BROOME TO PARDOO STATION
Time to get moving. We left Broome intending to make it to Port Hedlow, unfortunately the
wind had other ideas. Aren was my passenger. We checked the weather at the Broome
meteorology station and were told that the morning low clouds were burning off and the wind
should be northwest at 10-15 kts. Not what I wanted to hear. I was heading in a westerly
direction and the flight to Sandfire Roadhouse, our refueling stop about halfway between
Broome and Port Hedland, was just at the edge of my range with a headwind component. I
decided to stay along the road and not fly the beach. The coastal area just south of Broome
was a mangrove swamp and not the fine sandy beaches I expected, they were a bit further
south. When we were on our course getting bumped around by the turbulence, I regretted not
flying along the beach in the smooth air. I was also wondering if my fuel consumption would
have been better if I avoided the turbulence. Oh well, there will be more beaches and trying to
head back to the beach into a direct headwind would definitely burn my reserve fuel so we
pushed on making 40 kts groundspeed with 55 kts indicated. It was another long flight and we
landed with just over 5 liters of fuel. Aren and I ate lunch and called the Pardoo Station, to
ask permission to land at their airstrip. The airstrip was listed in the AOPA book as a place to
fish, bird watch, go shelling, or just relax at the homestead. Sounded great to me. I was given
approval but told not to fly too low over the station because the stockyard was full of cattle.
Pardoo was about 40 miles before Port Hedland and it also had a caravan park so we decided
to make that our stop for the night. Lenne' arrived at Sandfire so we refueled and I showed
Lenne' and the boys where Pardoo was on the map. No one wanted to join me on this leg so I
took off solo. This time I headed for the beach and got a much smoother ride despite the 1520 kt headwind. It took almost 2 hours to get to Pardoo. I found the airstrip but couldn't raise
Lenne' and the boys on the radio. The Homestead is located about six miles off the highway
and I wasn't sure if they knew where the turnoff was so I flew back over the highway to look
for them. I still had about an hour of fuel and thought it best to make sure they knew where I
was before I landed. Just as I approached the highway I spotted the motor home. They were
just a few miles from the road to Pardoo Homestead but they were heading away from it.
Fortunately, they pulled over when they spotted me. I called on the radio again and told them
to flash the headlights if they could hear me. The lights came on so I told them to go back and
I would direct them to the station. I landed at the airstrip, which was a section of the old road,
and a herd of cattle hurried across the runway as I was completing my landing roll. I refueled
and as I was tying the Xair down, the cattle started to come back to have a look at this noisy
machine that disrupted their afternoon. Lenne' drove ahead and checked in at the station.
What a great stop. Tim was excited. They had calves that he could pet, a pet Emu, plenty of
frogs, lots of bugs swimming in the pool, and a couple of dogs.
We ate dinner, watched the sunset, and went to bed under a beautiful night sky full of stars.
Day 73 - Friday, September 29 - PARDOO HOMESTEAD TO KARRATHA with a stop
at PORT HEDLAND
Sungie was my passenger for this leg. We chased a few of the cattle off the dusty airstrip and
were off. It was a relatively short distance to our next fuel stop at Port Hedland and there was
a tailwind so we had time to do a bit of flightseeing over the beaches and the scrubland. We
arrived in Port Hedland in time for lunch in the air-conditioned terminal restaurant and got a
tour of the Flying Doctor aircraft and watched a video about the Flying Doctor & School of
the Air around the Pilbara. Aren joined me on the second leg. It was an uneventful flight and
we landed at Karratha around 3:30 and Lenne' arrived about 1 hour later. While we were
waiting, Jon Johanson landed in his RV-4. Jon just came in from the Cocos Islands and was
on his final leg of his around the world flight. I better finish this trip first and then maybe...
We rushed off to get some groceries and checked in at a caravan park. That night we all went
to see the musical "Cats" at the Karratha Entertainment Center. We had been following the
show, composed of 65 black buses and trucks, around the country but missed them by a day
or two. We ran into the crew at the Mataranka Resort and, while we were soaking in the
thermal pool, we talked for a while with a couple of the organizers. Well, we finally caught up
to them while they were performing and enjoyed their show in far Western Australia.
Day 74 - Saturday, September 30 - KARRATHA TO ONSLOW
We got a late start because we were up later than usual for the show the night before. I also
had to do some routine maintenance on the Rotax engine. Aren was my passenger and we
were airborne just after lunch. The wind had been blowing east all morning so we were
hoping for a fast flight. Unfortunately, the wind shifted out of the west about 30 minutes into
the flight and we bucked a 14 kt headwind for the rest of the flight. We landed at the lonely
dirt airstrip at Onslow and waited over two hours for Lenne' to arrive. There was no direct
road to Onslow so the drive was a bit longer. We were anxious to go to a nice beach and go
swimming and the tourist brochures all stated that the beaches were great for swimming.
When we saw the beach, we didn't agree and skipped the swim.
Day 75 - Sunday, October 1 - ONSLOW TO CORAL BAY with a drive to EXMOUTH
Lenne' wanted to leave early to beat the afternoon heat but the two gas stations in town
weren't opened until 8 AM. So we made all preparations to depart before 8:00, topped off the
tank at the gas station and drove back to the airstrip. We could have been airborne by 8:30 but
a couple from the Adelaide area arrived so we chatted for 30 minutes. We usually always put
our schedule on hold to talk to people. Tim was my co-pilot for this leg and the scenery on
this twohour flight was very similar to what we had been flying over for the past three day,
various shades of green scrub punctuated by brown salt flats. The big difference was at the
end of the flight, when we reached the coast and flew over the turquoise waters of the
Ningaloo Reef. Truly spectacular!
We landed at the small salt flat runway of Maude Landing and secured the Xair. We weren't
expecting Lenne', Aren, and Sungie for at least two more hours so Tim and I walked the short
distance to the town of Coral Bay. We had prepared for the wait by packing swimsuits. We
walked into the first dive shop and booked a dive for the next day only to find that we arrived
during a school holiday and the small town was bustling with people. There were only a few
powered sites left in the extremely crowded caravan parks and the hotel was booked. We were
hoping to stay at a hotel and found out that there were accommodations at Exmouth so we
made reservations, changed the dive schedule to dive Exmouth on Monday and Coral Bay on
Tuesday. Fortunately it was the same dive company so the switch was relatively easy. Tim
and I ate lunch and went for a quick swim while we waited for Lenne'. They arrived just after
3 PM, in time for another dip before driving north to Exmouth. We saw our first wild emus on
the drive. We arrived in Exmouth and checked into the dive shop and hotel.
Daily Log - Week Twelve
Day 76 - Monday, October 2 - NINGALOO REEF
Aren, Sungie, and I arrived at the Exmouth Dive Center at 7:45 to prepare for our two boat
dives on the Ningaloo Reef. There was no snorkeling on this trip so Lenne' and Tim stayed
behind. We loaded gear and were driven a few kilometers to the boat only to find the skipper
was not there. A quick change of plans for the Dive Center and we were off with a substitute
skipper. As we were motoring out to the dive site I enquired about the visibility and to my
surprise found out it was only 12 meters. Not what I expected for a coral reef, but we made
two dives and saw a variety of fish. See the Dive Log for more details and pictures of these
dives. We arrived back at the hotel at 2 PM, checked out and drove back to Coral Bay.
Day 77-78 - Tuesday & Wednesday, October 3-4 - CORAL BAY
We lazed around the resort and beaches Tuesday morning and that afternoon we went on a
SCUBA charter to the Ningaloo Reef just off Coral Bay. Larry, Aren and Sungie did two reef
dives while Lenne' and Tim snorkeled around the coral bomies. Our charter was onboard a
small open boat. The wind was blowing about 15 kts and the water was pretty choppy,
fortunately, the boat ride wasn't very long as the reef comes to within meters of the beach and
extends just a few miles offshore. The visibility in Coral Bay was better than the dives at
Exmouth but not as good as the Great Barrier Reef. However, the coral formations were much
more diverse than the Great Barrier Reef and there were plenty of fish. Go to the Dive Log for
pictures. After diving we were pretty tired so we went back to the hotel room for dinner. That
evening a band was scheduled to play at the bar right outside of our room and a party
atmosphere started to grow throughout the evening. No sense trying to get any rest. We went
out to enjoy the music and to meet some new people. We joined two couples and their
families who come to Coral Bay from the interior of Western Australia every year. We had a
great time chatting and by 11PM the band stopped and things started to quiet down. On
Wednesday morning Tim and Sungie tried the Sensational New Underwater Breathing
Adventure (SNUBA). SNUBA enables people who are not certified divers to experience the
fantastic underwater world using a four meter breathing hose that is connected to a tank that
floats on a raft that is towed around by a dive instructor. Tim and Sungie dove to 12 feet just
off the beach. For 40 minutes they dove around the many coral and fish. We were having so
much fun on the beautiful beach that we rented two glass bottom canoes after lunch. We
paddled upwind just a few hundred meters offshore and then floated downwind over the coral
reef. Of course a trip to Coral Bay wouldn't be complete unless you see it from the air, so
Larry took Lenne' flight-seeing over clear, blue water and white sandy beaches. That evening
we took an ATV sunset tour along the beach.
But even paradise has wind and it started to blow that afternoon. Winds up to 20 kts blew out
of the south and continued to be strong throughout the evening. I was getting concerned about
making the 110 NM leg to Carnarvon the next day until I called Brisbane for a weather brief.
Apparently the winds above 4000 ft were blowing out of the northwest and with the cooler
temperatures we were experiencing around Coral Bay, I would be able to keep a climb going
without overheating the engine. I went to bed feeling more comfortable about the flight.
Day 79 - Thursday, October 5 - CORAL BAY TO MONKEY MIA with a stop at
CARNARVON
It was still blowing pretty strong when we woke up so I called for another wind check. At
3000 ft the wind was blowing 200 deg at 15 kts but at 8000 ft it was blowing 300 deg at 20
kts. All I had to do was climb till I lost the headwind component. Aren was my passenger and
photographer for this leg. We took off from Maude's landing just before 9 AM and the GPS
started calculating our time and distance. It was going to take just under 3 hours to complete
the 110 NM leg. I wasn't going to make Carnarvon with these winds but we stayed at 500 for
the first few miles so we could video the waves crashing on the beach, the colorful cliffs, and
the coral formations.
My direct course to Carnarvon was going to take me directly over, the 100 km long by 40 km
wide, Lake MacLeod. So when we arrived just north of the lake I started to climb to 4500 ft
and watched the groundspeed on the GPS start to increase. Not only did I get a tailwind but
also the air temperature actually increased a few degrees and there was no turbulence.
Carnarvon was now only 1.5 hours away and I had plenty of fuel left. We landed at
Carnarvon and I fueled up. Lenne' arrived just about an hour after I landed and while we ate
lunch we discussed whether we should move on to Shark Bay or stay a night at Carnarvon. It
was only 60 NM direct flight but it was a lot longer drive for Lenne'. I also had a 15 NM open
water crossing over Shark Bay. We decided to go on and I took Tim with me. I took off and
climbed to 8500 ft staying along the shore till abeam Monkey Mia and just north of Faure
Island. I figured if the engine quit on me, I could go east, west, or south to glide to land. I
made the crossing with no problems and we landed at Shark Bay airstrip just after 3 PM.
Lenne' didn't arrive until 6 PM. We drove the remaining 18 km to the Monkey Mia Resort,
had dinner and went to bed.
Day 80 - Friday, October 6 - MONKEY MIA
"Monkey Mia Reserve, in Shark Bay's World Heritage Area, is a landscape of contrasts from
the red windblown sand dunes of the arid hinterland to the white beaches and sparkling ocean
waters. It is a place where people can observe the wildlife and experience the heritage of
Monkey Mia. More importantly, it is the place of a rare and special experience - where
dolphins interact and share their natural environment with visitors. Up to three adult female
dolphins and their calves visit the beach most days but more than 70 other dolphins have been
identified by researchers in the Monkey Mia area. About a dozen of these dolphins visit
irregularly and venture quite close to the shore." It is truly a beautiful place and that morning
we woke to experience the dolphin encounter.
But as the morning wore on, the wind started to blow. We left the heat behind but now we
have the wind. It was blowing 30 kts with gust to 34 kts. Glad we weren't planning on flying
today. I called Perth weather to see if it was going to let up on Saturday and was told the wind
would be around until Sunday. The locals thought it was unusual for the wind to last more
than 2 days but this is the windy season on the western most town of Western Australia and it
could blow until February. The wind doesn't make a good day for flying an ultralight, but it
does make good sailing weather. So a-sailing we went on board the "Aristocat 2", a 17.7meter luxury sailing catamaran to see turtles, dugongs, and dolphins.
For a few extra dollars, the afternoon wildlife adventure cruise included a sunset cruise so we
took advantage of the offer and went on both cruises. On the afternoon cruise, we saw several
dugongs, the only herbivorous marine mammals in Australia waters. The dugongs look
something like the manatee except that their tail is more whale like. They are also bigger and
can reach lengths of 3 meters and weights of up to 420 kg. There is an estimated population of
between 10,000 and 16,000 in Shark Bay. We also saw a few turtles and the famous dolphins
of Monkey Mia. While on the sunset cruise, several dolphins raced along the bow of the
catamaran while we stood on the bow looking directly below at the playful creatures.
Day 81 - Saturday, October 7, SHARK-BAY TO KALBARRI with a stop at the
BILLABONG ROADHOUSE
It was still blowing when we woke up. A call to Perth weather stated that the wind should let
up by afternoon so we waited until 11:30 before heading off to the airport. By noon the wind
had decreased a bit so I decided to try for Kalbarri with Tim as my passenger. The wind at
altitude was reported to be less than the surface wind and veering off to the north so I was
planning to climb to 9500 ft and take advantage of a tailwind like we did when flying to
Carnarvon. Just after take off, a commercial flight was arriving from Perth. I asked what the
wind was doing at 10,000 ft and was told it was northerly at four knots. That was good news
so I kept climbing to 9500 ft. And man, did it get cold! I put on two jackets and even put on
gloves. Tim wrapped himself in all the clothes he brought and was still cold. The other
problem was that I was only showing 40 kts groundspeed on the GPS and the time to go to
Kalbarri was going backwards, reading two hours then two hours, ten minutes. I wasn't
making any time. The headwind must be increasing and I was losing groundspeed. I was still
more than 80 miles from Kalbarri. The climb cost me almost 20 liters of fuel and I wasn't
going to make it to Kalbarri with that kind of headwind. I decided to divert to the Billabong
Roadhouse, just 40 miles away, and started a descent. I couldn't get Lenne' on the radio so I
made a call in the blind telling them I was diverting and hoping they could at least hear me at
this altitude. I landed at the Billabong and walked the short distance to the gas station. Lenne'
was nowhere in sight and I guessed they already passed the roadhouse. I asked the owner if he
had fuel cans that I could borrow. He was more than helpful. Not only did he let me borrow
two 20-liter gas cans, he even let me borrow a trolley so I didn't have to carry the gas cans to
the airstrip. Just after I fueled, Lenne' drove up. Good timing because I needed some 2 cycle
oil also. Aren was going to fly this leg and Kalbarri was now only 60 miles away. I stayed
below 5000 ft this time and was only making 35 to 40 kts of groundspeed. It took me 1.8
hours to go the 60 miles and there was a fair bit of turbulence. We landed at Kalbarri, tied the
Xair to the screwits and as we started walking to the road, we heard Sungie's and Tim's voices
on Talkabout. They pulled up and we watched the sunset from the top of the hill where the
airstrip was located. The wind was blowing about 15 kts, it was getting cold and we were all
tired and hungry. We decided to just stay at the quite airstrip for the night.
Day 82 - Sunday, October 8, KALBARRI
It was still blowing when we woke up and refreshingly cool. We ate breakfast and started
driving to town only to stop for a hike along the spectacular gorges along the coast. We
couldn't tear ourselves away from watching the breaking surf along the steep cliffs.
The two-week school holiday was ending today so Kalbarri was quite and hotel prices were
reasonable so we checked into a hotel. That afternoon Lenne' and I drove up the coast to see a
few of the gorges we missed in the morning and left the boys at the hotel. It was a very
relaxing day in spite of the strong wind that started to blow in the afternoon. If the wind
doesn't let up tomorrow, we won't mind spending another day here.
Daily Log - Week Thirteen
Day 83 - Monday, October 9 - KALBARRI TO DONGARA with a stop at
GERALDTON
Almost three hours to go a mere 107 nautical miles. You could say we had a headwind and it
doesn't seem to want to let up! When Aren and I left Kalbarri it was blowing 20 kts out of the
southeast, almost a direct headwind so we were only going 35-40 kts across the ground.
Fortunately, because we were over low-lying farm fields and sand dunes, the turbulence was
almost non-existent. When we landed at Geraldton it was blowing 20 kts-25 kts directly down
runway 12 so I could have almost hovered the Xiar over the runway. We fueled up and
Lenne', Sungie, and Tim arrived. Time to take a break and see some of the town. We did some
grocery shopping and took some pictures of the Byzantine-style St. Francis-Xavier Cathedral
designed by Monsignor John Hawes.
The cathedral has beautiful twin towers with one containing the exposed bell tower, a large
central dome, and a coned roofed tower. The interior has Romanesque columns with huge
arches beneath an octagonal dome. We also spent some time at the Maritime Museum and
watched a video on the re-enactment of the Batavia disaster. June 4, 1629 the Batavia went
aground on a reef near the Houtman Abrolhos Islands off the coast of Geraldton. The 250
survivors, of the original 316 men, women and children on board, set up camp, began the
search for water, sent off a rescue party to Jakarta in the ship's boat and waited. It took three
months for a rescue party to arrive, and in that time a mutiny, led by Jeronimus Cornelisz, had
taken place. Cornelisz's strategy was to isolate civilian survivors from the soldiers by sending
the soldiers to another island, ostensibly to search for water. Then he murdered about 120
survivors who were unwilling to cooperate with his wishes. When the rescue party arrived the
ringleaders were hanged and two mutineers were unceremoniously dumped on the coast just
south of Kalbarri. Pretty amazing story so we had to buy the book "Voyage to Disaster" by
Henrietta Drake-Brockman. It was approaching 3 PM and we wanted to get a bit further
south. With the strong headwind and only three hours of daylight remaining, we couldn't go
far. Dongara was only 35 NM south so we headed there. I'm glad the configuration of the Xair
is the same as the helicopters I used to fly, stick in the right hand and throttle (collective) in
the left. This landing reminded me of hovering over a pitching boat while my crewman tried
to weave a rescue basket through the rigging. I had to constantly make adjustments with the
stick and throttle to get the light aircraft on deck. Just as I thought I had the landing assured, a
gust of wind would lift a wing or try to slam me to the ground. I took almost half the runway
to get down and I finally greased the Xair on the gravel strip. The airstrip at Dongara is just
two km south of Port Denison and less than 500 meters from the beautiful white beaches.
Lenne' and the boys arrived just as Aren and I tied the Xair up. We drove around town for a
bit looking at some of the old buildings. We stopped and made dinner by the jetty while we
enjoyed watching fishermen and a pleasant sunset. It was starting to get dark so we headed
back to the quiet airstrip for the night.
Day 84 - Tuesday, October 10 - DONGARA TO PEARCE (PERTH) with a stop at
CERVANTES
We woke up and I couldn't believe it - it wasn't blowing! Aren and I prepared the Xiar for the
flight to Cervantes and lifted off with just 5 kts of wind. We flew along the spectacular
coastline and had time for a few touch and go landings at Freeman and Jurian Bay. The wind
started to pick up before we reached Cervantes and I checked the GPS to see how long it
would take to fly to Perth. I was pleased to see one hour and 45 minutes. We landed at
Cervantes and Lenne', Sungie, and Tim showed up within the hour. We drove to see the
Pinnacles Desert at Nambung National Park. The Pinnacles Desert consists of thousands of
limestone pillars that rise up to four meters tall from the yellow sand that surround them.
They are very eerie to look at yet an amazing sight none the less.
Tim was my passenger for the leg to Perth. We took off and I started heading south along the
coast. It didn't seem like the wind picked up much since we landed but the GPS was showing
it would take almost three hours to fly the 107 NM to Perth. I called Lenne' and told her I
couldn't make the flight and I was going to go back to the airport. I asked her to meet me
there. I didn't get a reply so I started flying east to intercept them at the highway 1. I never did
find them so I thought they were ahead of me and didn't get my message. I started making a
turn back to Cervantes and when I was heading toward Perth, the GPS was showing the flight
would take one hour and 50 minutes. I still had plenty of fuel so I continued on toward Perth.
As I flew further south, the country below me was slowly changing to green pastures with
sheep scurrying away from the strange yellow bird flying overhead. I was abeam GinGin
airport and started making my way back to the coast to avoid flying through the Perth Control
Zone. As I made my way west, my groundspeed started to decrease and I was concerned
about my fuel consumption. I called Pearce Control and asked if I could land at GinGin and
refuel. I was told that I could if I declared an emergency. I still had enough fuel to make it to
Jandakot but not much to spare so I kept going and didn't declare an emergency. I also could
have flown back to Lancelin, a small town along the coast north of Perth. I decided against
that plan as Lenne' would have had difficulty finding me and she would have had to drive
almost all the way to Perth and back up the coast over 40 miles. The closer I got to the coast,
the slower my groundspeed was and the more fuel I burned. The GPS went from a 45-minute
flight to a one-hour flight, then one hour ten minute flight. I wasn't going to make it to
Jandakot and called Pearce Control stating my predicament. I was given approval to land at
Pearce. I also requested they call Lenne' and tell her of my change of plans. As I approached
the airfield, I was given approval for a right base to runway 18 left. I taxied over to parking
and was directed to a parking spot. They took good care of Tim and me until Lenne' arrived
an hour after sunset. The controller also came down to meet me and told me he had gotten in
touch with Lenne' at Cervantes. I guess they heard my original message and went back to the
airstrip and waited. Lenne' told me she knew I probably had another change of plans when I
didn't arrive, but waited there for a phone call. The phone was working at Cervantes and
probably would not have worked on the highway to Perth. So why did I keep going? When I
was a few miles away from the coast, there was no more sea breeze and when I called Perth
earlier, I was told the weather there was "lovely" with less than 10 kts of wind. I was hoping I
could get south of the stronger breeze by flying inland and didn't expect to get 30 kts of wind
just north of Perth. The head wind got me again. One of these flights I will have to get a
tailwind.
Day 85 - Wednesday, October 11 - PERTH
We woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of rain on the motor home roof and the
smell of smoke in the air. Looks like another interesting day ahead. I drifted off to sleep again
and woke up by 6 AM hoping to get the Xair out of Pearce before the Control Zone went into
effect at 8:00. We still needed to get fuel and as we were driving north on the highway, I
noticed that the visibility from the smoke was pretty bad. I called Perth weather and was told
that the smoke from the fire had reduced the visibility to less than 5000 meters and could be
worse in places but should clear later in the morning. Oh well, so much for an early start. We
headed off to town to look for a place to stay and to see some of Perth. The smoke started to
clear as predicted but dark clouds and strong winds started to develop. Looks like a no fly
day. I called Pearce security and asked if I could keep the plane there for another night, "no
worries, mate" was the reply. We checked into a hotel for the night.
Day 86 - Thursday, October 12 - PERTH
Today was the day to get the Xair from Pearce to Jandakot in Perth. Lenne' Aren, and I set out
from the hotel to Pearce RAAF. We arrived at 11AM and I called for clearance out of the
Pearce control zone. I was told I could leave during lunch at 1130. We refueled the Xair and I
was cleared to depart west to Burns Beach below 1500 ft. Once at Burns Beach I flew south
along the VFR corridor to Fremantle, took a few pictures of the Perth skyline,
called tower, located the Powerhouse, flew direct to Jandakot, entered a right downwind to
runway 24 R, and cleared to land. An easy flight, yet the busiest airport that I've been at with
the Xair. Hundreds of small planes were parked there and there were several in the pattern. I
parked at the light aircraft parking in the grass, and was tying the small yellow aircraft down,
when Aren called on the Talkabout. We kept talking to each other to find out where we were
among the maze of small aircraft repair shops, flight schools, and charters. We finally found
each other and it was back to the hotel for lunch. After lunch, Lenne' and I drove off to see
Allan Grigo, the Xair dealer in Perth, to pick up a new airspeed indicator, exhaust springs, and
20 liters of Penrite 2 cycle oil. Alan Richards, a friend of Allan's, also showed up to meet with
us and we spent a few hours talking about the trip. Allan even let me wash down the week's
worth of crude that accumulated on the motor home.
Water was precious along the northwestern coast of Western Australia so we hadn't washed
the dust and bugs off in a while. Lenne' and I went back to the hotel to feed the kids and spent
time debugging the computer. I had the Kak worm for a while and, with Alan Richards tips, I
think I finally got rid of it. Sorry if I infected anyone but the worm seems to be more of a
nuisance than harmful.
Day 87 - Friday, October 13 - PERTH
I spent the morning and a bit of the afternoon with Allan doing maintenance on the Xair. The
tacho was just past 100 hours and the Rotax needed to have the gearbox oil changed, spark
plugs replaced, new exhaust springs installed, new coolant added, the air filter recharged, and
a new airspeed indicator installed. That evening we went out to dinner at the kids' favorite
restaurant.
Day 88 - Saturday, October 14 - PERTH
We decided to spend another day in Perth and see more of the city. We went to the Museum
of Western Australia,
the Art Museum, and the Burswood Resort. Then we loaded up with groceries, and finished
the evening with a movie. After the movie we drove back to Jandakot Airport and spent the
night so we could get an early start in the morning.
Day 89, Sunday, October 15 - PERTH TO BUSSELTON with a stop at BUNBURY
I woke up in the night to the sound of gusting wind. Seems we can't escape the bloody wind!
Woke again at sunrise and it was still blowing about 20 kts out of the east. I wanted to get out
of the Jandakot area before the tower opened and beat the mass of small planes that would be
flying on a fine but windy Sunday morning. So I taxied the Xair closer to where the motor
home was parked, fueled up, did a pre-flight, woke Aren up, and departed just before 8 AM.
One Cessna beat me to the takeoff but otherwise the airport was quiet. I took off on runway
12 and departed to the west to pick up the coast, then started down the coast. The wind was
almost due east so at times I actually had a tailwind. Just over Mandurah, Aren spotted the
large black, multi-pointed tent that the play "CATS" uses to do their shows.
Looks like we are finally in front of the road show. We made good time to Bunbury and even
had time for a few circuits. When we arrived Brendan Watts greeted us. Brendan is the owner
of Southwest Microlights and he showed Aren and I his meticulously keep Microlights and
we chatted about the microlight and ultralight business. Brendan even owns a beautiful red
Thruster and he hopes to be able to get into teaching and selling Ultralights. "Good luck with
the ultralights, Brendan. And thanks for torqueing my prop and for the tips on maintaining the
Rotax." Lenne' showed up and it was off to the Dolphin Discovery Center at Bunbury. The
center is located on Koombana beach, another dolphin interaction zone. We didn't stay around
to "swim with the dolphins" this time, apparently they hadn't come close to the beach in a few
days, but we had an enjoyable time at the center watching a video on dolphin behavior and
learning about the dolphins of Koombana Bay. Tim and I went for a quick swim in the 18 deg
C water and it was back to the airport. Sungie joined me for the short flight to Busselton. We
flew along the coast and Sungie spotted two dolphins swimming in the clear water. We
reached Busselton and flew over the 2 km pier. The pier, or jetty in Australia, was reported to
be the longest timber jetty in Australia. We took a few photos and landed on the 1800-meter
long runway at Busselton. Sungie spotted the motor home driving up to the airport while we
were on downwind. Looks like we don't have to wait for the family on this leg. We taxied up
to the flying club and tied the Xair down in the grass. I went into the flying club and met Ian
Stevenson, the Airport Safety & Operations Manager. Ian offered to put the Xair in his hangar
so I accepted. I untied the Xair and taxied over to his hangar. The Xair just fit in front of his
Cessna and Peter Hale's Piper. We were even told that if we stayed the night at the airport we
could use the club bathroom complete with a hot shower, an offer too good to refuse. We
drove into town to find out about diving on the HMS SWAN wreck. We arranged two dives
on Monday out of Busselton. We found a great playground for Tim and while the boys
played, mom and dad made dinner. After dinner we took a walk out along the jetty and watch
the stars come out while we tried to stay warm against the fresh sea breeze.
Daily Log - Week Fourteen
Day 90 - Monday, October 16 - DUNSBOROUGH and DIVING ON THE HMS SWAN
An early start to make the 8AM dive appointment in Dunsborough, a 20-minute drive. Up at
six, a quick shower, and we were off. We arrived early and had breakfast at a beachfront park.
At 8, Aren, Sungie, and I checked in at the dive shop, fitted our gear, signed a release, and
were given the dive brief on the wreck by our dive master Shelley Blyth. The 113 meter long,
23 meter high, HMAS SWAN was sunk in 30 meters of water in Geographe Bay on Dec 14,
1997 and was prepared specifically for diving. The SWAN is reported to be the largest
prepared dive wreck in the Southern Hemisphere. (I wish we could get something like this in
Juneau.) See our Dive Log for more information and pictures of this spectacular dive. Sungie
wasn't able to equalize his ears on this dive so he returned to the boat. After the dives we set
off for a 4 km hike around Cape Naturaliste. The wind was howling 30 kts out of the east.
Glad I wasn't going flying today. The hike centered around the lighthouse and from the
vantage point Lenne' and I spotted two Humpback whales breaching in the frothy seas.
It was a pleasant hike but Tim was anxious to get back to Busselton so he could have another
chance to play in the wonderful playground. That night, Ian called and asked if it would be all
right if the local paper came out in the morning and did an article on the family who is going
around Australia in an ultralight. I said yes!
Day 91 - Tuesday, October 17 - BUSSELTON TO MARGARET RIVER around CAPE
NATURALISTE
Ian and his wife showed up just as I finished breakfast. It was time for the kids to get ready
for picture taking and talking to the reporter about our adventure. Derek Pool, the
photographer from the Busselton-Margaret River Times, showed up at 8:30 followed by the
reporter, Del Ambrosius. We pulled the Xair out of Ian's hangar and drove the motor home
along side. Del asked questions about our travels and Derek took a few pictures.
We will post the report as soon as it is available. With so many things to do and see on the
southwest coast we now had to decide where to go from Busselton. We decided to go to
Margaret River and check out the Tauton Farm Caravan Park. The park is on a working farm
so the kids could have a chance to interact with farm animals. The farm was on the way to
Margaret River so Lenne' could stop by and check in before picking me up at the airstrip.
Meanwhile Aren and I took off and flew west to the Cape before heading south along the
cliff-lined coast. It was a short flight so we had time to flight-see before landing at the
Margaret River airstrip. Lenne' arrived and Tim rushed out to tell me that they checked into
the Tauton Farm Caravan Park and we had to hurry to get there before 1PM to see sheep
shearing. I tied the Xair down and we drove the short distance to the park. We arrived in time
to meet the manager, Neville Criddle, and soon we were sitting in the back of his pickup truck
driving over to the sheep sheering shed. Neville has recently retired from 40 years of shearing
sheep, so he was a wonderful guide. It was a great experience to meet the farm owner, Rob
Saunders, to see the sheep shearing in action and to learn about the different qualities of wool
that sheep produce.
The caravan park was a very relaxing place and with the mild temperatures and beautiful
greenery, we felt comfortable in the surroundings.
Day 92 - Wednesday, October 18 - MARGARET RIVER TO AUGUSTA with two
sightseeing flights over CAPE LEEUWIN
We had a short flight and drive to Augusta so we had time to explore the area. First we
stopped at a deer farm and picked up some meat for dinner. Tim wanted to pet more animals
so we found a well-stocked animal farm. Tim, Sungie, and Lenne' went to the farm to pet the
animals while Larry and Aren stayed behind to do flight planning. Next it was off to find one
of the fancy wineries in the area that we'd been told about and enjoy their elaborate garden.
Finally, the boys wanted to go horseback riding and we found a ranch where they could ride.
Back to the airport and Tim and I flew the coast to Augusta. We rounded Cape Leeuwin, the
southwestern most point in Australia where the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean meet. It
was a beautiful afternoon so I wanted to take Lenne' flying to see the Cape from the air. I
dropped Tim off and picked up Lenne'. We landed and drove over to the lighthouse to watch
the sunset while we made dinner. As darkness set in we watched the stars brighten and the
light from the lighthouse illuminate the two oceans.
Day 93 - Thursday, October 19 - AUGUSTA TO WALPOLE
We spent the night at the airport so we didn't have to drive when we woke up. I stepped out of
the motor home and was elated when the windsock was pointing to the southeast. I couldn't
believe I was going to finally have a tailwind! The north wind also brought some warmer air
so it was off with the jackets. I was getting ready to depart when Al from the Augusta Flying
Club pulled-up. We talked for a while and it was time to go. Tim joined me and I taxied down
the runway. I noticed strong fuel fumes and pulled over to see if I left the cap off the gas tank.
I was sure I put it on so I almost departed without checking. Glad I checked. The cap vibrated
loose and wasn't tightening. The plastic threads were worn and the cap would not hold. I
taxied back and Al was still there. He drove me to town to get some plumbers tape and I
called Lenne' on his mobile. Fortunately, she was at the gas station in town so I had Al drop
me off to meet her. I bought a roll of plumbers tape and we drove back to the airport. I
secured the cap with some duct tape and we were ready to go. Hopefully I can get a new cap
in Albany. By now the wind had picked up but was still out of the northwest. We were
airborne by 10:00 and I started along the coast at 500 ft. I had a strong direct cross wind as I
made my way around Flinders Bay so I was flying sideways to stay on course till I was on a
south-easterly heading. There was a fair bit of turbulence so I climbed to 3500 ft and headed
direct to Windy Harbour. I think I hit a record for the Xair on this trip. I actually hit 89 kts
ground speed! The coast was spectacular and I reached Windy Harbour in just over 30
minutes. From Windy Harbour I made my way to Cliffy Head before heading inland to find
the airstrip. The Walpole airstrip was listed on my chart but wasn't in the ERSA or my AOPA
airport guidebook. As I approached Walpole the airstrip was where it was listed on the chart. I
flew an extended downwind over the town and landed. The airstrip was deserted and there
was an empty hangar that looked vacated so I pushed the Xair in the hangar. Tim and I
decided to walk to town rather than wait at the airstrip. We figured the drive would take over
three hours. We left a note on the fence and headed down the dirt road. As we got closer to
the main road there was a locked gate blocking access to the airstrip. It would be a long walk
to the Xair if I had to carry 20 liters of fuel. We finally reached the main road and started
walking toward town. We met a woman who was looking at wildflowers so I asked about the
airstrip. She told me it was the Department of Conservation and Land Management's (CALM)
strip and the office was just up the road. I stopped in and met Donna and Greg. I told them I
just landed at their airstrip and was wondering if I could get the motor home there if I needed
to fuel up. "No worries". We chatted for a while and it was time for lunch. Just as we got on
the road, Lenne', Sungie, and Aren pulled up. We were going to get lunch in town but saw a
brochure for the Thurlby Herbal Farm and Tea Rooms. Looks like they served lunch and
Lenne' was tired from the long drive over the windy, hilly roads. She needed a break and the
Herbal Farm was just what was in store. We had lunch there and continued on to the "Tree
Top Walk" in the "Valley of the Giants" in the Walpole-Nornalup National Park. This is a
420-meter long suspended steel walkway that was erected in the Tingle Forest Canopy and
gets as high as 40 meters above the ground.
After our walk among the giants it was time to head off to Peaceful Bay for a night of
listening to the surf.
Day 94 - Friday, October 20 - WEATHERED IN AT WALPOLE - DRIVING TO
ALBANY
It started out as a sunny morning. There was a fresh breeze out of the northwest with some
cirrus clouds overhead. As the morning worn on, the cirrus clouds moved off to sea and the
breeze picked up. We left Peaceful Bay and headed west to Walpole. The clouds started to
thicken as we drove further west and by the time we reached Walpole it was raining heavily.
Not a day to fly anywhere. I can deal with the wind on a clear day, but low clouds, low
visibility in rain, and flying an ultralight, don't mix. I checked in with Greg at the CALM
office and asked if the Xair would be all right in their hangar for another night. "No worries".
We chatted a bit and decided to drive to Albany, find a nice hotel, and return for the Xair
tomorrow. Once settle in at Albany I called John Lewis, Regional Operational Coordinator for
the Australia Ultralight Federation in Western Australia. John was extremely helpful and
arranged for Jerome Pilkington to fly me back to Walpole on Saturday in his RV-6 so I can
fly the Xair to Albany saving Lenne' a three hour round trip drive. John even arranged hangar
space for the Xair in Harold Clasen's hangar.
Day 95 - Saturday, October 21 - WALPOLE TO ALBANY
Jerome and John picked me up from the hotel first thing in morning and we drove to the
airport. There were some showers in the area but the weather was certainly flyable. Jerome
prepped his RV-6, strapped me in, and we were off to Walpole. We climbed below the clouds
and headed west into a 10 kt headwind. What a difference flying at 140 kts! We made it to
Walpole in about 20 minutes, making a pass down the runway before Jerome brought his RV6 smoothly down on to the gravel strip. We were stopped in about 400 meters and I could see
the Xair sitting undisturbed in the hangar. It didn't take long before we were both airborne.
Jerome flew a few miles and landed at his friend's strip just north of Walpole. I climbed to
2500 ft and headed direct to Albany, and with the 10 kt tailwind; I arrived in about 45
minutes. John was there to meet me when I landed. I also met several other pilots who were
interested in our adventure. I fueled the Xair and taxied over to Harold's hangar. We put the
Xair away and it was back to the hotel before meeting at Jerome's house for a traditional
Australian barbeque. We had a great time, great food (thanks to Jerome's tender home grown
beef and Wendy's wonderful salads), and wonderful people (Harold & Uta Clasen, John &
Helen Lewis, John Woollett). Rosie, a cheerful woman Helen cares for, entertained us with a
few dances and her photographs. Thanks Rosie. Jerome has four children the same ages as our
kids, Joseph (10), Luke (13), Brooke (15) and Renee (16). So once they warmed up to one
another, it was hard to leave. Several other people showed up and I showed a video on Bush
Pilots of Alaska. We all had a great time and it was wonderful to meet a great group of
people. Thanks all!
Day 96 - Sunday, October 22 - ALBANY
A day of rest. Lenne' was able to go to her church this morning, the kids went to play with the
Pilkington family kids and I stayed in the hotel room trying to get rid of a cough I had picked
up a few days before.
Daily Log - Week Fifteen
Day 97 - Monday, October 23 - ALBANY TO RAVENSTHORPE with a stop at
JERRAMUNGUP
We checked out of our comfortable hotel and headed direct to Woolworths to pick up
groceries to last us across the Nullarbor Plain. Harold and his lovely wife Uta caught up with
us at the parking lot and wanted to know if they could help us with anything before we left. I
was having trouble finding spark plugs at the auto stores and called a motorcycle shop to ask
if they had what I needed. I knew I was going to have to change them in the middle of the
Nullarbor and fortunately they had what I needed. Harold was kind enough to make the run to
the cycle shop for me. Lenne' finished the grocery shopping and we were off to the airport to
be greeted by John and Helen, Collin Mundy, Harold and Uta and the local reporter and
photographer. Jerome and Wendy even delayed their trip to the farm to see us off. We didn't
want to leave but if we were going to make it to Esperence we had to get started. Aren was to
join me and we took off north, bound under, overcast skies and a slight tailwind. I was
intrigued by the line of jagged peaks of the Stirling Range that was just off our flight path. I
plotted a new waypoint to the summit of the 3674 ft Bluff Knoll and deviated the course
slightly to fly over the range and get some pictures.
I couldn't believe I just spent three days in Albany just 40 miles from these mountains and
didn't climb one. I was even angrier with myself when I flew over the summit and saw a nice
hiking trail and people on the summit. We continued to Jerramungup and when I landed I was
tempted to drive back to do some climbing but I didn't think anyone else would go along with
my idea, maybe another time. After landing, Harry, a local welder who had a house and
welding shop along side of the runway, came out to great us and invite us for a cup of tea. We
walked over to his house just as Lenne' pulled up with the motor home. Aren went to get her
and tell her where we were. We finished our tea and went to meet Lenne'. We chatted for a
while and again it was time to go. Once airborne and flying east my nemesis the headwind
returned to slow me down. We landed at Ravensthorpe and didn't have enough time to
continue on to Esperence. We drove into town for fuel, had dinner, and went back to the
airport for the night, with plans for an early start in the morning. I fell asleep listening to the
east wind blowing around the motor home.
Day 98 - Tuesday, October 24, RAVENSTHORPE TO ESPERENCE
Another flight with a headwind and turbulence. We left by 10 AM with Aren as my co-pilot.
We climbed to 3500 ft and the air was a bit smoother but no change in the wind. I told Aren
how to use the turbulence and lift to our advantage by riding the lift as high as it will take you
and starting a decent to gain airspeed. It was a good way to make the time go by. We landed
at Esperence at noon and called for fuel. Bill Lance showed up and asked if I was Larry. He
said a woman with a foreign accent from Albany called and said I was coming. Must have
been Uta. Bill didn't think I was going to land at Esperence and he told me most ultralights go
to a small field just outside of town. I thought about moving but when Bill offered to let me
put the Xair in a vacant hangar, I stayed put. Lenne' showed up and we went to town. Lenne',
Sungie, and Tim took advantage of the heated indoor pool at Esperence while I went to check
the weather, look at a couple of the caravan parks, and fuel up the motor home. The afternoon
went by rather quickly and it was time to get a place to stay. We found a nice cabin at Bather's
Paradise, went for pizza, and relaxed for the night. John Lewis called and told me about one
of his flight students, John Campbell, who has an ultralight and a caravan park at Fraser
Range, just east of Norseman. Looks like a good destination for tomorrow.
Day 99 - Wednesday, October 25, ESPERENCE
We wanted to get an early start but as usual we poked around town in the morning getting
supplies to last us crossing the Nullarbor and finally headed out to the airport before noon. I
stopped at the meteorology station and talked with Jeff again about the forecast. Not much
change since yesterday's report, the wind was blowing out of the north and was to continue. I
was destined to have a headwind. I pulled the Xair out of the hangar, moved it closer to the
motor home, and went inside for lunch. As I was eating my sandwich, I noticed that the wind
had shifted from the west and increased enough to start moving the Xair. I went outside just in
time to grab hold as a strong gust of wind hit. I thought I could hold it down but when I
noticed the front wheel coming off the ground, I got concerned. Then the left wheel lifted up
and the Xair started flying backwards. I started to call out "Auntie Em, Auntie Em", but my
mouth was full of food. I looked around and noticed the Xair heading for a tree. Then I heard
a scream and expected to see the Wicked Witch of the West riding by on her bicycle, But it
was the Good Witch, Lenne', who ran out to help, with the three Munchkins right behind. It
took all five of us hanging on to hold the Xair on the ground. We were able to push it back to
the hangar with only a small tear on the wing. Then it started to rain for about 10 minutes. I
went over to see if Bill was around and to check the wind reading in his office. I found out
that the wind had picked up to 30 kts with a peak gust of 41 kts. Bill also found the number
for John and Heather Campbell at the Fraser Range. We waited for an hour hoping the wind
would decrease as the trough went past. I decided to call Fraser Range and talked with
Heather. She told me that the wind was gusting and that there were rain showers in the area.
Time to go back to town and regroup. Sungie and Tim wanted to go swimming again so
Lenne' and I took the opportunity to soak in the spa and take a sauna. We camped at the
airport hoping for an early start in the morning.
Day 100 - Thursday, October 26 - ESPERENCE TO FRASER RANGE
The stars were shinning and there was no wind at 4AM so I rolled over and went back to
sleep thinking it would be a good day for flying. I looked out the window again at 5:30 and
low clouds had moved in and a short while later it was raining. I was thinking about another
day in Esperence but by 9:00 the clouds started to break up and the wind was out of the
southwest, A TAILWIND! Aren and I prepared the Xair for flight and we were airborne by
10:00. We had 10 kts on the tail and we were able to go direct to Fraser Range without
stopping at Norseman. We could see the hills from about 30 miles out and we headed directly
for the highest piece of terrain at 1899 ft. I started to climb and I thought I saw the runway
just to the west of the range. As we flew closer I could see the short runway in the valley. I
made a low pass and set up for a landing. A short while later John Campbell came down to
meet us. We talked a bit and I took him up for a flight around the hills. We landed and his
wife Heather and son Beattle showed up. We drove up to their house and had tea. I was
concerned about Lenne' finding us as the Station was 1 km off the main road so we drove
down to the sheep shearing shed and waited there. I didn't want to hold John up from his work
and offered to help with chores. Aren and I helped move some fencing material and a short
while later Sungie's voice came over the Talkabout. There were signs to the Station and they
were able to find us with no problems. We were enjoying the beautiful area so decided to stay
the night. We set the motor home between some Pepper trees and set up camp. Beattle came
down on his motorbike and asked if we wanted to go for a drive around the property. We
accepted and he came back with a bigger vehicle. What a beautiful drive -kangaroos, sheep,
and wild horses roamed the hilly property. From the top of the hills, there were fantastic
views of the surrounding country. We stopped back at the house before returning to the motor
home. Another couple showed up at the caravan park and the Campbell's offered to do a
barbeque that night. We had a great time with great food and wonderful people again.
Day 101 - Friday, October 27 - FRASER RANGE TO MADURA with a stop at
BALLADONIA & CAIGUNA ROADHOUSES
It was a restful night but again clouds moved in by morning. These were dark clouds that
produced Virga, rain that falls from the clouds and doesn't hit the ground, a good sign of
unstable and turbulent air. And because we were in a valley I couldn't tell what was going on
to the east. John came down with weather charts that he pulled off the computer.
There was a cloud layer over the Nullarbor and the high was sitting over the Bight so I was
looking at a headwind. Then it started to rain. We waited another hour and it started to clear time to get moving. We fueled the Xair and had some time for a few touch and go's so we
could get some video footage of take offs and landings. This also let me get over the hills so I
could see if the weather was any better to the east and give Lenne' a sightseeing flight. Tim
hopped in the Xair and we were off to Balladonia Roadhouse for a fuel and lunch stop. A
quick turnaround and Aren joined me for the flight to Caiguna Roadhouse. We landed at
Caiguna and I was able to taxi behind the Roadhouse to the Avgas pump. I was concerned
about the dark clouds to the north and asked about the weather. It had just rained so I was
hoping the clouds I saw moved off. I also called Madura Roadhouse and asked what the
weather was like there. I was told there was an overcast sky but that it hadn't rained in months
so it probably wasn't going to now. It was time to get airborne so I could land before sunset.
We were now heading east so sunsets were getting earlier. We also had a 45-minute time
change. Sungie joined me for the last leg of the day. About 30 minutes from Caiguna we flew
into rain. Here we are crossing the one of the driest regions in Australia and we are in a rain
shower! It is also noted to be hot in the Nullarbor but it was 15 deg C, so I had four layers of
clothes on plus gloves, and I was still cold. We flew through the rain shower and in the
distance I could see the edge of the escarpment. There were several limestone caves listed on
my chart and as I flew over, I could see the large limestone rock hole surrounded by the scrub.
Sungie also saw kangaroos running below us. It was truly spectacular country and not the
endless stretch of nothing that I was told to expect. Madura sits at the edge of the escarpment
with the airstrip sitting on the top and the Roadhouse just off the highway on the hill. We
rendezvoused with Lenne' at Madura just as they were heading down the hill. I told them that
I could see the airstrip on the top of the hill and suggested they turn around. As they were
coming back up the hill I directed them to the airstrip and landed. A good day and it was time
for dinner. Before we retired we were treated to a spectacular sunset against the trees. We all
thought it could have been a scene from Africa.
Day 102 - Saturday, October 28 - MADURA TO NULLARBOR with a stop at
MUNDRABILLA & EUCLA
I've been able to sleep soundly in the Nullarbor and woke up refreshed and finally felt a lot
better. I changed the spark plugs, cleaned the fuel filter, added oil, and fueled up the Xair.
Aren and I hopped in and taxied through the tall, uncut grass on the runway. I looked for a
clear patch and took off heading east along the edge of the escarpment. I had my usual 15 kts
of headwind after takeoff but climbed above the scattered cloud layer hoping to leave the sea
breeze below. It worked. At 3500 ft there was no wind, at 5500 ft we picked up a 10 kt
tailwind and could have made it to Eucla without stopping at Mundrabilla but decided to take
a break anyway. At Mundrabilla, Sungie joined me and we took off climbing to just 3500 ft
rather than 5500 ft to stay a bit warmer. The airstrip at Eucla is one NM south of the town and
before I took off I showed the chart to Lenne' so she could see where the airstrip was in
relation to the town. I landed and taxied near an old hangar that was now a storage area for
crab pots. The wind was gusty and there were no tiedowns. I wasn't planning on staying long
and just waited for Lenne' staying close to the Xair to avoid another incident like we had at
Esperence. We could see the motor home about a mile away heading toward us, and then it
stopped. Lenne' called on the Talkabout and said she wasn't sure if they were on the right
road. Sungie and I got back in the Xair and flew over the motor home. There were several
roads leading to the runways so I had to give directions to the main road, as the one they were
on was only suitable for four wheel drive vehicles. We landed and refueled. It was Tim's turn
to fly so we took off and stayed at 500 ft to see the cliffs just five miles east of the Eucla.
I stayed low long enough to get some pictures then climbed up to 3500 ft to avoid the
headwind. It was just over two hours to Nullarbor and I flew over the cliffs most of the way.
It was a truly amazing sight to be flying over what looked like the edge of the world! We
landed at the Nullarbor Roadhouse and taxied up to the Avgas pump just behind the hotel. I
refueled and tied the Xair down to a pair of old railroad tracks. Lenne' was not far behind and
we pulled into the caravan park which was nothing more than a parking lot with power that
we could plug into. I would have preferred a desolate place to spend the night but it was too
late for another leg so we settled in for the night.
Day 103 - Sunday, October 29 - NULLARBOR TO STREAKY BAY with stops at
NUNDROO & PENONG
We made it across the Nullarbor and now that we are on the eastern edge of the plain, I regret
not having spent more time there to explore. The sea cliffs, caves, vast open space, and
unseen wildlife beg to be explored.
Yet the lack of water, unpredictable weather, and isolation kept us on the move. A light
breeze was blowing and Aren and I took off just after nine. It wasn't long before Aren spotted
a wombat then I saw one running down one of the dozens of burrows we flew over. A few
miles later and we were over the sea cliffs with the deep blue Great Australian Bight below.
If we continued flying due south from our position the next piece of land would be Antarctica.
We continued along the coast flying over the wind carved sand dunes and scrub. We kept an
eye out for camels but none were to be seen. We continued on with a refueling stop at
Nundroo and lunch at Penong. The short legs allowed us to enjoy seeing more of the country
and not sweat the fuel. The last leg was a bit longer and we had to climb to the chilly 5500 ft
again to avoid the sea breeze. We landed at the lonely Streaky Bay airstrip, tied the Xair
down, tolerated the hundreds of flies, and picked spinifex off our feet until Lenne' finally
arrived. We drove back to the quiet little coastal town and checked into a caravan park on the
beach.
Daily Log - Week Sixteen
Day 104 - Monday, October 30 - STREAKY BAY TO PORT LINCOLN with a stop at
ELLISTON
We drove south to see "Murphy's Haystacks" in the morning. The "Haystacks" are ancient
windworn granite inselbergs that are over 1500 million years old. The huge rocks stand as
sentinels on high ground among the wheat fields.
We drove back to the airport and Aren and I prepared the Xair for our flight south. There was
a strong wind blowing out of the east and possibly a tad bit from the north. The question was:
will it be a headwind at altitude? I was hoping to make the flight direct to Lincoln without
having to stop at Elliston, a strip halfway between Streaky Bay and Port Lincoln. Once
airborne and at 1500 ft, the GPS calculated our time to get to Port Lincoln. It went from 2
hours - yes we can make it, to two hours and forty minutes - no we can't. The wind was just
too gusty and almost a direct crosswind. I called Lenne' on the radio and told her to stop at
Elliston. I wasn't sure if the wind was going to help me or hinder me as I flew further south.
We were getting bounced around at 1500 ft so I climbed to 3500 ft and the turbulence eased a
bit. About 30 miles from Elliston we picked up a strong tailwind and were cruising along at
90 kts. We could make it to Port Lincoln with this wind but I just didn't trust that it would last,
so I landed at Elliston for more fuel and lunch. After landing, Lenne' arrived, so we took a
short break before heading south again. This time we climbed to 5500 ft to avoid the
turbulence. The wind was still a direct crosswind but our true airspeed increased so we were
making just over 60 kts with 50 kts indicated. As we descended into the Port Lincoln airport,
the air was calm even though the wind was still blowing about 15 kts out of the northeast. We
landed on runway 05, taxied to parking, and waited in the terminal for Lenne', Sungie, and
Tim. When they arrived we decided to go to a new luxury hotel and check into a threebedroom apartment for two nights. It was a well-deserved treat after our Nullarbor crossing.
Days 105 & 106 - Tuesday & Wednesday, October 31 & November 1 - PORT LINCOLN
& LINCOLN NATIONAL PARK
Our hotel was across the street from the Port Lincoln swimming pool and as guests of the
hotel we were able to use the facility. Lenne', Sungie, Tim and I went swimming and lazed
around the sauna. That afternoon we went to town, did some shopping, and had our
"Flyabout" business cards made at the "Printing Press". We appreciated them for making the
cards on a rush order. Now we have something to hand out to all the people we've been
meeting on our trip. Just wish we had them made up earlier. We also had "City Signs" make
the lettering "From Alaska - Around Australia" to put on the pod of the Xair. We are
expecting to meet more people on the east coast. We went back to the hotel, had dinner, and
Lenne' and I went for a walk around the docks.
It started off as a sunny morning even though the wind was blowing pretty fresh. We checked
out of the hotel and went to town to pick up our business cards. Clouds started to build to the
north and these were dark, gray clouds. By noon it started to rain. It doesn't look like a fly day
so we started to look at alternatives. We went to the Information Center and decided to take a
ride to the Lincoln National Park and explore the area. We drove to a remote camping spot on
the beach and spent the night.
Day 107 - Thursday, November 2 - PORT LINCOLN TO WHYALLA
It was overcast when we woke up but there was no wind. For all the headwinds we have been
experiencing on this trip, I'll take the overcast sky and calm air to the clear sky with gusty,
turbulent wind. We left our quiet little beach and drove to the airport. There were a few
showers in the area but indications were for improving weather. Aren and I prepared the Xair
for the flight hoping we could make it all the way without stopping at Cowell for fuel. We
departed with a slight tailwind and once at altitude, the GPS calculated our flight to be just
over two hours. We called Lenne' on the radio and said she could go all the way to Whyalla
and meet us there. Even though there was little wind, the air was still turbulent so we climbed
to 3500 ft and the air smoothed out. Just north of Cowell, the sky cleared and our headwind
found us. It was a light headwind so it didn't keep us from making it to Whyalla. We landed
and waited for Lenne', Sungie, and Tim. When they arrived we went to Pizza Hut for dinner,
drove around town looking for a movie theater (no movies tonight), and with not much
happening in Whyalla, returned to the airport for the night.
Day 108 - Friday, November 3 - WHYALLA TO GAWLER (ADELAIDE) with a stop at
BALAKLAVA
We had a leisurely morning and left Whyalla under clear skies and a light wind. I called
Adelaide Control before heading off and found out that the Restricted Areas north of Whyalla
and north of Adelaide were inactive. This afforded me some flexibility and rather than flying
all the way to Port Augusta, we climbed to 5500 ft to cross Spencer Gulf just north of
Whyalla then headed direct to Balaklava for fuel. We landed at the fairly large glider airstrip
and taxied up to the empty clubhouse. There was no one around except for Bill Hudson who
just returned from a flight with his motor glider. Bill was most gracious. He invited Aren and
I into the clubhouse for tea and refueled the Xair. Guy Bowley flew in for a visit also and then
Bernard Ecley arrived. We enjoyed a pleasant chat and I called Lenne' and told her to go
direct to Gawler. It was time to leave and we left under sunny skies. It was a short flight to
Gawler and I called a few miles out to see if gliders were in the area. There were two up so
we kept a sharp eye out for them. We landed and were greeted by several members of the
Gawler glider club.
We enjoyed some pleasant company and had to turn down the offer for a beer because I
noticed that the bracket that holds the oil tank in place had broken, probably on the hot air
pocket bump which occurred just before we landed. The shops were closing soon so we
rushed into town to see if we could get something to replace it with. After finding something
that would do the trick, we drove to Adelaide to eat and see the city. After dinner we were
fortunate to stumble on a Christmas festival at the Rundle Mall complete with fireworks. Here
we were in the middle of Adelaide, walking down a, narrow, crowded outdoor shopping area,
listening to Christmas carols, and watching fireworks being shot off the roof of the buildings!
A bit early for a Christmas celebration, for us, but it was a wonderful evening of
entertainment. After the festivities were over we drove back to the Gawler airstrip for the
night.
Days 109 & 110 - Saturday/Sunday, November 4 & 5 - ADELAIDE
Saturday was another leisurely morning spent watching the glider operations unfold at the
Gawler airfield. We drove back to Adelaide intending to go to a market but stumbled on the
Mitsubishi/Adelaide International Horse Trials being held at Adelaide's beautiful East
Parklands. The trials are one of only four 4-star equestrian events in the world listed as being
atop the list of premium riding events in the Southern Hemisphere. And we thought the streets
were closed off because of the market. It was another unexpected event but great
entertainment.
We stayed for a few hours and went on to find the Orange Lanes Market in Norwood arriving
just a few minutes before closing time. Back to town and out to West Beach to find a caravan
park for the night. Sunday morning we went back to the downtown area and before going to
the South Australia Museum I took Tim and Sungie for a paddleboat ride on Torrens Lake
next to the Festival Center. We had a great time at the Museum and enjoyed walking past the
many beautiful old style buildings in Adelaide.
The afternoon rolled on and we stopped for an Italian dinner on Rundle St. then off to see the
movie "Billy Elliot". We drove back to Gawler to sleep so we could get an early start in the
morning.
Daily Log - Week Seventeen
Day 111 - Monday, November 6 - GAWLER TO KINGSTON SE with a stop at
MURRAY BRIDGE & MENINGIE
We were able to update our web page before we left Gawler thanks to the folks at the
Adelaide Soaring Club. And thanks again for letting us spend a couple of nights at the airstrip.
Before leaving we spent some time mapping out a route to Murray Bridge so Lenne' wouldn't
have to drive through Adelaide. We found a good route on winding country roads and we
were off. Sungie was my passenger for the short flight over the Adelaide Hills to Murray
Bridge. We landed at the well-kept airstrip of Murray Bridge and topped off the Xair with
fuel. It almost felt a bit strange not to have any wind but the calm was a welcome change. I
chatted a bit with Gary Pullman and Justin Bruce at the Bruce Hartwig Flying School. We had
lunch when Lenne' arrived and we were off to Kingston SE. That's when the wind picked up. I
could have made it all the way to Kingston if I'd stayed around 3500 ft but I didn't bring an
extra jacket and was getting cold. I called Lenne' and told her to stop at Meningie for a break.
The airstrip was right on the road so she didn't have to detour. I added more fuel, put on some
more warm clothes and just as we were about to leave Bob Mitchell, the local caretaker of the
airstrip, showed up. We enjoyed seeing his old biplane and listening to his wonderful wit and
would have loved to chat with him for hours, but it was time to push on.
Tim came with me for this leg and we took off into the 15 kts of headwind. It was late in the
afternoon so the sun was behind us and highlighted the colors of the Coorong as we flew
southeast toward Kingston. The Coorong is listed as a wetland of international importance.
It is less than three km wide and is an inland sea of shallow lagoons. The Coorong is among
Australia's most important water bird habitats, is home to the world's largest breeding colony
of Australia pelicans and hosts shore birds that migrate from Siberia, China, and Japan. It was
a magnificent flight along the beaches and the Coorong and had to dodge a few flocks of
Ibis's along the way. We landed at Kingston and went to take pictures of "Larry the Lobster",
a large Australian Rock lobster display on the main highway to town.
We went to the beach to have dinner, enjoyed another sunset, watched the stars come out, and
returned back to the airstrip for the night.
Day 112 - Tuesday, November 7 - KINGSTON SE TO WARRNAMBOOL with a stop at
MOUNT GAMBIER
A beautiful sunny morning with only 10 kts of cross wind. Time to get ready to fly but first
we went to town to buy two lobsters for dinner. "Larry the Lobster" had wetted our appetite. It
was a great day for flying and for the first time in a while we weren't bucking 20-30 kts of
headwind along the coast. We lifted off from Kingston and headed south at 1500 ft, passed
the rolling green pastures and then dropped down to 500 ft along the beach. We flew to the
Mount Gambier airport and landed. Lenne', Sungie, and Tim arrived so we had our usual
lunch break. Aren stayed with me for the next leg and we headed off to fly over Blue Lake
just south of Mount Gambier.
Blue Lake is a deep lake in a volcanic crater and changes to turquoise blue in November each
year and fades each autumn (March - May). Back on a southeast heading and again we flew to
the coast. We were making good time with the crosswind and I made the comment to Aren
that it was nice to look out over the ocean without seeing whitecaps. I spoke to soon,
however. Once we reached Port Fairy the wind was blowing out of the southeast and
whitecaps were with us again. It was time to change course and head direct to the
Warrnambool airport, 10 km north of town. The wind there was out of the north! We landed
and waited for our ride to town.
Sungie and Tim had been reading ahead and had found the Warrnambool Adventure Park, a
marvelous playground, with a maze, 2 flying foxes, bridges and forts for climbing, and boats
for paddling in the lake.
So after picking us up at the airstrip we went to the park so they could play. I checked into a
caravan park across the street and we had our wonderful lobster dinner.
Day 113 - Wednesday, November 8 - WEATHERED IN AT WARRNAMBOOL
Too windy to fly so we stayed around Warrnambool and took time trying to see the Fairy
Penguins on Middle Island just across from the Warrnambool harbor. We didn't see any
penguins but it was a spectacular landscape.
The wind was getting stronger and I was worried about leaving the Xair out in the wind for
another night especially since rain was in the forecast. I left Lenne', Sungie, and Tim at the
Warrnambool outdoor pool and Aren and I drove to the airport to see if we could find a more
sheltered tie down. As we drove up to the airport we could see the windsock standing straight
out. Fortunately, Tony Franc at Sharp Aviation, offered to put the Xair in a hangar. He even
put another line on the Xair to keep it from flying away. He said the wind was up to a steady
35 kts. We untied the delicate aircraft in the 30 kt winds and carefully walked it to the hangar.
Once the Xair was secured, we went back to town to pick up the rest of the gang and headed
off to the Tower Hill Reserve. "Tower Hill is a volcanic formation believed to have erupted
about 30,000 years ago. Its formation is known as a nested maar.
During formation, molten lava pushed its way up through the earth's crust and encountered a
layer of water bearing rock. Violent explosions followed creating a shallow crater, which later
filled with water to form a lake. Further eruptions occurred in the center of this crater,
creating islands and cone shaped hills." Years of grazing, cropping, quarrying, and rubbish
dumping depleted the once lush hills and little wildlife remained. A re-vegetation project was
started in the 1950's and now there is abundant habitation for koalas, emus, kangaroos,
echidnas, and possums, as well as many types of birds.
Back to town to pick up some groceries then we checked into a cabin at the local Big 4
Caravan Park so we could watch the news, weather report and presidential election returns in
the U.S.
Day 114 - Thursday, November 9 - WARRNABOOL TO TORQUAY with a stop at
APOLLO BAY
We woke up to a gray overcast sky but there was no wind and the rain had stopped. Time to
continue our journey. We drove out to the airport, took the Xair out of the hangar, fueled and
were airborne at 1130. Aren was with me again and we headed for the coast for our flight over
"The Great Ocean Road" and the "Twelve Apostles". The Apostles are rock stacks in the
ocean that are constantly pounded by waves. As we flew over this truly spectacular shoreline,
the existing seven Apostles, came into view. I sometimes have to wonder if I'm really flying
over this magnificent country or am I just dreaming?
What made this flight even more special is that we had light winds again. We kept the RPM's
around 5000 so we could keep our airspeed as low as we could to make the flight last even
longer, especially since we knew it would take Lenne' a lot longer to drive along the Ocean
Road. Apollo Bay came much too fast and it was time to land. The wind picked up to around
15 kts out of the southeast but it was right down the runway and there was no turbulence. We
met Stuart, a pilot from the 12 Apostles Arial Adventure. We had a cup of tea and he told us
about his home state of Tasmania. We looked at a chart on the wall and saw how close we
were to Tasmania. If I topped off the Xair, I could make it to King Island in just over an hour.
Now, I really want to see this Island State! Unfortunately, we will have to come back another
time, so we can spend a few weeks and really explore the island. Just then, Stuart's boss,
Randy, and owner of Tiger Moth World, landed in his Cherokee Six at the airstrip. They were
busy taking people on over-flights of "The Twelve Apostles". Aren and I waited for Lenne'
for over three hours and by the time they arrived at 4 PM, I thought she would want to stay
put for the night, especially, since the drive to Torquay was worse than the narrow, mountain
road she had already driven. To my surprise she was ready to continue. I put another 20 liters
of fuel in the Xair and Tim jumped in the Xair. Tim was excited since Randy showed us a
brochure on his airstrip at Torquay. The airstrip is home to Tiger Moth World Adventure Park
and Randy said we were more than welcome to visit! Before Randy departed I told him we
would see him tomorrow so I called him on the phone and said we would be arriving tonight.
He said they would be closed by the time we arrived but we were welcome to stay on the
grounds and he left the gate open for us - we were off and Tim was excited. He took the
brochure with him in the Xair and studied the playground area carefully on the flight. Again I
was blessed with light winds. I almost forgot how the Xair flew in calm air. I didn't have to do
anything but point it in the right direction. The 75 HP Rotax 618 hummed along nicely, the
shoreline below was awesome, mountainous rainforest to my left, and I was again dreaming.
How much beauty can one person take in a day!
Torquay came much too quickly and it was time to land. Dark clouds were building to the east
and it looked like heavy rain was on the horizon. We could see the Adventure Park and the
three runways. I flew over the Park area so Tim could get a good look and landed to the south.
Flying in on final approach we could see the giant Tiger Moth play area, the volcano, and
pirate ship maze. I taxied behind the hangar and shut down. I walked out to the gate to see
how far Lenne' would have to drive from the main road and found a note from Randy. He said
make yourselves at home and enjoy. Tim walked around the Park while I secured the Xair.
Lenne', Aren, and Sungie arrived shortly. After making friends with the adventure park's cat,
it's name being of course - Tiger Moth, we had dinner and went to bed.
Day 114 - Friday, November 10 - TORQUAY TO PENFIELD (SUNBURY)
The kids had their morning playing at Tiger Moth Adventure Park but after lunch it was time
to go. Lenne' likes Aren along in the motor home to help navigate through large cities and
neither Sungie nor Tim wanted to fly with me, so I went solo for this short leg. Before leaving
I called Rod Birrell at Airsports Flying School located at Penfield to ask what the weather was
like. He said there were some showers and that it would be better to get to Penfield earlier in
the day rather than later because the weather was predicted to get worse. I took off on runway
36. You guessed it; I had 15 kts of wind right down the runway and I was heading north. Even
thought it was only 50 miles it still took me almost an hour and a half to fly in the 20-25 kts of
headwind at 1500 ft. There were also thundershowers in the area but they widely scattered
and were easy to navigate around. The elevation at Penfield is just around 1200 ft and the
ceiling was getting lower as I headed north. Fortunately, it didn't get any lower than 1000 ft as
I arrived over the field and landed to the north. After landing I met Rod and Tony Curzon
from the flying school. Rod helped me move the Xair to one of the Igloo hangars on the field
but I was only able to get the Xair partially under cover because the Igloo was home to
another Xair and a Storch. We chatted for the rest of the afternoon before Lenne' and the boys
finally arrived. They took almost three hours to drive the short distance. In addition to getting
a little lost twice, Lenne' happened to see a store sign advertising Bendigo wool so she
stopped to purchase some knitting patterns and washable wool yarn. Rod let us set up camp at
the field and gave us a key to the lounge. We had power and even a TV so the kids were
happy to catch up on a few movies. It was getting dinnertime so we went in to town to get
pizza. We also checked the train schedule to Melbourne. Rod and Tony recommended taking
the train to the city to avoid driving the motor home. It was a good recommendation
especially since we'd been told it was tricky to drive in the city in a small vehicle, something
about making right turns from the left lane to avoid the trams. With our stomachs full and the
train schedule in hand we headed back to the airstrip to catch a movie on the telly.
Day 115 - Saturday, November 11 - MELBOURNE
We woke to a rainy morning. Glad I wasn't planning on flying today. We headed into Sunbury
and purchased a family pass for the 11:07 train to Melbourne. It was a comfortable ride and
only took 45 minutes to arrive at the Spencer St. Station. Much better than getting stressed out
driving and trying to park in a crowded city with a 22' motor home. We walked around town
and headed for the new museum. We just missed the showing of "Alaska" at the IMAX
Theater that is connected with the museum.
After our visit to the museum we took the "City Loop", a free tram that runs around the city
center. We headed over to the Exhibit Center where there was a showing of "Big Boy Toys".
We thought it would be fun but we never did make it there. Instead we walked along the river
to St. Kilda and found something to eat before heading back to Sunbury. Aren discovered that
one rock group he likes, "Matchbox 20", was playing in Melbourne that evening and he
wanted to go. There were tickets available but the show would be over after midnight and
there were no trains going back to Sunbury that late. The kids wanted to get a hotel room in
the city close to the concert hall but the logistics were a bit too complicated to work out.
Maybe next time Aren. (Aren's Note: "Yeah, right.") We took the train back to Sunbury and
drove back to Penfield in thick fog and rain.
Day 116 - Sunday, November 12 - SPA COUNTRY
Another rainy and foggy morning. It could clear by afternoon but this stuff looks like it will
be around all day. Time to make other plans. Lenne' picked up a tourist pamphlet on the Spa
Center of Australia just a short distance northwest of Sunbury and we decided to take a drive.
Over 60% of the 110 springs in Victoria are located in Spa Country. Before leaving, Rod
called his mate Ted Francombe at the "Linga Longa" B&B in Hepburn Springs. He worked
out a cottage for us to stay the night and we made plans to head out. And because we were
staying another night I had time to get a permanent fix on the Rotax exhaust pipe. Along the
trip, the pipe had slowly vibrated from a vertical position to almost horizontal. I never really
noticed the slow rotation until I saw the pipe on Ron Neve's Xair. On the previous flight Tim
noticed that the carbon monoxide detector on the dash of the Xair was changing color so
fumes were getting into the cockpit. Fortunately, there is enough airflow in the cockpit that
we never had any side effects. Rod and Tony called their mate Rex Bennett, a welder in
Riddells Creek, to see if he would be available to weld the exhaust pipe into the proper
position. We took the exhaust off the Rotax, rotated it to the correct position using Ron's
Rotax as a guide, and Tony drove me to Rex's house to leave the system for the night. His son
offered to drop it off at Penfield Monday morning. What service - thanks mates! We arrived at
Hepburn Springs, found the B&B, "Linga Longa" and checked in with Ted. Ted showed us
the authentic 1928 Edwardian cottage, Devonia.
We then walked to the Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve Spa Complex to soak in the thermal
spa and heated mineral pool. What luxury, if we can't fly in the fog and rain, we might as well
relax.
Daily Log - Week Eighteen
Day 117 - Monday, November 13 - SUNBURY TO WANGARATTA
We really were lazily relaxed this morning. Must be the charisma of Linga Longa, I just didn't
want to get moving and the weather wasn't the greatest for flying. It was gusty and overcast
but I wanted to get back to the field and hope for improvement in the afternoon. On the ride
back to Penfield, we stopped to sample some mineral water. The boys and I think it is pretty
nasty stuff but Lenne' thinks it is great. The spring is set next to a swift running stream
surrounded by large Eucalyptus trees in the Wombat National Forest. The air and ground
were damp from the recent rains and we were whisked back to our beloved Juneau rain forest.
We also stopped for a short time to see a spectacular waterfall.
By the time we arrived back at Penfield the weather was improving and we prepared for our
flight to Wangaratta. Tony was there and told us we just missed a reporter from the local
newspaper. He gave me her number and I called to do an interview over the phone. They will
use a picture that Rod took when I landed. Also the exhaust that I left with Rex Bennett was
on the porch and the pipe welded into position. It took a few minutes to install, then we
refueled, and had lunch. Aren and I were airborne late in the afternoon.
Lenne', Sungie, and Tim were off navigating a short distance on the country roads before
finding the freeway north. We arrived just as the Wanga Aero club members started to gather
for their committee meeting so we had a bit of company for a while. They even let me put the
Xair in the hangar for the night. Thanks mates, sorry I didn't get all your names. The evening
sky was heavy with clouds and the setting sun set them aglow - another beautiful evening in
Oz. Unfortunately, the forecast for the next few day was for rain.
Day 118 - Tuesday, November 14 - WANGARATTA TO CORRYONG
(87 NM FOR 2.0 hours flown)
A beautiful clear morning with a light breeze out of the south. I called the local fueler at
Corryong and asked about the weather. I was told it was the best day in weeks; there were no
clouds and not a puff of wind. Time to move. Aren joined me again and we were off just after
10 AM. We took off on runway 18 and turned east on course to Corryong. The lush green
rolling pastures gave way to high, steeper terrain and dense forest.
We climbed up to 3500 ft and I called Albury tower to ask for clearance through the control
zone. I wanted to fly north of the course to stay closer to the road. The tower approved my
request and I continued to Corryong. I could see clouds developing to the east and watched
the tops of the higher country start to be engulfed in white puffy clouds. I still had an hour to
fly the last 45 miles with the southeast wind and turbulence slowing me down. I climbed to
4500 ft just below the scattered layer and the turbulence eased a bit. At that altitude I could
see the valley in which Corryong is located and as I cleared the last of the ridges, I started a
decent to 2000 ft. The air was much calmer in the valley as we flew over the airstrip. The
wind was only 5 - 10 kts and we lined up for a landing on runway 06. We landed, shut down,
found tiedowns, secured the Xair and walked the short distance to town. Time to find
information on the area. We went to the information office and talked with Katherine Ross.
Albert showed up and we were able to get some good information about the local area. As we
waited for the rest of the team to arrive, a brief rain shower hit us but cleared in a few
minutes. When Lenne' arrived we went back to the Xair to add fuel and put the tarps over the
engine and cabin area to keep the rain out.
Albert came down to see the Xair and ensure we were settling in. We found a caravan park
that had a trampoline, a friendly dog, and a TV room for the kids. Time to catch up on the
several weeks' worth of laundry.
Day 119 - Wednesday, November 15 - A DRIVE FROM CORRYONG TO JINDABYNE
with a stop at THREDBO VILLAGE
It started to rain over night and cleared by morning but the clouds were covering the tops of
the Kosciuszko Range. We decided it was a good day to leave the Xair safety tied downed
and drive up to see the mountain range.
We left the peaceful valley and started the drive up the steep, windy road lined with thick
growths of gum trees. We stopped for a tour of the Murray 1 Hydro Electric Power Station for
a fascinating glimpse of the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme. "Water in the Snowy
Scheme travels through a complex integrated infrastructure which includes sixteen major
dams, seven power stations (two underground), a large pump station, 145 kilometers of
interconnected tunnels, and 80 kilometers of aqueducts." It's a bit larger than Juneau's Port
Snetjtisham hydroelectric power station yet it provides power for all of eastern Australia and
water for all parts of Australia.
We drove on and stopped for lunch at the Geehi picnic area and watched dozens of kangaroo's
grazing and lying on the small airstrip. It was a restful place and worth spending more time
but the afternoon was moving along and we had to move along also.
We continued the drive up to the 1580-meter level of Dead Horse Gap so named from the
numerous deaths of "brumbies" (wild horses) who had become trapped and perished in
unexpected snowfalls. The gap is the divide between the Murray and Snowy River drainages.
We followed the road and continued into Thredbo Village. The mountaintops were in clouds
when we arrived and the forecast did not call for improvement until the weekend. It was
pretty gray and then it started to rain. Sungie and Tim wanted to play in the community
recreation center and try the rock wall traverse. We decided to wait a day or two until the
weather improved before trying to walk to the "Top of Australia". It was late and I wanted to
continue on to Jindabyne so we could get out of the rain and find a place to stay. The kids
played for a little over an hour. It was still raining but now they were finally ready to drive the
34 KM to Jindabyne. We drove down the mountain in heavy rain that stopped when we
reached the lower levels. We found a caravan park and checked into an ensuite cabin for the
night. We're still not sure how long we should wait for a weather break to climb or fly over
Kosciuszko.
Day 120 - Thursday, November 16 - MT. KOSCIUSZKO
(18 km hike, 228 meter elevation gain)
We made plans to stay another night at Jindabyne to wait out the weather. The morning
started out promising - it wasn't raining, at least not yet. I wanted to drive up to Charlotte's
Pass so we could get an idea of what the snow conditions were like on the trail to the summit
of Mt. Kosciuszko. Before heading up the road, we went to town for some errands and drove
back to the caravan park to drop off Sungie, who had an ear infection and Tim, who had an
infected toe. Obviously they weren't interested in hiking, and they'd found fun things to do at
the caravan park. It was only a 38 km drive to the Charlotte's Pass on a good road and by the
time we arrived at the 2000 meter Pass, there were a few showers but there were also breaks
in the overcast and a warm sun shown through. There was still snow at the end of the road so
we parked a short distance away and started walking to where the trail began. The summit
hike is an 18 km return but it looked like an easy go. We went back to the motor home to fill
our packs with extra clothes, food, and water and started walking again. The walk to the
summit of Mt. Kosciuszko from Charlotte's Pass follows an old road and passes through snow
gums, heath and herbfields.
We could hear hundreds of Crina frogs croaking in the bogs along the trail. It was a very easy
walk and there were busloads of school kids returning as we were walking up. Aren, Lenne'
and I started walking together intent on making the summit but because it was late in the
afternoon and there were still dark rain clouds around, Aren and I started walking a bit faster
leaving Lenne' to walk at a more leisurely pace. We cheated and took the GPS with us to
check our hiking speed. We were walking at a steady 3.5 kts so we estimated that we could
make the summit in less than two hours even with a few breaks. We crossed the Snowy River
and just past a snowfield, we could see Seaman's Hut through the fog.
The Hut was built as an emergency shelter after two men, Lauri Seaman and Evan Hayes
perished from hypothermia on their attempt at skiing back from the summit in 1928. Looking
at the map we could see the summit was less than four km past the hut. We continued on and
about two kilometers from the summit, it started to hail heavily, followed by some very heavy
rain. We were in the clouds now and couldn't see much but we pushed on past more
snowfields to the summit. We were soaking wet but it wasn't very cold and the wind wasn't
blowing, at least not yet. The road was built with an easy grade spiraling to the summit. As
we reached the west side the wind started to blow. It was only about 10 kts but we were wet
and uncomfortable - a hike Juneau style! We summited the 2228 meter mountain just before 5
PM, took a few pictures trying to keep the cameras dry in the driving rain, and started down.
It wasn't long after we left the summit before the rain stopped. The sun even started to
penetrate the thick cloud layer. We were on a snowfield and I had to put on my sunglasses
because my eyes started to burn from the glare off the snow. We thought it would clear and
made a brief attempt to go back to the summit for better pictures. But when we heard thunder
in the distance, we started to high tail it back to Seaman's Hut. Just before reaching the Hut, it
started hailing again and we made a dash to get out of the weather. We took a short break, ate
a bit of food, added another layer of clothes, and started back down the trail. As we were
walking the last six kilometers, the clouds started to break again and we could see the distant
ridges and alpine meadows.
We slowed our walking speed to take pictures and enjoy the scenery unfolding before us. We
arrived back at the parking lot around 6:45 to find Lenne' waiting with hot tea and food. She
turned around just before the hut and got very wet also. Even though the hike is relatively
easy and the road is good enough to drive a two-wheel drive vehicle almost to the summit, it
was still an accomplishment for us to reach the highest peak in Australia! "The air is
exhilarating as champagne...On the summit itself one can see as far as the eye can reach,
ranges of mountains succedary each other until they fad away in a distant horizon, and
presenting the appearance of a billowy ocean...It gives one a broader view of men and
things..." Joseph Maiden, NSW Government Botanist (1898).
Day 121 - Friday, November 17 - HORSE BACK RIDING IN THE SNOWY
MOUNTAINS
"He hails from Snowy River, up by Kosciuszko's side, where the hills are twice as steep and
twice as rough..." Sometimes the best things happen when they aren't planned. Our plan for
the day was to go to Thredbo and hope the weather allowed us to ride the chair lift partway up
Mt. Kosciuszko. If the weather was fine we could all attempt the walk to the summit. Just
outside of Jindabyne the signs for horse back riding lured the kids. I pulled into the driveway
of Pender Lea Trail Riding and enquired about a ride. Laura, Janice, and Jamie were busy
getting horses ready for a ride over the Wollenbiddy range to Bullara. They said it was a twohour ride and we could go if we wanted to get a real working ride. They had to get a dozen
horses over the range for a holiday horseback riding boarding camp for kids and we could ride
five of them. How could we resist a working ride in the Snowy Mountains after watching the
"Man from Snowy River"! We were told to come back by noon and they would be ready to
go. We drove back to Jindabyne to kill time and returned as the horses were being saddled.
Our horses were assigned - Lenne' was on Fire Weed, Aren was on Scrags, Sungie was on
Pigmy, Tim was on Buster, and I had Piglet "a nice little mare". Joy and Jamie, our guides,
each led a horse. Dawn from Canada, a recent hire who was on a work visa, also led a horse.
Candy was another recent hire and was along for training. By 12:30 we were on the trail and
it wasn't long before we started climbing the steep slopes of the Snowy Mountains.
We walked through gum tree forest, jumped a creek, cantered up slopes, galloped across flat
grass lands, spotted "brumbies" and kangaroos and enjoyed a magnificent view of Jindabyne
Lake on one of the ridges.
By the time we started down, we were aware that we were definitely off the main tourist trail
and the words from the poem by A.B. "Banjo" Paterson about Jack Riley's famous ride was
ringing in my head: "...When they reached the mountain summit, even Clancy took a pull, it
well might make the boldest hold their breath; the wild hop scrub grew thickly, and the
hidden ground was full of wombat holes, and any slip was death...through the stringy barks
and saplings, on the rough and broken ground, down the hillside as at a racing pace he went,
And he never drew the bridle till he landed safe and sound at the bottom of that terrible
decent..." The trip lasted a bit over three hours and by the time we reached Bullara we all had
sore bums. It had to be the best horse ride any one of us ever had. Thanks Pender Lea!
Day 122 - Saturday, November 18 - THE DRIVE BACK FROM JINDABYNE TO
CORRYONG with another stop at THREDBO and another climb to MT.
KOSCIUSZKO
Another day of rain and another climb to Mt. Kosciuszko only this time we took the chair lift
from Thredbo and Lenne' made the summit.
The day looked like the previous days - cloudy with cumulus clouds building and rain on the
distant ridges. We though we would have more time before it started to rain so Lenne',
Sungie, Tim, and I took off on the six kilometer walk from the top of the chair to walk a short
distance to the snow. That is as far as Tim and Sungie wanted to go but it wasn't raining yet so
Lenne' and I kept going for the summit. Halfway into the walk the rain started and it kept
coming down. We made the summit but were terribly wet so we started down arriving back at
the motor home with soaking wet jeans and running shoes. At least this time we weren't in a
white out and we could see more of the beautiful alpine zone. We came to Australia prepared
for the sunny beaches and the Outback but not for cold driving rain in the alpine. Before we
started off for the summit, we purchased a package ticket that included rides on the Thredbo
bobsled. The bobsled is a small plastic cart with a hand brake. It runs on a metal track and
uses a cable similar to a roller coaster to get the cart to the top. The track is 700 meters long,
includes about ten hairpin turns, and can reach speeds of 50 km an hour.
The boys took three runs each and were going to go back for a few more runs but the rain shut
the track down. It was another fun day in the Snowy Mountains. We drove back on the
winding mountain road to Corryong and found the Xair safe and secure at the airstrip. We
checked back into the caravan park and had the place to ourselves. We spent a relaxing
evening in the lounge watching the movie "Flubber" on TV.
Day 123 - Sunday, November 19 - CORRYONG TO TUMUT
We started the day in Corryong by visiting the grave site of Jack Riley, the man considered by
many as the most likely contender for the title The Man From Snowy River.
As we reached the cemetery, a car drove up and a man walked over to ask if I was Larry. I
said yes and he said he saw the Xair at the field, wrote down our web site address and started
reading. We drove by Peter's house as we were going to the cemetery and he recognized the
motor home from the pictures on the web site so he followed us. He has a Trike in the hangar
but was interested in the Xair and our journey so we chatted for a while. Before driving down
to the airstrip we stopped off at the Man From Snowy River Museum. We enjoyed seeing the
museum and wished we had more time to spend in Corryong but the cumulus clouds were
building over the mountains and we didn't want to get caught in a thunderstorm. Just before
departure, Peter came by the airstrip to see us off. Because there was a scattered layer of
clouds at the 5000 ft level, Aren and I stayed in the valleys. Even though it was a short flight,
the flight over the communities of Tooma, Tumbarumba, and Batlow, and the Blowering
Reservoir and Dam was wonderful.
Aren and I waited at the Tumut Aero Club and were quite welcomed. We talked a bit to Peter
Wilson, Graham Smith and Pat as we waited for the rest of the family to arrive. The plan was
to get as far as Canberra but the heat and humidity were increasing and there were dark clouds
to the southeast of Tumut. When the family did arrive, Tim let us know that he didn't want to
drive anymore so we decided to stay put. Also, what I had flown in a little over an hour, had
taken Lenne' about three hours of driving on a winding mountain road and she was looking at
another three hours of driving to reach the airstrip just outside of Canberra. We drove to town
and checked into a caravan park. Good decision - as we were settling in, the dark clouds
around the mountains were soon overhead and a heavy rain let lose. We drove back to the
airport to put a tarp around the Xair and when we arrived, the club members had already put
the Xair in a hangar. Thanks mates! With the Xair safe and secure for the night we went back
to have dinner and retire for the night hoping for fine weather tomorrow.
Daily Log - Week Nineteen
Day 124 - Monday, November 20 - TUMUT TO GUNDAROO (BOWYLIE)
We arrived at the Tumut airport at 9 AM hoping to find Peter there to open the hangar door so
we could get the Xair out and start our day but there was no one in the club when we arrived.
I waited a while and decided to drive to his house down the road to see if I could get the
hangar open. Peter was home and came down to open the door for us. We pulled the Xair out
and said our goodbyes. Tim joined me for this leg and we took off heading north to Gundagai
to avoid flying over the mountains, while Lenne' started driving on the road to Gundagai (you
dinki-di Aussie's should be humming a tune right now). Just five miles from Gundagai, I
started my turn east. (I had to get that in somewhere and if that tune stays with you for the rest
of the day, sorry).
I started my second leg to Yass but was able to fly a bit south of track when the terrain below
me allowed. I arrived at Gundaroo and landed at Dick Smith's airstrip, Bowylie. Paul
Middleton had arranged our stay there with Ben Haseler, the farm manager of the place. Quite
a place! I felt privileged to land the Xair there. Paul and Rod from the AUF showed up shortly
after I landed and located Ben. We put the Xair in the rather large hangar next to Dick's
Cessna Caravan and Bell Jet Ranger.
Lenne', Aren, and Sungie arrived an hour or so later and we headed off to find a hotel for the
night. Paul came out to drive me to his house so I could use his car for our stay rather than
trying to drive the motor home around the city. That evening we went for dinner with Rod
Hewitt-Cook and his wife Bett, Dean Thompkins and his wife Louise, Andrew Geraghty, the
editor for the AUF magazine and Paul Middleton. It was a very enjoyable evening and a
pleasure to meet everyone. Thanks mates!
Day 125 - Tuesday, November 21 - BOWLYIE TO GOULBURN with a day at
CANBERRA
It was a short hop but we wanted to put some distance behind us. The rains have been slowing
us down and we wanted to make some progress however small. We checked out of our hotel
room and drove Paul's car back to the AUF office to meet the rest of the staff. We stayed a
while and said our goodbyes. Then it was off to the Natural Science & Technology Center, an
interactive science museum. The boys loved it and we all enjoyed the half hour demonstration
on how they mix sound for movies. It was hard to get the boys to leave but we wanted to see
more of the city. By the time we left the museum, we only had time to take some pictures of
the beautiful buildings.
We drove back to Bowlyie early evening and I was airborne. I wanted to get to Goulburn
before sunset. Even thought it was less than 30 miles and I allowed myself an hour for the
flight, the 20+ kts of headwind slowed me down and I landed just before sunset. Lenne' and
the boys showed up well after dark so we just stayed put at the airstrip for the night.
Day 126 - Wednesday, November 22 - GOULBURN TO ST. MARY'S (TOTTENHAM)
with a stop at MITTAGONG and THE OAKS
(116 NM for 2.6 hours flown) After the fog burned off, it turned out to be a pleasant morning
over Goulburn but there were low clouds to the northeast. I had been told Mittagong holds the
low clouds in longer than the surrounding area, but if I could see a mountain that looked like a
pyramid, I could get in to Mittagong. I started to call phone numbers of people in Mittagong
from my old AOPA book to check on the conditions but only got through to a few people who
were no longer associated with the flying club. I asked about the weather anyway and was
told it was fine. Tony, the local manager of the Goulburn Field, stopped working on
rebuilding the new flying club spaces so I could get some AVGAS. I told him about our
adventure and he said that if we were staying around he could call the local paper and see if
they would do a story on our trip. I wasn't sure if I wanted to wait but when I saw Dean
Thompkins talking to Lenne', I told Aren to have Tony call the paper and tell them we would
stay till noon. If they wanted to come out we would be around. Dean showed us his Tiger
Moth and he showed me the work he was planning on doing that day. We chatted a while and
looked at the variety of different planes and ultralights in the hangar.
We stalled till noon and when the reporter didn't show up, Tony said they must be busy and
we decided to go to Mittagong. Aren joined me for this leg and once airborne, we could see
the pyramid mountain so we knew we could get to our destination. It was a fantastic flight and
we were able to get close to the steep gorges of the Kangaroo and Shoalhaven Rivers.
There were plenty of paddocks around the edges of the gorges so I felt pretty comfortable
getting close enough to get some pictures. We also flew over the Fitzroy Reservoir Falls
before turning back to Mittagong. We stayed in Mittagong for a while and chatted with a local
bloke about flying. Lenne' arrived and we tried to decide about our next leg. There were
several options and we wanted to get as close to Sydney as possible. Paul Middleton gave me
the phone number of Helen Kennett who owns the "Tottenham" airstrip near St. Marys. We
called Helen and asked if it would be all right to land and stay at her airstip. She said sure so
we headed off to St. Marys. I knew Lenne' would take about two hours to drive there so to kill
time Tim and I landed at "The Oaks" and chatted a while with Jeff, John, Mike, and Wayne
from the Sydney Ultralight Club before heading off to St. Marys. When we arrived, Lenne',
Aren, and Sungie were waiting. We talked to Helen briefly and headed down to the airstrip to
secure the Xair. It got late fast so we stayed put for the night and began planning our trip to
Sydney the next day.
Day 127 - Thursday, November 23 - SYDNEY
A beautiful morning! Evan Davies drove down to the airstrip and greeted us. He offered to
put the Xair in the hangar so we moved his Pietenpol to make room and the Xair fit in nicely.
We talked for a while and he gave us some ideas about how to get around Sydney. We
decided to drive to the zoo because they had a parking lot for the motor home and then we
could take the ferry across to the city. We finally got going around 9:30 but the traffic in the
city was still pretty heavy. It took almost two hours to get to the zoo from St Marys.
We had a great time exploring the zoo, riding the ferry in Sydney Harbor, walking up to the
Harbor Bridge lookout, and walking around the Sydney Opera House. Because it was
Thursday late shopping night, we had time to shop before heading back on the ferry and the
bus to the motor home. We left by 7PM and the traffic going back was still heavy. It took
another two hours to get back to St. Marys and we were all pretty tired from the day.
Day 128 - Friday, November 24 - ST MARYS TO WILLIAMTOWN with a stop at
WARNERVALE
We were just finishing breakfast when Helen came down to the airstrip on her four wheeler to
say good morning and see how we were doing. She said she had to move the horses into a
different pasture and Sungie was up and ready to help with Tim not far behind. After she
finished with the horses, we spent a wonderful morning over a cup of tea and homemade
banana cake before heading into St Marys for groceries. Now the challenge of getting out of
the Sydney area was about to begin. Lenne' talked with Helen and gratefully received her
written directions to beat the congestion while heading north out of the suburbs. Aren, and
Sungie studied the maps. I took Tim and had to be diligent of all the air traffic heading in and
out of the busy Sydney airspace. What complicated matters was that the ceiling had dropped
to around 2000 feet so there was less room in the sky for all those planes to be flying. Also
the terrain between St Marys heading northeast toward the coast was mostly "tiger country".
Before departing I called Terry Linsell, a physician who lives in Soldiers Point and had been
following our trip since we began. Terry wanted to meet with us if our time allowed. I told
him that we were heading north and I wasn't sure what airstrip would be closest to his home.
We talked over a few options and he offered to call his friend Kerri Schiemir, one of the flight
instructors at the Williamtown RAAF Flying Club. If the Flying Club would host us, we
could land and park the Xair at the RAAF Base. Kerrie made a few calls, got authorization for
us to land after 5 PM, and we were airborne by 3:30. I started heading east, picking my way
over the paddocks and trying to avoid as many of the populated areas as I could. I wanted to
pick up the VFR lane between the restricted area to my west and Sydney airspace to the south
and east but with a 25 kt east south east wind I was only making about 40 kts ground speed
heading due east. I was listening to Sydney radar working with a pilot who was stuck above
the overcast sky to the southwest. The ceiling was dropping to the west but I could see a blue
sky to the east along the coast. As I made my way toward the VFR lane, there were several
planes that called over Brooklyn Bridge and entered the corridor from the north. I heard
Sydney Radar telling them that there was a contact heading northeast at 1600 ft. I knew they
were referring to me so I called Sydney Radar and told them I was in the area making my way
northeast. With no transponder, there was not much else I could do but keep a good look out
for aircraft, try to avoid as much of the "tiger country" now below me, and hope the ceiling
was getting higher to the northeast. I made it over Gosford and could see the sun shinning on
the beaches near Aeropelican but there were low dark clouds to the northwest. I decided to
drop in at Warnervale to call Terry for another weather check at Williamtown. The sun was
shinning when I called earlier and he confirmed that there was indeed blue sky over Point
Stephens but he could see the dark clouds to the southwest. I continued on up the coast in fine
weather and landed at "Willy. I refueled at the civilian side of the airfield before taxiing over
to the RAAF base. I taxied over and shut down at the Airmovement Hangar when I saw a
security vehicle heading over my way. Best to meet them than have them chasing me. I shut
down and talked with Jamie. He wasn't aware of my arrival but we made some calls and he
was told that the flying club would host me. I followed his truck in the Xair and parked near
the flying club for the night. He arranged a pass for the motor home and when Lenne' arrived
we drove back to the Xair to put the tarps over it in case of rain. I called Terry earlier and he
drove out to meet us. We followed him back to Soldiers Pt where he had arranged a place for
us in a caravan park not far from his home. We checked in and walked over to his place for a
lovely dinner with his wife Janice and daughter Jessica. We had another wonderful evening
with great people. Thank you. We are all having a hard time believing that this trip around
Australia is about to end soon.
Day 129 - Saturday, November 25 - PORT STEPHENS/NELSON
BAY/SALAMANDER/SOLDIERS POINT
We spent the day lazing around the scenic Port Stephens area. Lenne' and I left the kids to
play at Toboggan Hill Park so we were able to get a break from the kids for a few hours. But
the afternoon, was interrupted by a flat tire on the motor home. We fixed that problem and
went to a beach for a little play time and dinner. We were planning to see "The Dish" at the
local theater but it was playing at 6:15 and it was too nice an evening to spend in a movie
theater. We also started talking to a woman on the beach because she heard our Yankee
accents and wanted to know where we were from. Once we said Alaska, we launched into a
long conversation. Later we drove back to Nelson Bay to try to catch another movie, but we
drove right into a Christmas parade. So much for the movie, might as well mix with the crowd
and enjoy the Christmas celebration.
Day 130 - Sunday, November 26 - WILLIAMTOWN TO OLD BAR
The weather is getting better. We awoke to a beautiful sunny day, checked out of the caravan
park and drove over to Dr. Terry Linsell's house to say our goodbyes. Their son, Daniel, was
there and we spent the morning chatting with his family enjoying their company.
Unfortunately it was time to move on.
The boys wanted to have a go at the go-carts before we left the area so before heading back to
the airport we let them have one ride. With that out of their system we made it back to the
RAAF Base. Terry came along and he and I took the Xair for a short flight around the area. I
noticed the sea breeze had picked up out of the northeast but what else was new. Tim joined
me and we started mid afternoon. It was a short flight, but with the sea breeze, it was going to
be a bit longer. I started at 1500 ft and had 25 kts of headwind. I climbed to 3500 ft and my
groundspeed went from 35 kts to 60 kts. I stayed at that altitude until I was over Old Bar.
Even from that altitude I could tell I was going to have a pretty strong crosswind for landing,
but I also saw the caravan park right next to the runway and the beach a short walking
distance away. I descended to pattern altitude and made my approach with a right crosswind
component. The first third of the runway was a bit bumpy but it smoothed out the last two
thirds. I didn't commit to a landing, and knowing I could put the Xair down on the last third of
the runway, I went around for another try. The second approach was still a bit lumpy but I
managed to make a smooth landing on the grass airstrip. I taxied over to the tie down area and
shut down. It was pretty breezy and I didn't want to leave the Xair in the open so I taxied to a
place behind the trees to get out of the wind. After tying the Xair down, Tim and I walked
over to the caravan park across the street and checked into a cabin. Lenne', Aren, and Sungie
arrived shortly after and we set up for the night, listening to the surf and watching the
lightning flash to the south.
Daily Log - Week Twenty
Day 131 - Monday, November 27 - OLD BAR
The wind died down over the evening and I walked to the beach for an early morning swim in
the surf. I went back for breakfast and took Tim back to the beach for another swim. Lenne'
started to clean up the motor home and pack away stuff to ship home. Meanwhile the blokes
walked to town for haircuts. We walked back to the caravan park and I noticed the wind was
still light. Time to go for a flight to Tyree and refuel. Aren and I took off in a little crosswind,
for short-field landings at Old Bar. Then we flew up to Tyree for a few more touch and go's
before shutting down for fuel. We met Cecil and Margaret from the Tyree Aero club and
chatted for a while then it was back to Old Bar. The wind was still light so after dropping
Aren off I took Lenne' for a short flight up and down the beach. I landed and secured the Xair
for the night. It was time for another swim, dinner, and a relaxing evening listening to the
surf.
Day 132 - Tuesday, November 28 - OLD BAR TO NAMBUCCA HEADS
Sunshine, warm weather, fantastic beaches, outstanding flying conditions - the other day Dr.
Linsell asked if we would do this trip again and Lenne' and I both said YES! And today was
one of those days where we kept wishing this trip would never end. Before the flight, Tim and
I went swimming and body surfing in the temperate waters of the south pacific. We could
have stayed another week but our time was getting short and it was time to move along. Aren
jumped in the Xair. Flying up this coast today was a like a wonderful dream. There was very
little wind so we stayed at 500 ft along the coast. Jagged headlands and beachfront
communities interrupted the miles of yellow sandy beaches that were being washed by the
gentle surf.
The distant mountains covered in thick rain forest faded in the distant western horizon.
Crowdy Head, Port Macquarie, Point Plomer, Hat Head, and South West Rocks all drifted
below us, as if we were watching the earth move under us and we were still. Seems like the
times we wished the flight would go on and on, is when we have a bit of a tailwind
component. We reached our destination of Nambucca Heads much too fast. We found our
small airstrip along the river and extended our downwind leg to fly over the town, check out
the beaches, and find a good caravan park. The day before, I called John Monckton, owner of
the airstrip, and asked if I could land at his place. He said yes and I asked about a landing fee.
He only charged me five dollars because I was in an ultralight. I made the approach and Aren
was concerned about the cattle grazing along side the runway. I was more concerned about
the birds that were near the cattle and decided to fly when I was in the flare. We escaped a
collision, landed, and taxied to the end of the grass runway. John came over to meet us and
invited us in for tea. We met his wife Maureen and stayed for a few minutes. John and
Maureen have both received medals in swimming in the Olympic Games. When Lenne',
Sungie, and Tim arrived, Aren and I jumped in and I started backing out of the driveway. I
rolled a few meters and heard a pop, followed by the transmission going into neutral. Seems
the "Economy-Power" linkage had popped into neutral only I didn't know what happened at
the time. I called NRMA for roadside assistance and within the hour we were underway
again. I'm thankful all this is happening at the end of the journey and not in the middle of the
Outback or in a traffic jam in Sydney. We drove to a caravan park near a beach and had time
for swimming and walking along one the many jagged rocky headlands before dinner and the
movie "The Dish".
Day 133 - Wednesday, November 29 - NAMBUCCA HEADS TO SOUTH GRAFTON
We woke to a warm and muggy morning, checked out of the caravan park and headed for the
beach for some body surfing. What a way to start the day. By noon it was time to fly the next
leg. Trevor Heinz from Grafton had been following our trip since we met at Bowen Beach
and he invited us to his flying club at South Grafton for a barbeque and to stay the night. How
could we resist? We left the sunny beach and drove over the hill to the airstrip. I felt a sinking
feeling when I saw the tremendous thundercloud to the south. The Xair was exposed and I
wanted to get it into a hangar before this thing hit. It still looked a few hours away but I wasn't
going to waste time. We drove to the airstrip and found that John had put an electric fence
around the Xair to keep the cattle away. Lenne', Sungie, and Tim talked with John and
Maureen while Aren and I prepared the Xair. Tim wanted to fly this leg and we were airborne
by 1:30. It was another beautiful flight up the beach at 500 ft. The wind was out of the
northeast at 10 kts but for once I didn't mind the headwind. I called Coffs Harbor Tower
before I departed and asked if I could transit their zone along the coast. The controller
approved my request so I stayed along the coast before heading northwest to South Grafton.
We landed at the well-maintained airstrip and Trevor met us. The clubhouse was just
repainted and refurbished after a fire about six month's ago. We had a great barbeque and
evening socializing. Thanks everyone!
Day 134 - Thursday, November 30 - SOUTH GRAFTON TO TYAGARAH
Another wonderful day of sunshine but it was getting hot and thundershowers were predicted
in the afternoon. Also, my flight to Tyagarah was to take me over the Evans Head Bombing
Range so I called Brisbane Control to find out if the Restricted Area was going to be active.
When I called the 1800 flight service number I had been using the entire trip, I was introduced
to the new "user pay" flight service and an automated voice asked for a card number or
directed me stay on the line for assistance. I stayed on and a briefer came on the phone. When
I told them I was finishing up the "Around Australia in an Ultralight" trip I was directed to a
briefer who was more than willing to assist and told me the area would be active at 13:15
local time. It was hard to leave all the wonderful people we met but if I stayed much longer I
could be delayed another day. Tim was my passenger and we were airborne in time to get
through the Restricted Area. I had to climb to 3500 ft for favorable wind and when I was over
Ballina I descended to 500 ft along the beach. The 20 kts of northeast wind slowed me to just
below 40 kts of groundspeed but I didn't care - I wanted to savor this leg. I reached Cape
Byron and orbited over the lighthouse. I had been here before only in a Drifter four months
ago when I was getting my certification for ultralights in Australia.
Tyagarah was just a few miles away and now I was going to land the Xair there. I called
Graeme Johns before I left South Grafton and told him I would be arriving that afternoon. He
told me it was blowing 15-20 out of the northeast so I was prepared for the landing. I stayed at
500 ft till abeam the airstrip and climbed to my downwind leg on to runway 05. It was still
hard to believe I was bringing the Xair in for a landing at the airstrip where I first started
flying in Oz but here I was. I landed in the turbulence and taxied up to SkyLimit Aviation.
Graeme came out to meet us. It was a good feeling to be there. Graeme let me put the Xair in
a hangar for the night. Lenne', Aren, and Sungie arrived and Tim wanted to go to the beach.
We drove to Byron Bay and went swimming at Tallow Beach in the lee of Cape Bryon trying
to avoid the wind. We enjoyed a swim in the cool water and drove back to the town for a
pizza dinner. We also wanted to spend time at an internet café to check messages and we
found Byron Bay has the lowest prices for internet use. We drove back to Tyagarah and
camped at the airstrip.
Day 135 - Friday, December 1 - TYAGARAH & BYRON BAY AGAIN
We spent the morning at Tyagarah Beach enjoying the sun, the sand, and the surf created by
the strong northeast wind that had been blowing for the last two days. The air was warm and
the water very refreshing. We kept thinking about the snow in Juneau and how fortunate we
are to be here. After a few hours in the sun, Aren got toasted in spite of the liberal amount of
sunscreen he applied before venturing outside. We left the beach just after lunch and headed
back to Byron Bay so Aren and Sungie could spend more time at an internet café catching up
on the Juneau gossip. The afternoon thunderstorm hit us by 4PM but it didn't last long. We
drove to Broken Head Caravan Park just south of Byron Bay. I flew over the area and wanted
to go there for the evening. The park is located on the beach so we enjoyed the sound of the
surf, the wind, and the thunder that evening. After dark, Lenne' and I walked along the beach
and watched the beacon from the Cape Bryon Lighthouse rotate past the flashes of lightning
out at sea. Another magical night in Oz!
Day 136 - Saturday, December 2 - TYAGARAH TO CABOOLTURE
(110 NM for 1.4 hours flown) THE LAST OFFICIAL LEG - OUR JOURNEY IS
COMPLETE!
The wind shifted direction over night but we were in the lee of Broken Head and didn't feel
the full effect of the southeast wind until Lenne' and I walked up the trail to the overlook. It
was blowing at least 20 kts and I kept thinking how ironic it was that my last leg, the one I
really wanted to last forever, was going to go by so quick. We encountered headwinds most of
the trip and now we have a tailwind. We drove back to Tyagarah and prepared for the last
official leg of our journey. I could make the leg up the coast to Tangalooma on Moreton
Island, cross the water, and on to Caboolture without a fuel stop. It was a bit turbulent on
takeoff and I flew 500 ft to the beach where smoother air awaited. Once on course, I was
making 90 kts over the ground. I wanted to stay along the beach so, as per the ERSA, I called
Brisbane Radar for clearance through Coolangatta airspace. Brisbane Radar referred me to
Cooly Tower for clearance. Cooly tower approved my request and I zipped through their zone
in a few minutes. I cleared the control zone and entered Southport MBZ. The Gold Coast was
a fabulous place to fly by especially at 500 ft along the beach. The 500 ft hotel towers were
just abeam my left wingtip and Tim was checking out the pools on the rooftops.
Next we flew over SeaWorld and continued north along the coast to Stradford Island. The
wind created a haze and visibility was reduced to 10 NM. Even thought we were just 15 miles
from downtown Brisbane, in the haze and strong wind, the coastline felt as remote as the
Nullarbor. We reached Tangalooma and it was time to cross the water to Bald Point. I
climbed to 3500 ft and made the crossing at 80 kts. Caboolture was getting nearer. We were
about to land at the same airstrip that we started only coming in from a different direction. It
was an uneventful landing but the moment was grand - we actually circumnavigated
Australia! I taxied up to Jerry's hangar and shut down. Jorg, Jenny, and Bill were there and
welcomed Tim and I back to Caboolture. The newspaper reporter that was going to meet us
was called away to another story and didn't arrive at Caboolture. Jenny drove Tim and I to the
clubhouse so we could get something to eat. Ground support, Lenne', Aren, and Sungie
arrived two hours later. We drove to Redcliffe so Aren could meet with Shontelle and Sandi
and then we all celebrated by going out to dinner and a movie.
Day 137 - Sunday, December 3 - CABOOLTURE TO COOMERA with a stop at
REDCLIFF
We were to fly to Coomera and meet Michael Coates but before leaving the area we made
time to take Shontelle and her dad John, Sandi and her mum and dad - Annette & Wesley, and
Sarah for a flight around the Redcliffe area.
They invited us back to their house for a lunch barbeque and swim in their pool. We stayed
until the clouds started to move in from the west and darken. Thanks, we had a great time and
it was wonderful to meet you! We went back to the Xair for the flight to Coomera. Michael
was waiting patiently for us and wanted to take aerial video for the news. Aren flew with me
and we departed Redcliffe with a 15 kt headwind. We stayed inland for this leg and weaved
our way through the Brisbane airspace varying our altitude to conform to the altitude steps.
We flew around Archerfield, dodged 1000 ft antenna fields, and missed the restricted area just
west of Archer. We arrived over Coomera and Michael was just getting airborne again.
We rendezvoused over Dreamworld (real live tiger country below) and worked our way down
to the Goldcoast before heading back to Coomera for landing. Lenne' was already waiting by
the time we landed. It was good to see Michael again after being away for four months. We
secured the Xair in the compound. Thanks Lance for letting us keep Xair 403 there. It was
getting late in the afternoon and we drove back to Burleigh Heads for the evening.
Daily Log - Week Twenty-One
Day 138 - Monday, December 4 - COOMERA TO COOLANGATTA with a stop at
MURWILLUMBAH
(42 NM for 1.2 hours flow) OUR LAST FLIGHT IN XAIR 403 AND THE MEDIA
AWAITS!
We landed at Caboolture with no fanfare but Michael organized the media to meet us today at
Coolangatta. Michael drove Aren and I to Coomera early enough so we could be at
Coolangatta by 10:30. Two television stations, two newspapers, and a radio station were to
film our arrival and conduct interviews with the family. I wanted to make one more landing at
a small airstrip so I decided to fly to Murwillumbah, just 12 miles from Coolangatta, and wait.
We were airborne from Coomera before nine and flew direct as we could to Murwillumba,
staying just west of Cooly airspace and just below 1500 ft. We had our usual headwind and
the flight was a bit turbulent but I didn't care, this was my last flying day of our Australian
adventure. Landing at Murwillumbah was truly spectacular. Rain forest and the 3792 ft Mt.
Warning stood proudly to the west surrounded by the Tweed Range. The cloudy skies made
the scene more surrealistic but in the packing the night before I forgot to take the cameras and on our last day! Xair 403 was no stranger to the dramatic backdrop. Mt Warning was our
first mountain to climb during our first week in Australia so it was fitting that we were in its
shadow now. I had landed this tough little ultralight at some of Australia's most inhospitable
landing strips across the Nullarbor - from landing at rainforest and beachside resorts, to
dodging kangaroo, cattle, and cow chips at Outback Stations, even to the same fields the
Royal Australia Air Force lands their fighter jets and now I was ready to land at a busy
International Airport. The Xair had held up well and I will surely miss flying over Oz. It was
10:00 and time to roll for the last flight. We were airborne by 10:10, enough time to slowly
fly to Coolangatta International Airport just 12 miles away. I called Cooly tower, was cleared
into the control zone, and then cleared to land with a right base to runway 14. I was further
cleared to land mid-field abeam the windsock where the camera crews and reporters were
waiting to film the landing. I brought the Xair in for a smooth landing and taxied clear of the
runway. Two jumbo jets were cleared to taxi so I was directed to hold once clear of the
runway. For a moment we were nose to nose with the 767's as they made their way to the
runway. When the jumbos were clear, I was directed to parking and waited for the news and
the rest of the family to drive around to meet us. What a rush - TV cameras, photographers,
reporters, all walking out to talk to us. We did our family hug and the cameras started
snapping. Then the interviews started.
It was fun to have the family be stars for the moment but I was dealing with knowing the
adventure that I dreamed of over one year ago was at an end. With the interviews over it was
time to take the wings off the Xair and trailer it back to Burleigh Heads where it had been
assembled. Michael had a custom made trailer ready for the Xair so it didn't take long before
it was disassembled and loaded on the trailer.
Once back at Michael's factory, it was time to wash the Xair and get it ready for sale. Lenne'
was busy cleaning the motor home and we put the boys to work packing boxes of stuff we
didn't want to haul across the country. We went out for lunch and the wind was blowing. But
for once, in a long time, I really didn't have to worry - I wasn't going flying.
Days 139-140 - Tuesday & Wednesday, December 5/6 - THE GOLD COAST
Tuesday was spent cleaning the motor home and the Xair 403. On Wednesday we went to
Warner Brothers Theme Park to enjoy the rides and shows. Before I joined Lenne' and the
boys at the theme park, Michael took me to look at the new aircraft he will be selling to
overseas buyers. The new Australian made Conroy Sparrow XC is a fiberglass composite
built kit. More information can be found on the web site: http://www.mcp.com.au/sparrow
This plane could be my new toy for Alaskan flying! That evening, we went to dinner with
Michael's family, and had a wonderful evening. As we were walking out of the mall where the
restaurant was located, Tim disappeared and returned to the car without telling anyone. After
looking around together for him, we split up, with the intention of meeting at the car. It was
quite ironic that on one of our last nights in Oz, Tim found his way back to the car without
any problems but it took Aren and Lenne' 45 minutes to get there.
Day 141 - Thursday, December 7 - BURLEIGH HEADS TO BRISBANE
After a final cleaning of the motor home in the morning, we left for Brisbane. We said our
goodbyes to Michael and hit the road. We just can't thank him enough for the expertise and
support he provided. This trip would have been near impossible without his help. We stopped
at Brisbane Motor Camper Centre to check in and found Terry Friar to be on holiday. Yvonne
welcomed us back and we arranged to drop the motor home off on Friday.
Day 142 - Friday, December 8 - BRISBANE
After spending another hour, this time on last minute cleaning of the motor home refrigerator,
it was time to return the motor home to B.M.C.C. Yvonne completed the final inspection and
paperwork. Then they took me to the airport to pick up a rental car. That afternoon I drove the
family to Brisbane for last minute Christmas shopping at South Bank Park and Queen Street
Mall. Aren met up with Shontelle for a final goodbye and later we joined them. It was a very
pleasant way to spend our last evening in Oz.
Day 143 - Saturday, December 9 - AUSTRALIA TO THE UNITED STATES
(6300 NM for 14 hours flown)
We will miss Oz, but we keep telling ourselves that we will be back to see places we missed
and to visit our new friends. Thanks to all who helped make this journey a success!
Special Thanks to:
In Brisbane - Terry Friar at Brisbane Motor Camper Centre for getting us started with the motor home.
In Tyagarah - Graeme Johns for making time so I could get my ultralight certification in just three day
and for the hangar space when I flew into Tyagarah in Xair 403.
In Redcliffe - Shontelle, John, and Francine Shepherd, and Sandi, Wesley, and Annette Staibe for their
friendship, hospitality and support throughout our journey.
In Caboolture - Jeff Underhill for letting us use the hangar prior to the beginning of the trip.
In Noosa - Graham Allen for taking us under his wing and having us over for our first Aussie Barbeque
when we were weathered in at Noosa. And to John for letting us stay at the airstrip, use the phone lines so
we could hook up to the Internet, and for keeping the water hot for showers.
In Rockhampton - Paul and Joy Hallet at Hedlow for inviting us to spend the evening listening to Jazz
music in the park and letting us camp at their beautiful airstrip.
In Townsville - Gordon Bailey for contacting us before we started the trip and meeting us at Jones' Road
Aviation, ensuring that we felt at home and arranging a hangar space in Innisfail with Carlo. To Bill
Starke at Jones Road Aviation for hosting us and providing a hangar and campsite for a couple of nights.
In Innisfail - Carlo Petri of King Reef Aviation for storing Xair 403 in his hangar for two weeks while
we explored Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef, and Cape Tribulation. And Ron Watson for putting the Xair
in his hangar for the first night and helping me install the ballistic parachute.
In Perth - Allen Gringo for helping me with the 100-hour maintenance on the Rotax and Allen Richards
for support and providing me with clues to alleviate the Kak Worm problem from our laptop.
In Bunbury - Brandon Watts for retorqueing my prop and providing maintenance tips on the Rotax.
In Busselton - Ian Stevenson for letting us camp at the airstrip and getting coverage for us in the local
newspaper and Peter Hales for hangar space.
In Walpole - Donna and Greg for letting me keep the Xair at the CALM airstrip and hangar during the
wet weather.
In Albany - John Lewis for keeping in contact with us, and hosting us while we visited their lovely part
of Australia. To Jerome and Wendy Pilkington for the barbeque and for flying me back to Walpole to
pick up the Xair. To Harold Clasen for letting us keep the Xair in his hangar and his wife Uta for the
support and yummy homemade fig jam, tomato sauce and pickled fruit.
In Esperence - Bill Lance for providing hangar space. We would have lost the Xair during a windstorm
if it weren't for that hangar.
In Memory of John Cambell at Fraser Range. John was killed when his Thruster crashed on the range
several weeks after our visit. To his wife Heather and son Beetle we extend our sincere condolences.
In Gawler - Gawler Soaring club for your kind support and letting us stay at the club grounds.
In Warrnambool - Tony Franc at Sharp Aviation for hangar space.
In Torquay - Randy for letting us camp at Tiger Moth World.
In Sunbury - Rod Birrell and Tony Curzon at the Airsports Flying School for your support and letting us
use your facility while we visited Melbourne.
In Hepburn Springs - Ted for the night at "Linga Longa".
In Canberra - Paul Middleton for all your support for getting my certification to me in short order so I
could start the trip with no delays, for dinner, and arranging hangar space at Dick Smith's, as well as
arranging a place to stay while we were in the Sydney area. To Rod and Dean and the Australian
Ultralight Federation for your friendship and support. To Ben Haseler the manager at Bowlyie for letting
us put the Xair in Dick's hangar.
In St. Marys - Helen Kennett for your banana cake, friendship and letting us stay at your airstrip for two
nights while we visited Sydney.
In Wangarretta - The members of the Wanga Aero club for providing hangar space.
In Tumut - Peter Wilson and Graham Smith for putting the Xair in the hangar just before a heavy
rainshower.
In Soldiers Point - To Terry and Janice Linsell for dinner and support. And to his family Rebecca and
Daniel (not Luke!).
In South Grafton - To Trevor and Maureen Heinz for your kind support and for boosting Lenne's
motivation at Bowen. And to the members of the South Grafton flying club who had a barbeque for us.
In Nambucca Heads - To John Monckton for setting up an electric fence around the Xair to keep the
cattle away.
In Juneau - Fritz Funk for bringing our web page to the classroom and teaching the kids about Australia.
And to Vanessa Roberts for taking care of our dog and house in our absence.
And Very Special thanks to Michael Coates who in addition to providing Xair expertise, provided
us with: water, electricity and parking for the motor home; a phone connection for updating the
web page; a television for our kids' entertainment needs; hot water showers for our health and
relaxation needs; and car transportation to help us get around.
The Gold Coast Bulletin
An American family of five yesterday ended an adventure-packed, round-Australia holiday
with an ultralight aircraft ... and said they were ready to do it again.
"It was fantastic, we didn't want it to end," said tourist Larry Musarra, after landing at
Coolangatta Airport at the end of their 20,000km epic journey.
Mr. Musarra, his wife, Lenne, and children Aren, 16, Sungie, 13, and Tim, 10, travelled either
in the two two-seater ultralight or a camper-van during their marathon.
They sat off from the Sunshine Coast on August 2 in the kit-built aircraft, on an trip that tok
them across the top of Australia, south-west to Perth, east across the Nullarbor Plain, and back
through the eastern states.
Mr. Musarra, a retired US Coast Gaurd pilot, did most of the flying with their children while
his wife kept pace below in the van, helping to find suitable runways.
"We landed every two or three hours on hundreds of runways including air force bases,
remote outback strips and international airports," said Mr. Musarra.
"On some of the outback strips, we had to dodge cattle and their piles of droppings, and once
we had to land on a road.
"Everywhere we went, the people were wonderful, and the places we visited were
fascinating." he said.
Mrs Musarra said the adventure went off without any major problems and had been a great
family experience.
"We had always wanted to come to australia because my husband is into adventure sports.
"We ended up doing it with an ultralight," said Mrs Musarra, whose hometown is in the
northernmost US State, Alaska.
"We all had a great time, and we'd do it again anytime."
Aren's Rambling
Read Aren's Australia related insights on such issues as...
Ketchup
There are lots of things we're trying to get used to, such as the fact that no one knows what
ketchup is. It's called tomato sauce here, and Heinz is the only brand that uses the word
"ketchup". The real tomato sauce, which you would use on pizza or spaghetti, still goes by it's
correct name. Australia truly is a land flowing with tomato sauce.
Pizza
It's really hard to get a pepperoni pizza here. They have all these really weird pizzas, many of
which have egg. I don't know what an egg pizza would taste like, but I think egg is one of
those things that just doesn't belong on a pizza; like Pineapple. The closest thing I've seen to a
pepperoni pizza, is something called an "American style pizza", which has "hot salami" on it,
which I assume is basically pepperoni. Some of the strange pizzas I've tried so far are pretty
good, but pepperoni, thou shalt be sorely missed.
Toilets
Australian Toilets KICK ASS!! Literally, if you remain seated while flushing. I must say that
they put American toilets to shame. No second flushes for these babies! After experiencing
the indoor plumbing, I can hardly wait to see what the water parks are like.
Cross Walks
You know the buttons that you push at cross walks to get the across the street? The ones that
you have to push three times? Well here they give off an alien laser like noise when the light
changes and a loud, repetitive BLOOP until the light changes back. The first time I used it I
thought we were under attack or something. Fortunately, first contact may still possibly be a
peaceful encounter. Come space beings! We have much to learn from one another!
Roundabouts
Aside from being on the wrong side of the road, driving here is a little easier in terms of
remembering who has the right of way. In the states, whenever I get to a four-way
intersection, I can never remember who gets to go where, and I always just end up letting the
other cars go ahead of me. I'm not driving here at all, but I almost wish I were because there
are very few intersections. Instead there are these circular areas of road in the middle of where
there would otherwise be a two, three, or four-way intersection. They're a little easier to deal
with because if you miss your turn off, you can continue around the circuit as many times as it
takes before you get disoriented and dizzy, and crash into the other cars who you have utterly
pissed off by not letting them enter the roundabout.
Spinifex
Now that I think about it, someone really should have warned me about the sharp, barbed
plant known as Spinifex. I certainly would have worn shoes more often. I'm not particularly
fond of shoes and I go barefoot as often as I can, and that's how I ended up with 50,000 little
barbed blades of grass in my feet. I still don't know why, after setting foot in the Spinifex and
feeling the sharp excruciating pain of hundreds of tiny swords in the soles of my feet, I
continued to walk through the stuff. I walked roughly ten feet through the Spinifex; or rather I
walked one foot and madly hopped the other nine feet, screaming profanities the whole way. I
guess it was good of me to teach the rest of the family a valuable lesson, that lesson being:
Always have a camera ready.
Vegemite
All I can say about Vegemite is that it must be the strongest tasting substance in the world that
can still be legally classified as a food item. Vegemite is a brown chocolate color, has the
consistency of peanut butter, and is used as a spread for toast and crackers. The jar says that
it's a concentrated yeast extract, and that it's one of the world's richest known sources of
vitamin B. I am convinced that it must be an acquired taste because all the Aussies love it, and
they particularly enjoy giving it to tourists and watching the expressions on their faces as they
try to choke the stuff down. Before I wrote this, I had a few crackers with some Vegemite on
them so I could accurately describe it, and now I have to say the stuff is growing on me. I
think I'll have some more.
Sampling the Wildlife
The other night (yeah, I know. The detail of these ramblings is incredible, isn't it?) we had
dinner at a place called "The Outback Pioneer Barbeque" or some other equally alluring title.
The place was great. All the food was raw, and they let you cook it yourself on these big
BBQ's. Here, for your benefit (or possibly, entertainment) are my attempts at becoming a food
critic. We shall see if it is my calling in life. It's good work if you can get it.
Emu Sausages: They plump when you cook 'em.
These were definitely the tastiest items on our order, possible because they were the only ones
with any seasoning added beforehand. I thought they were also a good deal better than some
of the less exotic sausages I've sampled, although that's possibly because I had no idea what
was in the other ones. They were also the only item on our order that I vaguely knew how to
cook. Next time I want to order a drumstick.
Kangaroo: It's what's for dinner.
This meat they gave to us in the form of a skewer. It cooked well and had a wonderful texture.
It was also very tender. There were no added spices or anything and the taste, although a little
bland until dipped in tomato sauce (Ketchup) or BBQ sauce, was pleasant and preferable to
beef. Roos are also a good deal cuter and furrier than cattle, but I don't think that's necessarily
a plus in a burger.
Crocodile: The other white meat.
This was easily the most exotic of our order. It too, was served on a skewer, but was a good
deal harder to cook than the Emu or Kangaroo. I'm willing to bet there are very few people in
the world who know the proper way to cook a croc, and none of them are in my immediate
family. Eventually we decided it was done, (which it probably was not, but I've never heard
any accounts of Salmonella or Ecoli infecting crocodile meat, nor do I believe there is such a
thing as mad croc disease.) it was still rather tough, but actually not that bad. It was similar to
pork in flavor, although a bit milder and less sweet. Those crocs better watch out now that I've
had a taste of their flesh.
Super Markets
I have two major qualms with the Australian super market industry.
Number One: The security in these places is just ridiculous. They have airlock-style gates
that you have to go through just to get in, and you absolutely have to go through a check out
isle to get back out. And at the end of every check out isle, they have those gates that beep at
you whether you're stealing something or not, and sometimes even when there's no one
anywhere near them. Australia needs to relax its death-grip on shoplifters. Maybe America
just doesn't care as much, or maybe it's that American criminals set their sights a little higher
and actually take the time to get a gun and go right for the cash register. If you Australian
criminals took a little extra time and effort to plan a proper hit, rather than being forced to risk
the scary beeping gates for a box of Pop Tarts, you could buy all the freakin Pop Tarts you
can eat! If anyone takes my advice, do me a favor and shoot those stupid beeping gates on
your way out. Thank you.
Number Two: If you compare the size of the average package of any given food item in an
Australian store, to the size of the average package of the same food item in an American
store, the Australian store's gates will all beep at you in unison for touching the merchandise.
Aside from this, you'll notice that the Australian packages are a good deal smaller and
generally have less food inside. Maybe we're just used to shopping at places like Costco and
Sam's Club where all the items are gigantic and require a forklift to remove them from the
store, but as a member of a family of five I can tell you that more often then not, even a
Costco bag of chips doesn't survive the ride home.
Another Word on Toilets
Another odd thing about the public toilets is that on more than one occasion, the toilet seats
have been missing and presumed stolen. What do the people who steal these toilet seats do
with them? Hang them on their walls? Is there some huge demand for Australian black market
toilet seats? Or are mad scientists trying to clone Aussies from their residual bum tissue? I see
it as yet another example of Australian crooks failing to set their sights high enough. They
probably steal the urinal cakes too.
Cold Cereal
A lot of the cold cereals that we have come to know and love have different names down here.
Frosted Flakes are called Frosties, Rice Krispies are Rice Bubbles, Raisin Bran is Sultana
Bran, Froot Loops are still Froot Loops, but Toucan Sam is drawn differently, and as far as I
can tell, there are no Lucky Charms! NOOOOO! We will try to make due without the little
colored marshmallows, as hard as it may be. But now you have to wonder, do they have
Lucky Charms in Ireland?
Spiders
I went hiking up in the bush this morning because our ultralight guy, Michael Coates, said
there were lots of koalas back there. I didn't see any, but there were some huge spiders, scared
the crap out of me every time I walked into a web. I'll take a grizzly bear to these little suckers
you don't even see till they bite you any day.
Christmas
Before I say anything here I would just like to make it perfectly clear that I am no Grinch and
I like Christmas as much as the next bloke, but I think this time the Whos down in Whoville
have begun to serve the roast beast long before anyone's had the chance to work up the
appetite. What I mean by this, if you haven't already figured it out, is that Australia, lacking a
Thanksgiving to buffer the effects of the Christmas spirit, has already begun to celebrate the
season to be jolly; and it's only the 3rd of November. I will admit that it was quite a
celebration: lights, elves, carolers, neon Santa's, fireworks being fired off the roofs of two
adjacent buildings as if they were at war, etc. All things considered it was rather spectacular,
I'm just not going to be the one to write the extra 41 verses to "The Twelve Days of
Christmas".
Mt. Kosciuszko
Kosciuszko is the highest peak in Australia, which isn't really saying much because as
continents go, Australia is very flat. Kosciuszko is simply a pimple on the otherwise
unblemished face of the outback. But as with all blemishes, (except mine) this one adds a
good deal of distinction and is also a huge contrast to the flat outback. At 2228 meters,
Kosciuszko is a fairly respectable mountain, except for the fact that you can drive most of the
way up and once you do start walking it's fairly level and the trail is wide enough to
comfortable accommodate the entire cast of "Friends" walking shoulder to shoulder. Not the
most unforgiving terrain I've ever traversed, but it was a rather long hike, and the hailstorms
didn't help much, but we did reach the summit of the highest mountain in Australia. One
continent down...
Nude Beaches
I've been to a few beaches since we got here. One in particular had a sign declaring that the
stretch of beach South of the sign was "Clothes Optional". You can imagine my jubilation as I
took off jogging in that direction. The beach was relatively deserted, as it was winter and I
saw very little, so I went back the next day. I decided to get naked myself this time, and let
me tell you, it's really fun! It feels so free and you don't even feel self-conscience. Mike James
is the only one who gets pictures though, sorry.
Nude Beaches part 2
Four months later, we were back at the nude beach. I wanted to get tan, and I needed to do it
fast. With only two weeks left in Oz, the opportunity was unlikely to arise again. I had hopes
that the increase of melanin in my skin would help me survive that much longer in the bleak,
sunless climate of mid-winter Juneau. Ok, so that's a load of horse dung. I wanted to be tan,
pure and simple. And while in that mindset, I foolishly neglected to wear enough sunscreen. If
you only remember one thing in your life, remember to wear TONS of sunscreen if you plan
on sunbathing nude. There are about three things worse than a full-body sunburn. One of
those things is nuclear war. I spent the next two days smothered in aloe vera and drifting in
and out of a Tylenol induced trance. So remember: wear sunscreen, brush your teeth, don't run
with scissors, yadda yadda yadda, The End.
Stranded
"Bloody thing!" Cursed the tall, black-bearded Australian as he dropped my meat pie on the
floor, angrily picking it up and throwing it in the trash before getting me a new one. This
certainly wasn't the most elegant Roadhouse I had ever been to, but after the two-mile walk
from the airfield, the food and air conditioning were more than welcome, despite the butterfingered service.
We were on our second month of our six -month circumnavigation of Australia in a little
yellow ultralight. We did have a motor home containing my mother and two younger brothers
that we lived in, and it was for them that we now waited. After taking off out of Philips Creek
earlier that day, my father asked me from the pilot seat if I saw the motor home anywhere. I
replied with "Yes, but they're headed the wrong way." We didn't have enough gas to go
chasing them, so after a few failed attempts to hail them on the radio, we gave up and went on
to Winganup. It wasn't a particularly long leg, so we had planned to push on for the
Mataranka thermal pools after lunch. Sometimes I wonder what the point of planning is since
things so rarely go according to them.
So there we were: stranded at a roadhouse in the middle of the Australian outback, armed
only with a meat pie and the knowledge that our ground crew could be halfway to Alice
Springs by now.
"She said she was going to do this." My dad mumbled, interrupting my thoughts. "She said: 'I
go south right?' 'No,' I kept telling her, 'you want to go north, back through the three-ways.
Head for Darwin.' But it just wasn't sinking in. How do you get lost on the only road for
miles?"
I went back to my thoughts. He had been alternating between trying to find the logic of my
mother's actions and swearing at no one in particular ever since we had landed. I had given up
looking for the logic in my mother's actions years ago and my dad was doing more than
enough swearing for the both of us, so I was left in quiet contemplation. "Bloody thing!"
Cursed Black Beard from in front of the drink refrigeration unit as a bottle of coke got away
from him and thudded to the floor. You sure do meet some interesting characters in the
outback.
Eventually we went outside to ensure the motor home didn't drive right past us, the last thing
we needed today was another botched rendezvous. The heat had lessened in its intensity since
our walk into town, but it was still a blast in the face after being in an air-conditioned room.
We found a bench in the shade and I, at least, tried to relax. My father continued to debate
with himself the probability of getting lost on a two-way road with the aid of a fully
functional GPS. I would have liked to say I was constructive during this time, but in fact I
spent most of my time watching a beer can get pushed down the road by the wind. It clinked
along down the road in our direction, and swerved out of the way just in time to avoid getting
run down by a police truck. The truck reminded us that there was a police station not far from
where we were sitting, and we decided to go over to see if anyone reported a big, white motor
home having any sort of trouble. Nothing. As we walked back to our posts wondering if this
lack of information was bad or good, I once again let my mind wander. It beat the alternative
of listening to my father grumble about my mother's navigation skills. The one thing I've
decided about this trip is, if nothing else, the rest of my life is going to be pretty boring
because I'm never going to be able to top this!
The End is the Beginning is the End
It was over. After five months of the most intensely gratifying journey of my life to date, it
was over. No more sun, no more kangaroos, no more extremely deadly jellyfish, no more
trying to explain the concept of a snow day to a bewildered Australian child... I felt more at
home there, more welcome, than I have anywhere else I've been to. And as I sit here in the
high school library, mildly aware of the fact that I haven't seen the sun in two weeks, I think:
"No wonder I got sunburned!"
My weekend with the Aussies
(Left to Right) Sandi, Me, Shontelle, and Sarah
I had been in Australia barely nine days, and I had already taken a temporary leave of absence
while the ultralight was being tested. My brothers were at each other's throats (and will be till
the end of time) and I needed to get away from them and my parents for a while. It was more
then convenient that I had been invited to spend a weekend with Shontelle, a sixteen-year-old
Australian girl that I had met on the Internet about a year ago. Fortunately, she was who she
said she was, and not some crazy old man. But I'm getting ahead of myself, so I'll start at the
beginning...
Unfortunately, I don't remember the beginning very well, so I'll just skip over it and go on to
somewhere in the middle, right before I arrived at her house.
I had talked on the phone for three hours with Shontelle two nights before, and we had
worked out a rough plan for the coming weekend. So on Friday, armed only with a desire to
meet Shontelle, an extreme need to get away from my family, and a vague idea of where I
was suppose to go. We actually found the house very easily. The directions seemed to fall into
place as we searched. Sungie managed to spot her street in time for us to get onto it. We drove
up to a fairly big, yellow brick house with a dark green horse float out front. Ok the house
looks fine, so far so good.
I couldn't tell from my position on the curb where the front door was suppose to be, so I
slowly made my way up the grass lined driveway in hopes that it would make itself apparent
to me. It didn't, and to this day I'm not sure which door was meant to be the front. There was a
door on either side of the house, but which do I knock at? Once again, things work themselves
out. Shontelle was leaning on the inside of a green, wire gate as I walked up. We greeted each
other rather awkwardly and I discovered that she was actually waiting for her friend Sarah,
who walked up right behind me. A little while later, Sandi, another of Shontelle's friends
showed up. Already I was outnumbered. My parents went in to talk to Shontelle's parents and
we showed them the newspaper article about us that had appeared just that day.
After a while, Shontelle, Sarah, Sandi, and I departed the company of the parental figures and
headed down the outdoor staircase to Shontelle's room, although it seemed more like a small
apartment. I was then presented with a very large, cuddly, stuffed kangaroo with a Joey in the
pouch. We just hung out for a while until my parents and brothers left. I bid them farewell and
good riddance.
We then went out to a church where they were having a sausage roast, and later a play. The
sausages were good and I met lots of cool Australians and one cool American from
Washington State. The play was pretty good too, and the music (did I mention there was
music?) was rockin. If my church was like this I'd go more often! After that, we hung around
for a while and chatted about various Australian and American things.
The next morning I was served a genuine Australian breakfast consisting of Wheatbix and
Milo. It was kind of like Shredded Wheat and hot chocolate; interesting, but not bad. After
that, we watched some Australian Saturday morning TV, yet another cultural experience.
Shontelle had just purchased a new horse, so we headed out to where the horse was, to take it
to where it was going to be. (I had very little sense of direction at this time, so I apologize for
having no idea where I was at any given time.) The horse was a pleasant little mare named
Gem, and as far as I could tell, she did just about everything she was supposed to do. Up to
this point I had had very little experience with horses, (none) and I tried my best to watch and
maybe learn a little in the process. I'll be a cowboy yet. I already have the hat.
That afternoon was spent out on the town with Shontelle and Sarah. We went to a mall, or
shopping center I should say, and then we went to the bowling alley to wrestle crocodiles.
They were feisty little buggers, but I took care of them, no sweat. Ok, Shontelle and Sarah
helped a little, and ok they were little plastic crocodiles that popped out of holes so you could
hit them with a hammer, but they looked mean and they talked. I think I actually hit one of
them to hard and he broke, because after that, no matter how many times I hit him, he kept
right on coming. He's like the villain in "The World Is Not Enough" who feels no pain.
Despite this super-human croc, we managed to rake in a pretty good number of tickets, which
we exchanged for cheap plastic prizes. I got one of those little suction cup things that you
throw at glass, and it sticks maybe 4% of the time.
We then proceeded to walk back to Shontelle's house, on the way stopping occasionally to
throw my new toy at various cars and store windows. When we got back, we had a wonderful
meal of steak, sausages, and garlic bread. Towards the end of the meal, we all fell into an
unprovoked fit of laughter. I can't remember what we were laughing at, nor am I certain I
knew at the time, and I challenge anyone who was there to tell me what it was about.
Since we had decided earlier in the evening not to go see a movie, we thought we might as
well rent one instead. After a good deal on indecisive time was spent in the video store, we
finally got Mystery Science Theater 3000, The Movie. I was the only one in the party who
had heard of Mystery Science Theater 3000, and in fact I had seen this movie twice. For those
of you unfortunate enough to live in another country or too poor to get cable, Mystery Science
Theater 3000 was this very funny show in which a man and a bunch of robots are forced to
watch really bad movies, which they mock endlessly. All in all, it makes for good
entertainment. Shontelle got a huge kick out of it like I knew she would, and I feel somewhat
enlightened having brought this tasteless American humor to those less fortunate.
The next morning my parents came by to take Shontelle, Sandi, Sarah, and myself to
DreamWorld. We all piled in the motor home and set off. Once we got there, we immediately
bought tickets, got in, and headed for the Wipeout. Shontelle, being to chicken to go on the
ride, even though she had been on it before, chose to wait on the ground with my mother. We
got her to go on later in the day, but she kept her eyes closed the whole time except for a brief
period long enough for my dad to take a picture. I would also like to take this time to
apologize to Sarah about her being absent from the photo below. My father, the photographer,
feels very badly about not getting you in the picture, and he keeps coming up with all these
lame excuses about why he miffed the shot. So let it be known that the elbow on the left hand
side of the picture belongs to Sarah.
It was a really fun theme park, boasting the Tower of Terror, the fastest, highest ride in the
world. I can confirm that the ride was both very high and very fast, but one main effect of that
much G force is it leaves you somewhat speechless. I found it kind of ironic how one of the
only rides we could get Shontelle to go on was defiantly the most stomach churning. The
Enterprise, while appearing somewhat mild tempered on the outside, actually makes you want
to, to put it bluntly, "Puke all over the place." After three rounds on the Enterprise, it was
obviously time for lollies (candy). Australian candy isn't that much different from American
candy, except for what it's called. I bought some cotton candy, which I was informed was
called "Fairy Floss". I like this name much more than "Cotton Candy". I prefer the prospect of
eating the dental hygiene products of Tinkerbell, to a sweeter version of the stuff they make
underwear out of.
After our sugar-fest, it was time to leave. We escorted the girls to a bus that would take them
to the train station, where they would catch a train (duh) home. We said our farewells and I
promised to stop by again in November when we come back through the area.
It has been a week between my writing this and the beginning of my bold adventure to better
understand Australian culture, and as I sit here in this spider infested pilots lounge at an
airstrip in Noosa Heads, I can't help but wonder what the folks back in Redcliffe are doing
now. So to my friend and gracious hostess Shontelle, her very tolerant parents John and
Francine, and my new found friends Sandi and Sarah, and everybody else in Redcliffe, thanks
for everything.
Reflections of a Motor Home Mother Roo
Adventure is anything that takes you out of your comfort zone and demands more than you
are used to giving or expecting of yourself. While Larry has been learning the challenges of
flying a self-built ultralight around Australia, I have been taking on the challenge of learning
how to drive a 5 speed manual transmission Mazda truck with 22 feet trailing behind. I am a
dancer. So I'm used to doing things with the right side of my body and then doing them with
the left side. So I thought that learning how to shift with my left hand and how to drive on the
left hand side of the road would be a fairly reasonable task for me to take on. Well, I've
received several comments via email from friends wondering why I haven't written anything,
and so I thought I'd better go public. (By the way, I do Larry's editing, so you have been
hearing from me via details and grammatical corrections in Larry's writing. He edits my
writing as well.) Anyway I can testify that our travels on the ground have been equally
adventurous for us as Larry's flying has been for him!
First of all you have to realize that I started driving at 18. My 1st time behind the wheel I
drove a car through a one-way tunnel very slowly. I was one of those drivers who got nervous
about the road ending around the bend or over the hill. After all, I couldn't see it, so maybe it
didn't exist. So here I am in Australia driving 100? Whatever the number means, it is still just
too big, too fast, to comprehend. The truck barely even goes that fast anyway. So I've got
these trucks barreling down the road on the right side of me with my brain saying, NO THEY
CAN'T BE PASSING ME ON THAT SIDE. IT'S JUST NOT RIGHT! And Sungie, my mapreader is telling me, "Mom, you're drifting to the left!" And Aren, my Global Positioning
System expert and sign reader is saying, "Mom, it's just like kindergarten. Line up, keep your
hands and feet to yourself, stay on your side and follow the guy in front of you. We all did it
and you can too."
We have many rituals that we perform after we watch Larry take off down the runway and
before the key goes into the ignition switch. First we have something cold to drink or slurp.
Then we pray for guidance and safety. Tim checks the refrigerator door bolt (if you don't bolt
the door you find most of your refrigerator contents on the floor after a turn) switches it's
power source from gas to 12 volts, and closes all the vents in the motor home. Sungie gathers
the maps we'll need and directs me out of town. Occasionally Sungie has also been known to
help down shift when I'm going around one of those bloody roundabouts. In my opinion, the
only thing they are good for is when you make a mistake, you just keep going around until
you can get off at the right street, but by then you are so dizzy, it doesn't matter what street
you get off at.
The best part for me by far is being together, as a family. Each option and decision is talked
about and dealt with immediately…not like at home, where all kinds of distractions muddle
up everyone's thinking and communication. This is real family time. We're living in a small
space together. We are all traveling together in the same direction, not like at home where
we're all doing our own thing. We have two focused parents to deal with issues as they arise,
as we are separate only during traveling time, which has been ranging from 3 to 5 hours every
other day or so. As a family, we have our moments of frustration and anger but we are having
more moments of joking, laughter and playfulness.
I know I am really appreciating the boys. When we traveled when they were younger, I did
the care taking and Larry did all the driving. But now they have skills, talents, and jobs that I
rely upon. And when they goof, like taking me West instead of East to get out of town, or
taking me down a 29.4 kilometer dirt road because the road was shorter on the map than the
main road (who cares if it took 3 times as long?), or forgetting to lock the refrigerator after
putting away groceries and going around a curve and having a dozen eggs come flying out of
the refrigerator and splattering everywhere, I live with it and laugh, at some point. I have
compartmentalized my own tasks so that I can manage them and I expect others to follow
through with their tasks. I consciously chose not to help build the ultralight because I wanted
the male folk to bond and the boys to take full responsibility for their part in the building
adventure. I am careful not to criticize the boys for making mistakes and I try to model
learning from my own mistakes. This way the adventure is real for all of us as we each stretch
out of our old comfort zones and try to do new things.
The first week or two here, I spent time trying to familiarize myself with the motor home and
to organize it. This task is a bit like playing Concentration and 52 Pickup. Everyone is always
asking me where stuff is and when I go to look for it, it has moved. Either someone else has
come along and decided upon another "more suitable" place for something or as we go
merrily rolling down the road, stuff jumps around and falls over on the shelves and inevitably
into your arms when you unlatch a door. This organizational task is confounded by frequent
stops to grocery shop. Shopping initially was very exciting for me. I was intrigued by new
products I'd never seen before, by organizational strategies used by managers, and by cheap
prices, which allowed me to buy foods to just try out on the family. Shopping now tends to be
exhausting because stores are huge and usually packed with people and trolleys (shopping
carts.) We tend to go to Woolworth's Grocery Store chain because we are familiar with their
products and layout. Usually we fill 2 shopping carts; I take a cart and the male folk take a
cart. They get snack foods, individualized favorite foods, a few basics like bread and milk,
and desserts. I fill my cart with fruits, vegetables and meats. So by the time we get done
shopping, we're in a hurry to get on with other chores, and stuff gets haphazardly put away.
Oh well!
Despite the confusion and frequent cleaning up of food spills, we've been eating well. I am
pleased with the performance of the oven, stove and refrigerator. Our first test of the oven was
to bake Sungie's birthday cake. It was a success. But we did have difficulty baking chicken
legs, as they didn't cook evenly. Next time I'll have to rotate them more. We eat a meal out
every other day or so, when we're tired or in a rush. I am amazed that so many American fast
food chains are here, like Pizza Hut, Dominoes Pizza, Sizzler, Subway, McDonald's,
Kentucky Fried Chicken, etc. (Also K Mart, Target and Wal-Mart, which is actually called
Big W) It seems Australians have followed our lead and become accustomed to mall
shopping, which makes me feel sad because the uniqueness of an area is lost when these large
corporations move in.
I am also learning all the new technological gadgets and gizmos that we purchased for this
trip. We have a laptop computer and digital camera so we can update the web page and
transmit photos as well. And then we have 2 talkabouts given to us as Larry's retirement gift
from his Coast Guard office. These walkie-talkies allow us to go off in different directions
when we're in a shopping mall or when we go into a new town. Using these is fun, keeps us
from getting lost, gives us a sense of autonomy as we feel safe and helps us save time in
getting back together in a timely manner. (It also curbs shopping sprees.) We do get some
funny stares from people passing by when a voice booms out loud and no one is standing
there talking. Tim particularly enjoys talking from a distance and then sneaking up behind
you. We also have 2 global positioning systems (GPS), one for the ultralight and one for the
motor home, so that we always know where we are in relationship to our projected daily
travel plan. Larry assures me that the GPS is necessary equipment in the ultralight and in the
motor home it guides us, vaguely - as there are no streets detailed into the GPS, to remote
airstrips. We also have a VHF radio so we can talk to Larry in emergency situations when he's
flying. And recently we purchased a cellular phone that is supposed to work throughout
Australia (our phone number is 0409007431 if anyone would like to call us). While I have
tended to view technology as frivolous, I have learned over the years that when you are
attempting to do difficult things, communication devices make all the difference in the world
in terms of how you feel about what you are doing because you have immediate access to
help. Your confidence level goes way up, from "I can't do this" to "I can try". Technology
equipment also gives the boys a chance to do something while we travel and allows them to
develop and improve their communication skills and become experts in handling the
equipment. Thank you, Larry, for your insight into the significance of this equipment.
Highlights to date:
On the 27th of July Larry and I did an early morning run up a winding road to the lighthouse
in Byron Bay to watch the sun rise. Once on the lighthouse grounds, atop a steep
mountainside, I saw a herd of goats resting on the hillside. As I approached, the male lead
goat butted the females to get them up, off the ground and moving with the herd (a familiar
parallel in my own life). Meanwhile the baby goats playfully rambled, jumping, darting and
wandering off on their own. A long spiraling stone stairway wound its way down the other
side of the lighthouse to a lookout point and continued down to the white sandy beach below.
I began the long descent, enjoying the warm wind pushing me up against the steep hillside as
I glided playfully, with each leaping bound, downward. Being pushed backward by the wind,
while moving forward, being lifted up or suspended by the wind, while leaping downward,
traveling down a spiraling stone staircase and carving a spiraling path through space with my
own body, was a totally exhilarating experience as I was vividly witnessing the physical
forces of nature first hand. The music of the chattering birds greeted the day as well as the
sounds of the whirling and swirling grasses and tree branches and leaves. The brilliant sun
began warming the land and sea. Standing on Australia's most eastern look out point all by
myself, I felt so totally present, and so thankful to be here, experiencing this beautiful country
and this beautiful day.
August 11th weu spent the night in Hedlow at a peaceful airstrip on a cattle ranch. I've always
wanted to live on a farm or ranch, even though I know nothing about the work or life style
except the stories my mother and grandmother like to tell. Anyway, I did the laundry late in
the evening as the dark starry night greeted the rising of a full moon. Judging that the warm
air temperature could dry the laundry by morning, I joyously hung up the clothes on a big,
square, revolving clothesline to test my notion. You have to understand that I LOVE hanging
clothes on the line to dry outside. I really appreciate the sun and wind for the work they
accomplish in drying clothes. I appreciate the fresh smell of sun-dried clothes and I appreciate
the energy and money saved from not using clothes dryers. (Once we spent over $20 in
Australia to do 3 loads of laundry.) In Alaska we don't have regular opportunities to dry
clothes outside in the daytime let alone at night. If you try it, chances are that the laundry will
be wetter when you take it down than when you hung it up. (i.e. it rains a lot in Juneau) I
know there is someone out there who can relate to my ecstasy over this experience of hanging
up the laundry beneath the light of a full moon and having faith that it will dry by morning!
The 3 days aboard the dive and snorkel charter were absolutely wonderful. It was particularly
fun to watch the boys interact with the passengers who were from around the world. Sungie
got a lot of attention and respect for his intelligence, sportsmanship and endurance in
completing the dive course. One night he taught the class members how to play the card
game, Spoons. It was a riot to watch. Tim loved the opportunities to snorkel. His level of
comfort in the water reminded me of a sea otter frolicking in the waves. In addition to his
special snorkeling buddy, Nick, a father from Holland, Jakob Keijl, took a liking to him and
gave him extra hugs. Jakob extended an invitation to all the boys to visit Holland. Tim and
Sungie also had the opportunity to learn from all the instruction that was going on around us,
ranging from diving skills, water rescue techniques, first aide, compass navigation, and
marine plant and animal identification. Aren had a wonderful time diving. He just couldn't get
over the fact that the visibility was so good and that there was so much to see. He is becoming
quite the expert with the digital camera on land and in the water not to mention his humorous
writing.
Bathroom Encounters:
One morning I headed for the park bathroom for a shower. The gardener rushed in to unlock
the door for me. I walked in looking all around to survey the building. There was a small
wading pool in the front of the building, and an open courtyard inside the women's bathroom,
shower and a toilet area. I noticed animal droppings on the floors and wondered what kind of
critter had left them, suspecting a mouse or rat. I went into the shower area, took a shower and
as I was drying off, I noticed the blurry outline, of a rather large animal, sitting above the
doorway which I had to exit through. My heart started pounding at that moment as I realized
how vulnerable I was. I tried to quiet my imagination as I calmly told myself that the outline
looked like a common kitty cat. So thinking that a contented pussycat was sitting up there in
the rafters, I slowly reached for my glasses and put them on. It was not a contented pussy's
face that I looked into, but the very annoyed face of a wild animal. Dressing in a flash, I raced
out of the room and asked Sungie, who was standing around, to check out this animal and tell
me what it was. He laughed at me for not knowing it was a possum. The gardener then
chimed in with a smile, "Oh, that is the resident possum who lives in the tree but goes inside
the building to get out of the rain." This was my first encounter with animals living in
bathrooms, but not my last. Other bathroom animals to date have included finding green frogs
hiding-out under the seats and in the tanks of toilets, miscellaneous spiders, and wasps (1 ½"
long) nesting on the back of a bathroom stall door.
The Zen of Driving a Motor Home:
Now that I have come to have some level of comfort while driving the motor home, I can talk
about it, finally. I removed the "DRIIVER IN TRAINING" sign taped to the back window
about two weeks ago. The males in my family all thought I was nuts to put it up, but I wanted
to let Aussies know I was inexperienced. I was hoping they would be more understanding of
my long hesitations before entering the round abouts, as I rested from down shifting, and my
slow acceleration intervals, as I struggled to find the right gear. I did notice they passed me
rather quickly.
Motor Home Mother Roo came to me as a title for my site because I feel like a mother roo.
Every day I gather up the children in my pouch and hop along until we get to the next airstrip
where we stop, eat, refuel and hop along down the road to the next designated air strip.
I finally figured out, after having tried my narrow, demure, sitting posture and getting backaches from trying to sit upright, that I had to change my attitude and spread out while driving.
The driver's seat, the most comfortable seat in the motor home, is designed for a man. So I
had to pretend to be one. So the first thing you do after opening the door, is to grab the hand
rail with your right hand as you place your right foot on the gutter, and swing into the seat,
almost like mounting a horse. Then instead of steering with your hands placed on top of the
wheel, you hold the sides of the wheel so you steer with your shoulders and back. One
awkward part of driving from a female perspective, is keeping your legs spread apart. With
this in mind, I finally became brave enough to use the left metal footrest. While it took some
time to remember that it was just a footrest and not the clutch, I have found that this footrest is
essential as now I can press both feet to the floor when accelerating and push my back against
the seat and maintain relaxed and balanced symmetry.
My biggest culture shock has not been the people, customs, language, or food. My biggest
shock has been getting used to the roads. I didn't realize how spoiled Americans were, when it
comes to roads, until I drove in Queensland. A freeway in the states goes and goes and goes
and usually, at least, connects two towns. Queensland road conditions change a lot! And in
the beginning I was exasperated with all of the adjustments that I was expected to make;
narrow lanes, no shoulders, one paved lane for two way traffic, excellent roads all of a sudden
deteriorating to dirt. A few of those early days, I finished up the day of driving with a few
angry words and a few tears of exhaustion. At the time, I felt betrayed by the state for the
haphazard road conditions. After having lived through the experience, I have much more
patience, understanding and respect for what is really going on within the state. Flooding
occurs routinely, creating constant road problems. Roads are constructed with rough surfaces
to improve traction during the wet season. The really bad sections are marked with signs. In
the end I could tell that sections of roads were continually prioritized as to which area is at
most risk to drivers and that was where road work was being done. Sealed roads change
frequently in their composition and hence the color of roads ranges from white, to red, to
black, or to gray. Not all roads have lines on them but the lines are always white, which
produced some eyestrain for me as the contrast wasn't always good. With time, I actually
learned to enjoy the roads, wondering what challenges lay ahead and realizing that whatever it
was, it wasn't going to last long. And when the good sections of road appeared, I relaxed
somewhat and even felt a little bored. But I also learned to really appreciate good roads and
the skill and vigilence that is required in driving on unfamiliar and unpredictable ones!
Traffic reduced significantly once we headed west. I had been warned about the road trains
which extended up to 50 meters long. A road train is one truck pulling 3 or 4 truck beds. I had
been warned to get out of their way and let them pass, as they weren't going to make room for
me and that that, was just part of the culture! This warning had me envisioning mad drivers,
driving like a bat out of hell. So initially I was scanning the horizon for oncoming objects and
watching hillcrests, like a deer checking out the meadow for its predators. What I have found
is that road trains are driven by careful, well-trained drivers who are appreciative when you
pull over and stop on
Tim Tam's Tales
Tim Tams are chocolate covered biscuits with chocolate, and/or caramel centers. I chose this name
because it's my name.
Tim Tam's Snorkeling Tales:
When we were in Cairns Australia the family went on a three-day dive charter on the Great Barrier Reef.
The first time I jumped in the water I saw an Angel Fish floating nearby. On the first snorkel I saw a
parrotfish, blue-green damsels, stag horn coral, and some brain coral. On my second snorkel I swam
within and inch of a sea turtle and got a picture of it. My snorkeling buddy, Nick was from Dallas Texas,
and just had his 50th birthday while we were on the boat. I led my buddy Nick to the shallow parts of the
reef because there's more life. There were lots of fish under the boat and after meals when we rinsed our
dishes loads of red bass swarmed around the scraps of food that washed off the plates. I played lots of
chess and checkers between dives and at night.
The Route
Our planned route thus far, is to start out in Brisbane, then to proceed north on a counter
clockwise route around the continent. As the journey progresses, I will update the map below
with an outlined route and key points along the expedition.
Itinerary
The below Itinerary is a rough estimate, actual arrival and departure times will be
added during the trip. I will keep you all updated.
DESTINATION
Los Angeles, CA
ESTIMATED
ARRIVAL
July 15 2000
ACTUAL
ARRIVAL
July 17
ESTIMATED
DEPARTURE
July 17
ACTUAL
DEPARTURE
July 17
Brisbane
Cairns
Mount Isa
Alice Springs
Darwin
Port Hedland
Geraldton
Perth
Albeny
Port Lincoln
Adelaide
Melbourne
Canberra
Sydney
Brisbane
Los Angeles, CA
July 19
August 20
August 31
September 5
September 20
October 3
October 13
October 18
October 27
November 4
November 7
November 11
November 13
November 17
November 25
December 9
July 19
August 19
September 6
September 8
September 17
September 29
October 9
October 11
October 20
October 30
November 3
November 9
November 20
November 23
December 3
December 9
August 10
August 28
September 1
September 10
September 24
October 5
October 15
October 25
October 28
November 5
November 9
November 13
November 15
November 20
December 9
December 10
July 28
August 29
September 6
September 12
September 19
September 29
October 9
October 15
October 23
November 2
November 6
November 12
November 21
November 23
December 9
December 10

The Ultralight - Harrison Aero

Transcription

Similar documents

kids asking questions and then being able to explain

A celebration of acting monologues and duets!

The 7 th Annual Orchard Beach Car Show

Invitation

Operation Identification - Palm Beach County Sheriff`s Office

webtour-beachbucks - Web.com Tour Championship

Housing Options in West Palm Beach, FL

Elk / Beaver Lake Regional Park

Sun Sentinel Albita

Dec2014 - Willmore City Heritage Association