Departing from Parafield Airport out of Adelaide, the flight plan includes Port Augusta- Wilpena Pound- Arkaroola- Innamincka- The Dig Tree- Birdsville- Goyders Lagoon-Warburton Creek- Lake Eyre North- William Creek- Oonnaddata -Dalhousie Springs- Painted Hills- Coober Pedy- Olympic Dam- Woomera- Pt.Augusta- Parafield.

We are looking to fill another 4 seats and we are offering  these at a specially discounted price of $2950.00. This includes Parafield Airport transfers from the Adelaide CBD, 3 days flying, 2 nights accommodation, 2 breakfasts, a 3 course dinner and entrance to the Birdsville Historical Museum.

Departure is early September 2010. Please contact us for further details and itinerary.

Presumably science still hasn’t come up with the answer as to how these pelicans know when the Coongie Lakes fill with water.

Since it happens only once every decade or longer it’s hard to know how ‘they’ know.

Even birds in Russia get on the wing and head down for a paddle and a bit of mating.

All that aside, it’s even harder to figure out how they can come back to the same island in the lakes to breed.

I mean, when they left, they weren’t much more than chicks and have cruised around our coasts for ten years or so.

This is the same place that The Sentimental Bloke, Peter MacDonald photographed in 1999. Click here to look at the island back then (it’s the third photo down). It doesn’t look much like the same place. Yet they know.

Soon, if not already, the larger of the two islands will be crammed with pelicans and not long after that there will be almost as many chicks ready to start the cycle all over again. Its an amazing,unknown piece of nature that can only be described as “Pelican Business”!

As reported on the TV screens late last week, it is now official that in South Australia’s Lake Torrens, there has been a colony of an estimated 150,000 native Banded Stilts that have bred more than 200,000 chicks!!!!

This is something else! The long beaked wading birds have trekked from their coastal habitat of South Australia’s, Coorong coastline, to breed in Lake Torrens when rain turns the salt lakes into a “shrimp brine soup”!

Up until recently, the total population of these “outback flamingos” was thought to be only 200-300,000 in the world, so this is a significant event. Full report. The Sentimental Bloke, Peter Macdonald also posted an excellent blog on this breeding event back at the end of May, which make good reading and also some great photos before the lake filled.

Our new 3 day Flinders Ranges/Lake Eyre Scenic Tours, takes you directly over Lake Torrens and you can see this colony plus a lot, lot more throughout your day in the air on this trip. For more information, please contact us.

It’s almost impossible to convey just how much water is in the Coongie Lakes at the moment.

It just goes on an on, almost as far as they eye can see in every direction. Hundreds of islands amid a thousand lakes.

Hard to imagine this is a formidable desert most of the time and at the time of this post, we have had confirmation that Lake Eyre is covered with water! Go to Lake Eyre tours for more info. Thanks again to The Sentimental Bloke for the stunning images.

The vision from the plane is unreal with endless miles of flooded plains.

Aircraft is your best mode of transport here at the moment; not much chance of getting down this track, or indeed any others around here for long while! Check out our Lake Eyre Tours for more info.

Goyder Lagoon, part of the Strzelecki Desert in the far north eastern part of South Australia – a million streams, large and small that have turned a once dry desert into hundreds of square kilometres of rich green landscape.

This really is quite remarkable & in this image by The Sentimental Bloke, you can actually see the water flowing at a rapid rate, on the bottom left hand corner of the picture. To see this and loads  more check out our Lake Eyre Tours.

The Warburton River just before it enters Lake Eyre which Pete MacDonald is using to illustrate a recent question that came via email about what sort of fish are in Lake Eyre?

The Warburton is fresh water flowing into Lake Eyre which is very salty. So Salty that freshwater fish can’t live in it for very long.

The fish in the Warburton, if they continue downstream will be short-lived.

However the Coongie Lakes is teeming with Callope also known as Yellowbelly or Golden Perch which is what attracts the masses of birdlife to the Lakes. To see the this & lots more go to our Lake Eyre Tour packages which are currently available.

A rare sight indeed. How good is this shot by the Sentimental Bloke, Pete MacDonald!

In fact something that may not be repeated for another 20 years or so.

The headwaters of the Cooper Creek heading for Lake Eyre in central Australia.

Apart from it’s historical significance, an almost surreal situation as the waters steadily and silently roll on through the desert sands.

It’s tipped these fresh waters, which have travelled more than a thousand kilometres from Outback Queensland, will reach Lake Eyre any day now. If interested in seeing the area from the ground or the air like Pete is at the moment check out our Lake Eyre Tour options!

Departing ex Adelaide, you have two great days on the road driving through the well renowned Clare Valley wine region & also the magical Flinders Ranges. We stay for 2 nights at one of Australia’s best known outback pubs, the Prairie Hotel in Parachilna, where a 3 course dinners & cooked breakfasts are included with exceptional hospitality!

The second day is spent flying around exploring the natural wonder of Lake Eyre filling up. See the endless flood waters & bird life at Jackboot Bay, the ferry crossing at Etadunna on Coopers Creek & loads more on a big day in the sky & also on land.

This a great & rewarding experience & all inclusively priced at $1750 per person. For more details visit please visit our Lake Eyre Tours page.

The famous and one time feared Birdsville Track finally cut after twenty long and dry years.

The waters of the Cooper Creek on its long journey from Queensland to Lake Eyre now flow across it..

The old punt that was last in service two decades ago & has been re-commissioned for the occasion.

It’s about 160 kilometres up the track from the Maree.

Expect a wait which will depend on how many vehicles are in line to cross. The punt takes only one vehicle at a time, so it will be a good time to have stretch of the legs or savour the moment!

Taking a ride on the punt could though be a once-in-a-lifetime experience,especially as legendary Australian icon Dick Smith is going to be the new ferryman!

These are more great images taken from the air by Peter MacDonald from the Sentimental Bloke . For more details on scenic flights & other tour available go to our Lake Eyre Tours .