What a great trip last weekend! 8 very keen enthusiasts plus legendary pilot Chris Phitzner and myself , headed for the skies and the Lake Eyre  aboard the classic 1952 Beechcraft 18.

The only Beech 18 flying in Australia, this beauty is very comfortable, very quiet, has great vision at every seat and seriously turns heads whenever we had to land! First port of call was Coober Pedy. We had a ground tour organised as we landed & this took in all the weird, wonderful and amazing sights and stories of everything in & around Coober Pedy. Famous local “Jimmy the Runner” was our superb guide and apart from the ancient inland seas of the Breakaways, the underground home of legendary Crocodile Harry was a highlight. Our digs at the Coober Pedy Comfort Inn Experience were fantastic, complete with an exposed opal seam, highlighting the towns best known commodity. The Old Timers Mine next door, has been transformed from one of the first working mines to house and now very impressive tourist attraction.

The next day, Birdsville was out due to heavy rain, so we headed to Innamincka, via William Creek. If you haven’t all ready heard, the steak sandwiches at the William Creek pub are massive and was the most popular item on the menu, albeit closely followed by the emu yiros! From here, it was all photography as we flew over the majority of Lake Eyre’s 9690 sq. kilometers. An imposing sight, it really is a marvel and gets even better as we flew over the Warburton Groove and the super impressive wetlands of the Coongie Lakes, where flying as low as 500 ft, you see some of the best outback sights you can imagine.

We were then greeted by the friendly hosts of Coopers Creek Homestay in Geoff  & Julie Matthews alongside the Coopers Creek in Innamincka. A few beers around the fire, a 3 course  dinner, a visit to the pub to watch the footy followed by a couple of further nightcaps back at the fire and it was no wonder we slept like babies!

For the keen punters on the trip, we were to meet back at the fire by 6.15am. The sun was just rising and we were keen to catch some fish and or yabbies and check out the bird life on the Cooper. No fish were caught but the crayfish sized yabbies made up well and truly  for any yellow belly! And didn’t they taste any good for breakfast! The bird-life of pelicans, black cormorants, white cockatoos and others dominated the causeway and it was a great start to the day.

Due to unforecasted rain and hence sticky air strip, we got going a little late. Our timing was perfect though as we hit the Flinders Ranges in late afternoon sunlight, which only further enhanced the beauty of this region and after a series of tough seasons, the Flinders is in top shape.  A great trip with plenty of adventure and camaraderie was had and very much looking forward to our next trips.

If your up to it, we still have  vacancies for the 3 Day Supreme Scenic Safari on the 8th-10th of October and also the 19th-21st of October. Contact us now!