Posts Tagged ‘Lake Eyre filling’

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A must for the Bucket List- Flying in & around the Outback & Lake Eyre

November 13th, 2011 by Lunch

Interestingly enough, I only have just got the chance to check out the award winning film, The Bucket List with famous actors Morgan Freeman & Jack Nicholson. Very coincidentally, one of passengers from our last trip commented that flying in and around the outback and Lake Eyre, should definitely be on everyone’s bucket list! Funnily enough, on Australian Travellers 100 Things To Do Before You Die 2011 Index, seeing Lake Eyre in flood comes in at No. 3. Clearly, Morgan & Jack didn’t have enough time in their own lists!

We had our last 2 trips in late October with more fantastic people on board to see the the amazing countryside going full steam. Even though there is still plenty of water in the Coongie Lakes, the Diamantina River around Birdsville and  Lake Eyre, our season has now closed until April 2012 when the when the outback temperature starts to cool down again!

Here is what our last guests had to say about their experinece with Goin’ Off Safaris;

” Jetting around these remote locations with a great bunch of people is the only way to go! Factor in pilots who are fabulous to hang out with & so approachable, was an unexpected bonus. The social side of our trip was so much fun. I would go on a trip anywhere organised by David Doudle and his company, Goin’ Off Safaris….” Deb, Geraldton WA

“Thankyou for a wonderful 3 days (it seemed much longer as we fitted so much into it). The food & accommodation was terrific. Special thanks to our 2 “perfect pilots and to David for your enthusiasm, which added to the trip immensely. And of course, our destinations were amazing……! Jenny, Melbourne Vic

” The most enjoyable trip that I have done in a long time! A beautiful birthday present from my lovely wife. Very well organised with pilots P1 & P2 fantastic. I will never forget Lake Eyre & the vastness of the water volume. Highly recommended to all……” Steve, Melbourne Vic

” I’d like to say a big  thank you for a wonderfully relaxed & safe Outback Experience.With all the great people onboard it was so much fun especially with those 2 “handsome”, capable & fun pilots P1 & P2! Thanks to David as well for his tremendous organisational skills…….” Nanda, Melbourne Vic

” I had a great time, enjoyed the company & the relaxed mood of it all. It would be great to include some Aboriginal history into the itinerary if possible. Thanks to all involved……” John, Melbourne Vic

“I had a great time, great adventure & really enjoyed the company. We would be interested in a a frequent user type system & sound like David & his Goin’ Off Safaris has a few adventures that we would be interested in! Thanks very much to the pilots & crew……..” Kevin, Brisbane Qld

” A fun time with an interesting & diverse group of people including all crew on board. The pilots were very experienced & inspired confidence given the extensive flying involved in this safari & varied conditions. A great way to see key Outback landmarks in comfort. Well chosen accommodation & meals were tremendous. Informative & interesting commentary from some of the “local characters” from local tours added to the experience……” Sylvia, Melbourne Vic

“Great food & people. Overall, a bloody good time……! Karen, Pt. Macquarie NSW

“Dear David…. Thank you for the most wonderful fun filled days…on the Lake Eyre & Supreme  3 day scenic safari.  When we have described the trip to friends we called it the ‘ lazy mans’ Outback adventure. To be fair the people on board were all short of time rather than lazy,  everyone had a really busy life with businesses and farms etc. The timing suited us and the amount of days was all we could give up as well.We just loved every minute… the flying part was much better than I thought and that was a pleasant surprise. The weather was kind too!Loved all the food and the accommodation and the places we visited were a dream come true for Steve and I.P1 and P2 were just lovely and thank God so skillful. We all loved the two bus tours too..Birdsville and Coober Pedy, what characters!You, also very relaxed and I never saw you get frustrated and annoyed…. Well done to you too David.Our Best wishes and we will certainly recommend your company to our friends… The trip was all we wanted it to be and more!   Lucky Us!!

“Our Lake Eyre & Outback Adventure was just a dream! We cannot thank you enough for organizing such a wonderful trip & we really could not fault a thing. It quickly became obvious that you go to a lot of trouble to make the trip a memroable in every way from the wonderful pilots P1 & P2, the local tours, accommodation, excellent hearty meals & the lovely characters at all our destinations. We had such a diverse fun group of people on the trip too (including yourself) which added to the great experience.Thanks again for such a great trip we will stay in touch……” Leigh, Brisbane Qld.

” A fabulous itinerary & thoroughly enjoyable. So pleased to have done this trip……” Heather, Melbourne Vic

” Excellent trip, especially the flight over the Coongie Lakes! Loved the Birdsville Hotel & cannot wait to come back for the races……” Evelyn, Adelaide SA

“As Australians, we should have done this trip before. It was all amazing!Put this one on your “Bucket List”……..!Lynda & Ken, Sydney NSW

Thats all folks until 2012. We will still take all inquiries & keep everyone posted on what is happening!

 

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Lake Eyre waters slowly evaporating

September 21st, 2011 by Lunch

There is still plenty of water in the massive Lake Eyre, but the water is slowly evaporating as we have seen from our recent flying safaris from Adelaide and around the Outback Loop to Coober Pedy and back again. Our guests are still having a great time exploring the vastness and open country of the outback regions plus the rich cropping soils of South Australia’s Mid North and the fishing mecca of the Spencer Gulf, all in 3 days of flying fun!

Its unbelievable how just a few months ago, we couldnt drag the canoes out at Innamincka as the 6m water levels made this task slightly above the our “safety threshold” of management and now the water has flowed that quickly into Lake Eyre, that now there is insufficient amount of water to paddle in! To make up for this though is Gus and his friendly Blue Heeler dogs are all part of the act when we land at the Dig Tree for lunch. The wildflowers are a picture as is the Flinders Ranges and with the fantastic meals along the way at the Innamincka & Birdsville Pubs and the award winning Johns Pizza Bar in Coober Pedy, our guests are always well fed.

Here are our passengers thoughts from a recent trip which saw the crew arrive into Birdsville after the towns famous horse races!

“The 4 month wait was worth it. The trip was everything we had hoped for & more. Tony & Chris were fantastic with Coober Pedy a real highlight & really enjoyed the morning land based tour. Great accommodation & meals…..” Robert & Margeret, Brisbane

“Really enjoyed the tour! Chris & Tony were a great team & combined well. I like the idea of all the food & accommodation included…” Graeme, Brisbane

“A fantastic 3 days, extremely interesting, excellent organisation & accommodation great! A big thankyou to Tony & Chris for looking after us so well & making it all so enjoyable & fun….” Dorothy & Bob, Perth

“We had a truly remarkable experience & even though we have only been away a few days, we felt like it was much longer – due to what we have seen & the wonderful adventure! Neither of us has been on a flying trip before but we thouraly enjoyed our journey. Chris & Tony were wonderful & nothing to much trouble. All the places we stayed at offered us a wonderful taste of the outback & a unique experience of Australia. It was great having a small friendly group to share the experience with & we would highly reccommend this experience to all….” Jim & Marina, Melbourne

” Altogether a fantastic 3 days! I have thourougly enjoyed the company of fellow travellers, pilots & hosts. Would love to have spent more time in Coober Pedy as there is so much of interest there! Very enjoyable & very well organised trip. The program, the routes & the arrangements were all first class & worked like clockwork. The aircraft was an ideal size & was flown by very experienced & great blokes! A wonderful trip….” Patty & Jim, Melbourne

“Thankyou Tony, Chris & Goin Off Safaris for a wonderful, wonderful experience. We were so lucky to have 2 such talented, knowledgable & social pilots. Tony’s ability to manouvre the plane over Lake Eyre, Coongie Lakes to see the birds & Cooper Creek made it possible for everyone on board to view everything was outstanding. We have travelled all this area by 4WD, but could not compare with seeing it by the air. Birdsville was fabulous with the post race atmosphere as last time that we were there, we saw very few people! Great atmosphere with accommodation at Innamincka & Coober Pedy fascinating. Thankyou for the total experience…….! Sue & Rob, Brisbane

“Many thanks for a great 3 days….! Terry, Perth

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Flying to Lake Eyre & the Dig Tree was just the best!

August 11th, 2011 by Lunch

It has taken us a while, but we are now landing at the Dig Tree in outback Queensland.As most people know, the Dig Tree had become infamous in the plight of the incredibly brave explorers of Robert O’Hara Burke and William John Wills, to become the first to cross the country from Melbourne in the south to the Gulf of Carpentaria in northern Australia (approx. 3250km), way back in 1860-61.

Located bang on the Cooper Creek, the Dig Tree is just 36km NE from Innamincka or 9 minutes flying so it makes very easy access to get to this historical landmark and is one of the many great inclusions which you do get to experience in our 2 and 3 day Lake Eyre and Outback Flying safaris. I do have to mention a great read on the fateful expedition of Burke and Wills, by Sarah Murgatroyd which is simply titled; “The Dig Tree” – The story of Burke & Wills exploration of inland Australia.

All in all, the Dig Tree was just another highlight in a weekend full of highlights for another plane full of very happy customers, with fantastic weather, service and the outback hospitality continued at Innamincka, Birdsville &  William Creek. Here is what our guests said about the weekend;

” Had a wonderful trip! Loved Birdsville & especially the museum. Lake Eyre & the Dig Tree was just the best. Thanks to Tony, Chris, Fish & Goin’ Off Safaris for a great & most enjoyable trip…..” Lyn- Toowoomba, Qld

“Awesome trip & experience. Natural wonders seen by plane & canoe were a winning combination for me. Seeing Coopers Creek creeping into Lake Eyre from the air the day after we had travelled on it by canoe was way cool & one of the many highlights. Thanks to the Goin’ Off Safaris crew who made the experience lots of fun. Many, many thanks…..” Gabby- Perth, WA

” A lifetime of memories from one amazing weekend. Talk about a sunburnt country of droughts & flooding rains! Lake Eyre from the air in flood was amazing. Thanks to Fish, Phitzy & Tony for a wonderful time……..” Brett- Sydney, NSW

” I feel like I’ve had a new holiday at every step…. 7 holidays in 1 weekend. Thanks so much!…….Kirsten- Sydney, NSW

” I cannot think of a better way to spend a weekend. Flinders Ranges, Coongie Lakes, canoeing on the Cooper Creek, A fantastic trip, I loved it…….” Megan- Tara, Qld

” Thanks so much to Fish, Tony & Chris for 2 days of fantastic experiences! We had a brilliant time ( have all ready reccommended this to friends) and the tour was really well organised & interesting. Pilots fantastic with Fish a natural guide & an infectious enthusiasm. I think he was the most excited out of us all that we got to land at the Dig Tree! We had a great bunch of people on the tour which adds to the whole experience. Thanks again- it truly was a once in a lifetime experience………” Scott & Julie – Karkoo, SA

” A wonderful way to spend the weekend & being able to visit some of the iconic/historic towns & locations in Central Australia has been an unforgettable experience. Tony & Chris provided great flying skills backed up by our host, Fish. Thanks for everything…….” Suzanna & Colin- Barossa Valley, SA

With only 6 trips left until late October and limited vacancies, please contact us or go to our website for more details, images and a video of these sensational journey into the Outback and the wonders of the region.

 

 

 

One of the most historic

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June 10-12 Lake Eyre Supreme Scenic Safari

May 30th, 2011 by Lunch

They are on again folks….. 3 days of exploring the Outback in a bit of style and class!

We took to the skies 2 weekends ago for our first 3 Day  Lake Eyre and surrounds, Supreme Scenic Safari trip of the season. With passengers coming as far as New Zealand to see Australia’s biggest  lake filling, it was again a spectacle and great being up in the outback to see old and meet new acquaintances. Here’s what our passengers had to say;

“I loved the wide open spaces & associated landscapes, with the number of days away being just right” – Casey (Qld)

” The small group allowed us more interaction with the town and underground mine tour at Coober Pedy as well as the Outback working Mine in Birdsville with John Menzies. Is’nt he a legend….” – Jacqui (NZ)

“Seeing the vastness of the countryside by air was a real advantage and we still had plenty of time to spend and explore at our stopover towns like Innamincka, Birdsville, William Creek and Coober Pedy” – Diane (NZ)

“We came to see all the water in Lake Eyre & upper regions, but all the other things on tour made the trip complete” – Kevin (NZ)

“All I expected and more!!” – Jo(Victoria)

“I Loved the sunrise over the Cooper Creek at Innamincka. It was incredibly beautiful. The accommodation and meals was above expectations and great” – Kate (Victoria)

“The Lake Eyre experience is definitely enhanced and put into perspective by the Goin’ Off Safaris package by visits to great Australian outback towns like Innamincka, Birdsville & Coober Pedy” – Brett ( Qld)

” This package gave me a better understanding of the river and road systems which make this area of Australia unique. The knowledge of Goin’ Off Safaris guide along with the pilots professionalism, made this a fantastic trip of a lifetime. Highly recommend this to anyone” – Kevin (NZ)

Our next 3 day  trip with availabilities is on the June 10-12th,long weekend. Click here for more details on itineraries and other dates!

 

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Lake Eyre & the Outback via Qantas

April 12th, 2011 by Lunch

Great vision today from the window seat of Australia’s own, Qantas, as we went straight over Lake Eyre and surrounding areas, en route from Alice Springs to Adelaide
Not quite the Lake Eyre and Outback Loop that Goin Off Safaris takes you in our 2 & 3 day scenic flights over the region, but this quick flight certainly gives you a great insight to what’s happening, even though we are flying high across the region!
Every dam is full, every waterway is flowing and the landscape looks incredible.
Our scenic flights are gaining momentum with lots of bookings with plenty of room still available!
Todays images from aisle 5A can be found below.

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Lake Eyre and Outback flights 2011

March 22nd, 2011 by Lunch

Well, what an unbelievable summer it has been in South Australia’s Outback! Normally this parched and sun-burnt part of the country is dry as a chip, with very little signs of any type of life but consistent rainfall has seen the whole region bursting with water and another new chapter in this incredible part of the country.

Lake Eyre is all the rage again as water from major entries into the Lake, the Warburton and Macumba Rivers, plus the  Cooper Creek are all flowing significantly and  filling the Australia’s largest lake(see map below). On top of this heavy local rainfall around Marree and William Creek has seen Lake Eyre South, actually fill all ready and we are not even close to winter as yet!

With every tributary, river, creek flowing into Lake Eyre North, we are more than confident that we will see Lake Eyre fill for the first time since 1974, and this will be something to see, especially from the air in the beautiful Beech 18 or the sleek Metro II!

Our new scenic flights are now all sorted out for the “barrage” of traffic, ready to experience the inland sea in its glory and the Outback at its very rare, but absolute very best.

We at Goin’ Off Safaris invite you to check out our new 2 Day Ultimate Lake Eyre & Outback Weekender flight as well as our very popular 3 Day Supreme Scenic Safari, with all dates, itineraries and inclusions on our website.

There is something for everyone as we not only fly over the flooded areas of Lake Eyre, Warburton Groove, Coongie Lakes and all the surrounding regions, but drop on down into the iconic, outback Australian towns of Innamincka, Birdsville, William Creek and Coober Pedy and the infamous, but historical Dig Tree of Burke & Wills fame. There is plenty of time to explore these townships and what they have provided to our history( if your into that side of things) or if your a bit more adventurous, get yourself into a canoe to paddle the amazing Cooper Creek and then grab some massive yabbies, from the causeway at Innamincka! I’m into Australian culture and this is found throughout the journey in our famous outback pubs at Innamincka, Birdsville, William Creek and underground at Coober Pedy where you can enjoy a refreshing cleanser, a big hearty meal and the company of local characters

Our Outback Loop, 2-3 day flights take off  from May until November and all you have to do is get to Adelaide, South Australia and we take care of things from there. Contact us here!

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Another successful 3 day Lake Eyre flying safari

October 25th, 2010 by Lunch

Sorry, bit late on this report from a couple of weeks back. We had another fine group of clients from all parts of Australia for the 3 Day Supreme Scenic Safari. Once again, local rainfall at Innamincka caused us to reverse the itinerary by flying to Coober Pedy to start off proceedings.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Another fantastic bunch of personal on board
  • The outstanding hospitality shown by the Clee family at the Comfort Inn Coober Pedy Experience, Pete, Nick & all the staff at the award winning Johns Pizza Bar and Resteraunt in Coober Pedy and Geoff & Julie Matthews at the Cooper Creek Homestay, Innamincka
  • Jimmy “the Runner’s” commentary on board our ground tour at Coober Pedy
  • Our scenic pass over the Painted Hills and the Prominent Hill mine
  • The peppered camel pie, sauce and Coopers Pale Ale at the William Creek pub!
  • Wrights Air, William Creek who came to the rescue when our Beech 18 had a very small problem but had to be grounded. Paul Williams made sure that we all got to our digs at Innamincka and provided great service along the way.
  • Lake Eyre, truly majestic
  • Seeing the ferry in action, taking people across the Birdsville Track at Ettadunna
  • Geoff Matthews national and world philosophies on anything that mattered!
  • Kayaking the beautiful Coopers Creek amongst hundreds of birds, tortoises and the absolute serenity of the whole scene was incredible
  • The Coongie Lakes, still swollen with water
  • How well the whole landscape looks from the cropping country in the mid north to full dams in the pastoral land.

LOWLIGHTS

  • Leaving our pilot Phitzy at the William Creek pub for 4 days. He was hamming it up whilst everyone else was feeling sorry for him amongst the flies & dust!!
  • Someone had taken all the extra large yabbies in the Cooper Creek, Innamincka
  • We couldnt make Birdsville due to bad weather……again!

All in all, another great trip with again, plenty of memories!

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Coongie Lakes exposed again.

October 1st, 2010 by Lunch

Here’s a close up image of part of the Coongie Lakes at sundown. Taken by The Sentimental Bloke, Peter MacDonald, this region of far north eastern part of SA is the highlight of all flooded areas. Fuelled from rain and the mass of rainfall surging out of the Cooper Creek, we can showcase this National Park from about 600 ft which is close enough to see all the wildlife blink as we fly on over!

We’re flying up here next Friday the 8th of October and also on the 19th of October as part of our 3 day Lake Eyre Supreme Scenic Safari and will be staying close by at the fantastic Cooper’s Creek Homestay in Innamincka. 2 seats vacant on both trips and looking forward to those monster yabbies again for breakfast!

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Flying Lake Eyre in nostalgic style!

September 28th, 2010 by Lunch

Want to see Lake Eyre at its best for 30 years? How about the flooded Coongie Lakes and the Cooper Creek with crayfish sized yabbies?  Have you flown  into famous outback towns like Birdsville,  Innamincka,  William Creek (with the biggest steak burgers in the country!) and mixed with the local characters in residence?  What about the  unique underground mining town and opal capital of the world, Coober Pedy, complete with above and underground land tours?  Ever flown over the spectacular Flinders Ranges or stepped back in Australian exploration history to visit the Dig Tree of Burke & Wills fame? If you have, well done on seeing some of Australia’s best landscapes and hospitable regions!

But I bet you havent flown in Australia’s only operating 1952 Beech 18….! This is a 3 day scenic tour with a bit of nostalgic class, style and is  very comfortable with spectacular sights on and above ground.

We still have a few vacancies for our upcoming trip departing Adelaide on the 8th-10th of October, so please contact us asap if interested! Priced at $2990 per person, all inclusive.

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Lake Eyre Adventure!

September 26th, 2010 by Lunch

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!

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