Australian Flying — November-December 2017

Waltzing Matilda Motel, where

Neville and Caroline go out of

their way to help pilots. There’s

an outback film festival on so the

place is hopping; the pubs are

full (so someone told me) and the

whole atmosphere is vibrant. If

you haven’t placed a bet on the

chook race at the famous North

Gregory pub or had a steak at

Tattersalls listening to Sax & the

Single Girl, you need to.

Heading north-west from

Winton, we overf ly the show-pony

of the northern Channel Country

• that massively big sweeping
  arc of the Diamantina, with its
  dozens of tributaries and creeks,
  some f lowing, most of them dry
  but still hanging onto the darker
  green vegetation that nods to a
  drink somewhere in the not too
  distant past.
  Well past Julia Creek, we get
  the first inkling we are nearing
  the gulf with the trademark
  snaking tidal rivers of the region
  coming into view. Today is a
  2.7 hour leg from Winton to
  Burketown, with a tiny tailwind

on our side. I’d only ever stayed

at the old Burketown pub here,

but since that burned down, the

gliding boys at Caboolture have

always told me we should stay at

Savannah Lodge when we call

into Burketown. I figured they

should have a good handle on this,

since they regularly fill in days

and days up here waiting for their

magical Morning Glory to turn

up. Two words: book it. Amanda

at Savannah Lodge is across

everything we pilots want and

need (she’s married to one, and

they run Savannah Aviation). The

accommodation and surrounding

gardens are like a tropical oasis

on this steamy north Queensland

afternoon. Nice find.

Carpentaria

cruising

We have a big f light ahead of us on

day four of our journey, and we’re

all looking forward to hanging up

our headsets tonight for three days

on Bremer Island, just off Gove.

But not before a bucket-list day of

“...spend it here and now, with the people

you love, in the aircraft you adore, while

you still have the faculties to enjoy it.”

24

AUSTRALIAN FLYING November – December 2017

Destinations

A minimal footprint belies the experiences on

offer at the remote Kimberley Coastal Camp.

LEFT: We

reek of fish

but we’re all

smiles after

a week of

memories at

Kimberley

Coastal Camp.

BELOW:

Signature

Arnhem Land

beauty at

Banubanu.