I took off on a quick jaunt across Australia and back the other day. I didn’t need much of an excuse, some friends meeting at Margaret River and a new (to me) ACA Scout sitting on even newer tundra tyres had me hankering for a fly somewhere, anywhere. Tasmania to Western Australia sounded pretty good! So I headed off under a heavy overcast with showers, no particular plan, just cross “The Strait” then head west with tent and camping gear.

Day 1: I managed to get to Meningie after dodging showers over Bass Strait, plugging around the 12 Apostles into a 20 knot headwind, stopping for coffee under the wing at Port Fairy and refuelling at Naracoorte.  I had planned on an off airport landing somewhere before Meningie but I wasn’t in the mood, it was cold and windy. Everywhere looked wet. Meningie has a great camping area right on the airstrip and here the airport manager visited for a while and we demolished my cask of red (it was meant to last the whole trip) while talking planes and flying.  I forget his name but he owned a Mooney and made good company. Day 1 flight time: 5.5 hours

 Above: Meningie Airport

Day 2: It was blowing crosswind to my track as I headed over the Spencer Gulf via Kangaroo Island, Yorktown Peninsular and Wedge Island, again dodging showers and under a low overcast. My fin was in the clouds at 800 feet and the plane was tracking diagonally over the ground in some places but I cruised at 100 knots for a while. After crossing the Gulf I intended landing at Elliston where the bakery is apparently an easy walk and a good place for coffee but because I had good coffee and a stove on board I decided to try an off airport landing on a dry lake. Never mind that any light aeroplane could have landed here, this is not the point, it was my first off airport landing and I enjoyed coffee on the lake bed edge amongst wildflowers. It beat a bakery coffee hands down.

Above: Coffee spot on dry lake

After coffee I pointed west again, the low overcast had good visibility underneath and the showers had been left behind over the Gulf but it was still blowing a bloody gale and I was still flying sideways. An hour or so later I landed at Ceduna for fuel in 20 odd knots of crosswind and the wind was starting to piss me off. There is very little at Ceduna Airport so after refuelling, I carefully checked that I was alone and then I took off from the refuelling bay because it was pointed directly into about 30 knots of headwind, had 200 metres of hardstand beyond it and the prospect of taxiing back to the runway in such conditions was daunting. I pointed west again, planning on an out landing in the desert near dark.

Above: Somewhere west of Elliston

I made it into WA a few hours later, the sun was out, the wind had dropped and I began to look for a spot for the night. After looking at and rejecting a few roads, three disused airstrips and a dry lake I finally spotted a grassy clearing in the middle of nowhere, flew a couple of “look see” patterns then did my best short field approach with slight “heart in mouth”. It turned out to be a smooth landing in pristine desert wilderness and after some hard braking I stopped and wandered around my new airport. Walking the ground before taxing is important, it would be a shame to land OK then taxi into a hidden obstruction. After filling my socks with grass seeds I was satisfied that all was well “off airport” and I started up and taxied to a lovely camping spot with abundant firewood in an area totally devoid of any sign of human life. I brewed a cup of tea then settled into camp for the night. Day 2 flight time: 7.4 hours

 Above: Desert camp spot

Day 3:  The previous evening I had paced out 220 metres and I only needed 200 to clear 50’. The trees looked awfully close so I stood on the brakes, pushed full throttle and hoped. The take off turned out easy, the trees passed with room to spare and I pointed at the coast for a look at the Nullarbor cliffs before tuning in Caiguna on the GPS where I landed for a bit of fuel ($2.90 per litre, ouch). From Caiguna I headed on to Esperance and into 20 odd knots of headwind. Wind was becoming a feature of this trip! All I could manage was about 75 knots of ground speed. I messed around trying a few different altitudes before settling in at 500 agl where the headwind was lowest. At Esperance I checked into a motel and spent a day and a couple of nights checking out this rather cool town. Day 3 flight time: 7.5 hours

Day 5:  After a rest day in Esperance, Margaret River looked close but again, all I could manage was 80 knots ground speed. About an hour underway I needed a coffee and a piss so I landed in a field of stubble, somewhere on some farm. There were no houses or signs of anyone as far as the eye could see so I figured no one would know to care. As I enjoyed coffee a fox wandered past.

This was my third off airport landing and because it was a farm field I expected it to be smooth but it wasn’t. The ground was littered with big rocks and I went for a walk to check out the take off run. Where I had planned looked ordinary but a slightly uphill run was smoother. A bit further on I needed another comfort stop (too much coffee) so I landed at Jerramungup. I have been here before; the last time was to deliver a Cessna Agwagon for a crop dusting company that hired me as a ferry pilot. I recalled hitch hiking to Albany; I got a lift with grey nomads in a caravan convoy and avoiding a 24 hour wait for the bus. From here Margaret River is close but I still only managed 80 knots. The landscape was changing and about 30 miles from Margaret River I decided to point at Busselton instead so I could refuel and be ready for the trip home. Busselton has a great little aero club and I stopped for an hour or so before beginning the final leg to my destination. At Margaret River I tied down and reflected, just over 24 hours flight time to cross Australia. It was fun.