Day Two... much better weather... .jpg) A couple of the great things about flying into Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary is that the airfield transfer and the breakfast are included with accommodation. So we enjoyed an early breakfast interrupted only by running to grab the cameras to take photos of the golden sunrise on the harsh landscape. It's was stunning, and put a smile on my face as I knew the weather was going to be as good as forecast. .jpg) Shortly after breeky we were shuttled off to the airfield and prepared for departure. This take-off was always going to test both pilot and aircraft, as the Performance-chart showed the Cessna 206 was near its reduced Maximum Take Off Weight for the 650 m strip, even with a light fuel load. Adding to complexity is that the strip surface is shale, so no "brakes-on, power-up" allowed. Apart from not using brakes, performing a standard short-field take-off resulted in being airborne in about 2/3 of the strip. Climbing away was never an issue, as the aircraft has engine extractors that provide excellent performance. .jpg) We flew over the Sanctuary tucked in a valley, and the Flinders Ranges were looking great from the air. We tracked direct to William Creek past Marree and over Lake Eyre South. The sun reflecting on the water gave interesting photographs with good contrast. Parts of Lake Eyre South were still dry, but the gentle breeze was pushing water over the flat areas showing amazing colours and patterns. .jpg) In this area CASA Instrument 145/10 is in effect and it works well. Essentially, all aircraft activities in the area bounded by four points (ie. a rectangle) up to 5000 ft are required to use the CTAF frequency. If you're going to the Lake Eyre region, you have to get a hold of Instrument 145/10 - current until Oct 2010 unless amended. William Creek is included in that area. You can find the Instrument here: http://www.casa.gov.au/scripts/nc.dll?WCMS:STANDARD::pc=PC_93555
Making sure photography appetites were satisfied for now, we continued on to William Creek. Flight time 1.7 hours. Hmmm... William Creek... it was good to be back. - Unique?- yes.
- Exciting?- maybe.
- First rate accommodation? - Not quite.
But when one thinks of how isolated the town is, and when the chilled liquid gold is in hand, minor details of accommodation quality were of little concern. Bottom line is that William Creek is unique to visit, interesting to photograph, and is a great stepping stone for a flight over Lake Eyre, which after all is why we're here. Marree is good too - I've stayed there before, but William Creek is attractive due to experiencing pure isolation, and has the benefit of the Painted Hills nearby. More on that in the next blog of Day Three. That same day Wayne from Arid Areas Tours took my four passengers out to Lake Eyre by four wheel drive - about 75 k's away or so. The feedback was that he's a top bloke, provided a great lunch by the lake's edge, and had interesting facts and stories about the area. While it was a good trip and they said it was worth it, they also said seeing the lake from the air made a land based tour feel a bit obsolete - others may feel differently. However, if you're in William Creek or Coober Pedy, and if you want to visit the lake's edge, then I recommend contacting Wayne. So while they were out I relaxed for the afternoon. I chatted with the crew from Wright's Air who have a wealth of local knowledge and are very helpful people. But the best part was enjoying a couple quiet beers out the front of the pub watching the world go by in this tiny isolated town (population about 10) that's bustling with outback activity. .jpg) The highlights: - Arkaroola is an excellent fly-in destination, with Balcanoona (1000m bitumen) an easy alternate 6nm away. Next time we'll stay longer at the Sanctuary - service and facilities are very good for it's location.
- Lake Eyre South was great, but wait untill you see the photos from Lake Eyre North. The place is huge.
- William Creek is a really interesting fly-in destination for a night. I recommend it, but just one night should be enough.
No fuel needed today. Airfields: - Arkaroola: 650m shale, slopes down at each end and is slightly curved. Tucked in a valley so Westerly winds needs to considered carefully. Last-light too can be an issue due to high terrain. See http://www.arkaroola.com/aerodrome.php for info.
- William Creek: 1000m gravel/dirt. Contact Wright's Air - details online. Don't park on the RFDS pad (doubles as a run-up bay), like some other inconsiderate pilots did.
See you on Day Three.
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The airfield descriptions, fuel tips etc. are great.
I'm thinking of heading back up to the lake in the next month or 2. (It's been 10 years)
Looking forward to Day 3