Charter flight

I really did have the most incredible weekend. Sailing was awesome so, high winds aside it, would highly recommend it. There is nothing quite like the sense of serenity and peace, even with the wind clanging every piece of equipment imaginable. Highlights of course other than being out on the water was sharing some time with the loggerhead turtle. We saw many, but I like to think it was the same one greeting us and welcoming us to her bay. She was so gentle that it was a privilege to see her on a semi regular basis. If I thought the adventures topped there I was wrong. Options for transfer to Mackay were to take the barge, then drive 1.5 hours. Thanks to Frank we decided this was not a viable option so he organised a charter flight from Hamilton Island to Mackay. The plane was a small single winger craft. Two seats. Mine, and the pilots. Trish welcomed me and proceeded to run through the safety drill - on the Tarmac, by tying a piece of string around my waist. Apparently, this was the life vest. Hopefully it wouldn't be required, but just in case it was there ready for use. Remove the packing, slip the vest over your head, wait until you are outside the aircraft, then pull the toggles to inflate. Perfect. The range of dials and other controls was impressive. Lots of gauges and numbers. The ones with fluorescent paint were the important ones. Why else would they be high viz orange? I was in very safe hands and as such was able to sit back and enjoy the flight. Actually I was so excited I sat perched on the edge of my seat the entire time - looking at anything and everything. The key advantage of the small plane definitely being its ability to remain below cloud level. Islands, buildings, cemeteries, all look incredible from such a a vantage point. I must admit though that the cemetery was on the close end of the Mackay airport. It would have been too creepy approaching the airstrip to see the cemetery awaiting you if you overshot the runway. The most amazing part of the flight was not only seeing the rainbow, but virtually flying though it. Somehow as we approached it became almost circular and we ended up flying through the edge of the ring made by the rainbow. Incredible experience. Right up there as far as special moments go. 15.7.13

Cradle Mountain

We had to run an errand which saw us heading to Devonport. Perfect way to cap off the 2.30 hour road trip was to detour to Cradle Mountain before heading back to the farm. Much as I love the farm, mini adventures and overnighters is what Tasmania is all about, so at the first hint of an excursion I was in. Cradle Mountain is truly beautiful. A large section of unspoilt wilderness. Perfect for exploring and walking. For those adventurous souls there is the Overland Track - a walk of 80 or so kilometres that takes anything from 5 - 7 days. Each year over 8000 people walk this track. For those more sensible souls there are a range of day walks ranging from 30 minutes or so to a couple of hours. Given weather conditions the choice is yours. The set up to support visitation is quite impressive and given the number of people visiting the area, the behind the scenes coordination goes a long way to making things viable and minimising the human impact on this Heritage listed wilderness area. Even in April, with drizzle and wind, the weather was cold and far from pleasant. That said everyone just got in and enjoyed the scenery regardless. We still took photographs and some of these I think will still capture the raw beauty of Cradle Mountain. Appearing through the fog, rising behind Dove Lake I can only imagine how impressive this mountain is in clear weather. For me though, the Boat Shed and the rainbow we saw more than made up for any disappointment at seeing Cradle Mountain itself disappear into the mist. I have never seen a rainbow arc a full semi circle like this one did. It was an awe inspiring sight. One that you could never fully imagine without having seen it for yourself. 2.4.2013