Aerial Reconnaissance: Scenic flight over the ride area

June 19, 2013

This tour is a bit over the top, so why not go one step further and take a trip in a light plane over the tour area before we ride it?

From Kununurra airport there were a few operators offering flights over the region. Some included parts of the Gibb River Road, and other areas we won't be cycling through.

My wife and I took one of these flights before the other riders arrived in Kununurra and this is part of what we saw south and south west from Kununurra. The geography is unlike any area I have seen before.

We took off just after sunrise after having booked the flight through the Kununurra Visitor Centre.

The pilot picked us up in a mini-bus from our campground. The flight was well worth it. The views flying low and slow over this country were riveting from take-off to landing. Here's a glimpse of what I saw out of the window of the Volkswagen with wings:

Lake Argyle. Australia's biggest artificial water storage. Something like 75 km long. It looked big from the air.

Purnululu...this country would be difficult to cross on a touring bike! Our ride will be further west on the Gibb River Road.

This landscape is intriguingly complex. It is more like a gigantic work of art than erosion worn folds.

And there's part of the Gibb River Road which we will be cycling along next week.

The Gibb River Road not far from the Pentecost River. This section will be day 2 or 3 of our ride.

The Cockburn Range. Setting for the movie epic "Australia". Soon to be part of the scenery on our very own pedalling epic.

El Questro...luxury accommodation on a million acre cattle and tourism property.We won't be riding into El Questro but will pass the junction of the El Questro entry road with the Gibb River Road.Golf publishing magnate and CGOABer John Byrne would cruise into here and book the Chamberlain suite.Our small group will push on to find a gratis, sandy-banked, minimum-predator waterhole to peg our humble nylon tents next to.

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