Before I start this little story, (for our TEFC club members) don't forget the flyaway to Batchelor and cricket match against the parachutists this coming weekend.

Aerial - Palmerston

During this time of the year the air is clear which makes it perfect for photography before the first fires start turning the top end into dry haze. I took a flight up along the southern coastline of Darwin Harbour where there was a large natural gas storage ship in dock at Wickham Point taking on its cargo of supercooled natural gas bound I guess for Japan. Nearby was our power station located on Channel island.

Aerial - Darwin Harbour Developments and Skyline

The wind was negligible and the glassy harbour waters were only disturbed by the wakes of fishing boats heading out to or returning from their favourite trolling grounds. In the distance a small navy vessel was towing a much smaller boat that had been apprehended either bringing illegal immigrants in or trying to take fish out of our northern waters.

I headed to the small airstrip located at Delissaville and landed to check the new spring I had fixed to the exhaust system. I seem to go through one every time I fly. I had never landed at Delissaville before which is an airstrip located about kilometre from the Aboriginal township of the same name name. This airstrip is a very well maintained dirt airstrip complete with solar powered night lights.

Aerial - Delissaville

After checking that everything was still in place I ventured further west crossing the northern portion of Indian Island where I noticed what looked like permanent fresh water on the north side of this very long skinny island. The long white beach on the northern shore would probably do for an emergency landing spot, but how soft was the sand? No need to try it out. Out to my north west was Bare Sand island with its lonely single tree surround by a pure white mass of sand and next to that Quail island, where the RAAF conducted bombing training runs years ago.

Nowadays, the only eggs deposited in the area are those of the turtles who treat tis place as a favoured nesting spot.

Further down toward Dundee is Dum in mirrie island where Max Baumber has lived with his family for pretty close to half a century, making a living out of coastal fishing. He told me that when the RAAF used to bomb Quail island, every teacup in his house three islands away used to rattle.

Dum in mirrie has a great airstrip and I normally drop in and say hello, but I didn't have a newspaper or a couple of ice coffees to bring as my "landing fee" and decided to press on to have a look at the airstrip at Dundee, five minutes away. This chain of islands sits on a rock shelf which is impassable to boats at low tide making it a long journey to get back to six pack creek or crabclaw island where boat ramps are.

Aerial - Flight around Bynoe Harbour

A quick look at Dundee's airstrip showed that the speargrass was too high for me to make an unnecessary landing so again I opted to overfly and press on. I was now heading down the southern side of Bynoe Harbour which is not only home to lots of big fish and crocodiles - but is where paspalis pearls has one of its many pearl farms.

I continued down to Crabclaw Island where I overflew the fifth airstrip for the day. What I failed to mention was that I saw a block of land near Dundee that had both an airstrip and backed onto one of the creeks meaning that you could fly in from Darwin, pop the tinny in the creek and have a fish feed on the barbeque within the hour. Nice!

Even though at this time I was flying at about PM and it was pretty hot, it was pretty much hands free flying most of the way back meaning that the air was still extremely smooth with just a little lift from the scattered clouds. Back to MKT Airfield where I caught up with Bruce and managed to take a photograph of two gyros that had also dropped in. Another couple were heading off in their Jabiru and they had just paid 72 dollars for a taxi fare from Darwin to MKT Airfield.

From TEFC - Aircraft - Gyrocopter

So if you are a visitor to Darwin, email us before hand and if someone is coming out to MKT or heading into town we might be able to arrange a lift.

A great day's flying and some lovely photographs.

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