Shoal air offered a scenic flight called Wandjina Explorer. It departed from Kununurra and tracked along the Ord River with its irrigation farmlands towards the unigue House Roof Hill, where much of the movie 'Australia' was filmed. We continued along the Ord River wetlands and estuary, passing the historic port of Wyndham and the Cambridge Gulf where the five major rivers of the East Kimberley converge. We then followed the Timor Sea coastline, north-west, flying over the Berkeley River and its new award winning resort. Next we detoured to the magestic King George Falls (not running!), orbiting the twin falls. Faraway Bay, another famous resort was next in sight, followed by the Drysdale River and Broome-Dampier Bay. We landed in Kalumburu, WA's most remote indigenous community for a picnic lunch and a tour of the museum at the Catholic Mission, followed by a tour of the WWII aircraft graveyard near the airfield. The flght then continued to the historic Truscott Airfield, our first line of defence in WWII. We then viewed the pearl farms of Vanssittart Bay, before flying over the famous Mitchell River Falls. En route back to Kununurra, we enjoyed the panoramic splendour of the Cockburn Ranges, Home Valley and El Questro Stations.
The flight to Kalumbaru and Mitchell Falls was a sensational way to see the north east coast of the Kimberley (the section we didn't get to see on our One Tide boat/camp cruise in 2011!)
Needless to say it surpassed all expectation with the magnificence of the scenery. And as we flew for much of the way between 1500 and 2000 feet, we saw the area from a bird's perspective, in all its glory.
New Ord River irrigation area, bought by the Chinese for sugar cane!
Ord River - old crossing.
Mud flats leading to the Cambridge Gulf.
East Kimberley coast
Mitchell Falls
Beach near Paspally pearls
Honeymoon Bay
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