20th anniversary of Oz Flight '99 - a flight around Australia's coast

20 years ago today, on the 3rd July 1999, I set off on a life-changing flight around the coast of Australia (mainland and Tasmania).
I'm a private pilot, not commercial or instrument rated, and when I set off I had only 400 hours flying time. But at 46 it was time for me to follow my dream.
It was a real roller coaster of a flight, with just 5% sponsorship and no partner or manager to share the load.
However, the main lessons learnt were: if you wait for ideal conditions before you attempt anything, then you'll probably never do anything, and if you want to achieve something badly enough then just persevere until you reach your goal.
The pics attached highlight not only the book about the flight but also places in Western Australia which I intend to revisit.

 
 

I invite you to join me on my next adventure by following https://www.onwingsandwheels.com/p/about.html and www.facebook.com/onwingsandwheels

Flight around Australia's coastline 19th anniversary

On the 3rd July 1999 I set off to fly around the coast of Australia in a Cessna 172P, so this month I'm celebrating the 19th anniversary of that flight. Read more about it at http://franwest.com/adventurer. I'm planning a few things for my 20th anniversary next year so stay tuned.

Flyabout Adventure Around Australia's Coast - Broome, Western Australia

Australia's coast from the air is quite fascinating because it varies so much. People tend to think of Australia as only having beautiful white sandy beaches stretching for kilometres.

However, some parts of the coast are loaded with colour. One such area is in Western Australia, near Broome. Really orange red sand and rock.

Cape Gantheaume, Broome, Western Australia

To appreciate the rugged beauty fully, there's no better way than from the air.

During my flight around Australia's coast I had the best seat in the house, flying over the sea and taking photos from the pilot's seat on the left hand side of the plane.

As you can see from the photo of Cape Gantheaume, the coast is even more spectacular framed by the brilliant blue of the sea.

Broome is located in the northwest of Western Australia not far from Derby and the Buccaneer Archipelago, the crinkly bits on the map of Australia.

It was quite a relief to land at Broome because my flight was over the ocean, the home of saltwater crocodiles from north Queensland to north of Broome. Thankfully I didn't have an engine failure and I was flying within gliding distance of the land.

The thought of crocodile infested waters was in the back of my mind during the flight. However, I didn't let it stop me even though it was one of my fears. I don't like flying over water either but to take photos from this unique perspective I had to do it.

To achieve your goals in life, sometimes you have to confront your fears. It's a matter of getting over it and getting on with it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I digress, so back to the coast of Broome.

Port of Broome, Western Australia

This Outback town is also famous for its pearls and as I was flying around the coast, several of the pearl farms were visible from the air.

As far as I'm concerned, Broome is the Pearl of Western Australia because it has a real mix of culture and natural beauty.

As you can see from this photo there's white sand interspersed amongst the orange red areas. Broome is famous too for its Cable Beach and spectacular sunsets.

Sun setting over colourful sand on a much quieter beach is quite something again.


Broome beach, Western Australia, at sunset

I guess you can take away two things from this post:

• go visit Broome (you won't be sorry) and

• confront your fears if you want to achieve your goals badly enough.

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Rules aren’t always meant to be broken

"Rules aren't always meant to be broken" is a chapter in my book, Plane Reflections: about life and a flight around Australia's coast, and a topic for one of my newsletters. Worth bearing in mind.

Pilot your life newsletter no. 23: Rules aren't always meant to be broken from Fran West

Welcome to issue no. 23 of Pilot your life. May 2011

Just recently I’ve viewed a few movies where the main characters have “broken all the rules” and triumphed. However, real life doesn’t always work that way. Here’s a passage from my book, Plane Reflections: about life and a flight around Australia’s coast, which illustrates the potential hazards if some rules are broken.

“Rules aren’t always meant to be broken

There are more rules up in the air than on the ground. You don’t just jump in a plane and take off because you can get into a lot of trouble if you don’t read your charts properly.

There are a lot of Prohibited, Restricted and Danger Areas (PRDs), some of which need to be avoided if they are active, and there is also civil and military controlled airspace.

Some areas are for training or transitting and this applies to planes, helicopters, gliders, float planes, military jets, parachuting, aerobatics etc. Other areas need to be avoided when active for bombing, flares, rifles, lasers, gunnery, blasting, high velocity gas discharge etc.

Quite a lot of things end up in the atmosphere and planes don’t want to be in the air at the wrong time. If you read the documents and obtain weather reports with the PRDs before flying, then safety is assured.

Controlled airspace is one place where you don’t do your own thing without obtaining a clearance (asking permission) first. Planes etc. need to be kept separate from one another to avoid collisions. This is easier in airspace where the control tower has aircraft on radar but in other areas it’s up to the pilot to keep watch and maintain separation.

Along the coast there are military areas where planes can transit by set routes. This suited me in many instances because the routes flew over the ocean anyway.

On one occasion I obtained a clearance to fly along the coast at 1,500 feet. I was on radar, transmitting the designated transponder code, and while I was flying through the area I must have been concentrating on the camera and not on the altimeter and I had gradually descended. The control tower promptly told me to climb back to 1,500 feet. Just as well I did because not long after, a military helicopter came in from the ocean and flew beneath me towards the land.

Imagine what would have happened if I had kept descending and the helicopter had been climbing! A good lesson learnt that day!

So every time you come across a rule which you consider unnecessary, think very carefully before you break it. The rule may well have been designed for your own protection!”

Australia's Coast Is Awesome As Jigsaw Puzzles

Australia's Coast jigsaw puzzles are great for viewing the coast from a different perspective. This time the photos for the jigsaws have been reproduced as dry brush stroke paintings, introducing a different element for enjoyment. All these aerial photos were taken during my flight around Australia's coast.

In this series of CDs there are 5 different photos which have been converted to jigsaws of 12, 24, 40, 104 and 260 pieces each, making a total of 25 jigsaw puzzles.

This range of puzzles can be used both by children with different skill levels and adults. Jigsaw puzzles are easy to do with the click of a mouse button and can be played over and over. Best of all, you can't lose any pieces.

Puzzles are not printable, they're designed to be used on a computer or laptop or even on a large screen via a data projector.

Internet access is not required.

Australia's Coast Jigsaw Puzzles CD

Australia (incl. P&H) $29.00 AUD Overseas (incl. P&H) $33.00 AUD

These photos are of Tasman Island, off the southeast coast of Tasmania, Point Nepean, on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Cape Wiles, on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula, Disaster Bay (aptly named because of shipwrecks) in New South Wales, and the Useless Loop Salt Pans in the Shark Bay area of Western Australia.

If you would like to try a sample jigsaw to see how it works, email me at
fran@franwest.com.

Be Passionate About What You Do

"Be Passionate About What You Do" is the February issue of the "Pilot Your Life" newsletter. Just email me at fran@franwest.com if you'd like to subscribe to the free monthly email newsletter (or use the "Subscribe by email" link at the bottom of this post). The newsletters usually have photos to illustrate the point and often a free destop wallpaper is offered when emailing a comment back to me.

Pilot your life newsletter no. 20

View more documents from Fran West

Pilot your life newsletter no. 20

If you’re going to succeed in life, or business, you have to believe in what you’re doing and do it with gusto. Half-hearted attempts just aren’t good enough. Passion is what’s required.

I love my country, Australia.

I love travel, taking photos, doing adventurous activities, meeting new people and I particularly love flying.

All these things that I have a passion for I managed to combine in the goal that I had set myself, flying around Australia’s coast in a light aircraft.

During my trip, Oz Flight ’99, people could sense that I was passionate about and committed to the journey that I was undertaking.

They wanted to be a part of it too by helping me, giving me good information and advice, providing new experiences and having a lot of fun together.

If you aren’t enthusiastic about or don’t believe in what you’re doing, then other people won’t waste their time with you either.

When people read my book, Plane Reflections, or hear me speak about my flight, they can relate to what happened to me because of my enthusiasm. I can make them feel that they're in the plane with me experiencing the same highs and lows.

And with the photos, they can see what my eyes saw.

But best of all they realise that I'm just an ordinary person who made a dream reality and that they can also do that for themselves.

They too can achieve their full potential.

It’s truly amazing that we have the power within us to motivate other people and to change lives merely because of what we do.

So, my next tip for how to pilot your life (personal or business) is:

Be passionate about what you do.
Your passion and enthusiasm will also inspire others,
not only for your benefit but also for theirs.

Two of my presentation topics are:

Follow your dreams (at any age)
Success

Flyabout around Australia's Coast - 12th Anniversary, 3rd July

It's hard to believe that it's 12 years since I set off from Naracoorte, in South Australia's South East, to fly around the coast of Australia. I was two days behind schedule because of the dreadful wintry weather. Even one of the flight briefing officers said the weather was so bad that I should go back to bed and not bother flying in the Cessna 172!

Nevertheless, I did set off around Australia's coast, flying over the ocean about a mile out to sea and at about 1,000 to 1,500 feet above the water. This provided an excellent oblique angle for the photographs and the Cessna 172 was the right speed aircraft for photographing under the high wing.

Plane Reflections Book

Australia (incl. P&H) $25.00 Overseas (incl. P&H) $28.00

Reflecting back on the flight and the past 12 years has been good for my own reminiscence therapy. Life certainly has changed for me.


Even though I had no team, partner, manager or thousands of dollars of sponsorship behind me, I still achieved my goal. However, I did receive help from people along the way. Members of the Australian Women Pilots' Association and members of Soroptimist International Service Organisation, in particular, provided me with accommodation and local knowledge when possible. I'd also like to thank again the series of friends and strangers who flew with me on different parts of my journey. From them I learnt a lot about flying, myself and life in general.

I had a dream to fly around Australia's coast and photograph while I was flying and I actually did it. The best advice I can give to people is that if you have a burning desire to do something, no matter how big or small, then just do it! Stop stuffing around and get on with it! You'll regret it for the rest of your life if you don't at least have a go.

Because I had a dream and did something about it, I set in motion a sequence of events which has led me to where I am now. On the return from my flight, I started speaking to people about my experiences. People then wanted me to write a book, which I did, Plane Reflections, and that led to collaboration in several academic publications. After that, I put my photos on CD and then progressed to movie presentations of the photos on DVDs. That in turn led me to producing DVDs for aged care and dementia patients as reminiscence therapy.

It hasn't been an easy path. In between times I suffered injuries in a head on collision in a car which further forced me in the direction that I'm now heading. Strange how my dream has now turned from me doing something solely for myself to me helping others.

Life is an adventure, so make the most of it.

If you want to hear or read more about my philosophy of life and business you can contact me at fran@franwest.com.

My websites are www.franwest.com and www.alzheimersproducts.blogspot.com.

Flyabout around Australia's Coast - Useless Loop Salt Pans, Western Australia

During my flight around Australia's coast, I flew past several salt pans. Some were located at Useless Loop, in the Shark Bay area of Western Australia, not far from Monkey Mia where the dolphins come to visit.

Each of the salt pans around the coast vary in colour - blues, greens, pink/purple. From the air they reveal a patchwork of colour and different shapes.

The solar salt operation is run by Shark Bay Salt and the town itself is closed to the public. The table salt from the ponds is reputed to be among the purest in the world.






Useless Loop was named by one of the French de Freycinet brothers on the Baudin sailing ship expedition.

Flying around Australia's coast became for me a real history lesson. Many of the names on the map originated with the early English, French and Dutch maritime explorers.

A different photo of Useless Loop appears in my DVD "Australia's Coast from the Air".


View Useless Loop salt pans, Western Australia in a larger map


Australia's Coast from the Air DVD.

Australia's Coast from the Air DVD

Australia (incl. P&H) $27.50 Overseas (incl. P&H) $31.00

Flyabout around Australia's Coast - Cape Otway Lighthouse, Victoria

On the first day of my flight around Australia's coast, I flew past the Cape Otway Lighthouse, Victoria.

The day was overcast, the cloud base was low and in July it was quite chilly even with the heater on in the plane. I was flying about 1,500 feet (500 metres) above the ocean.

As you can see from the photo the spray from the ocean created a mist effect to the right side of the lighthouse and other buildings.

The lighthouse, built in 1848 not far from Apollo Bay and the Great Ocean Road, overlooks the Southern Ocean and Bass Strait. There was also a telegraph station built there in 1859.





The coast is dramatic and treacherous and the winds fierce. Many ships were wrecked before the lighthouse was built.

Cape Otway was named by the English maritime explorer, Lieutenant James Grant, after his friend Captain Albany Otway.

For more information check out http://www.lightstation.com/
and http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1park_display.cfm?park=86.

Flyabout around Australia's Coast - Buccaneer Archipelago, Western Australia

The Buccaneer Archipelago, Western Australia, is one of the best stretches of coast around the Australian mainland.

As the name suggests, it's a sea of islands, with the most incredible shaped coastal landforms. It's situated northeast of Derby in the northern part of Western Australia, stretching from about Collier Bay to King Sound. This is outback Outback with the easiest access by water and air rather than by road.

William Dampier, the English buccaneer, visited the area on the "Cygnet" in 1688, but the archipelago was named after his buccaneering ways much later on. Phillip Parker King was charting the area in 1821 and named it in his honour.


This is one of Australia's remotest areas and I'm glad I had all the survival gear in the plane just in case something went wrong on my flight around Australia's coast.

If you want to see the area by plane, then take a scenic flight from Derby or Broome. You won't be sorry that you did. Spectacular with a capital "S"!

Flyabout around Australia's Coast - Tacking Point Lighthouse, New South Wales

Lighthouses are a feature of the coastal landscape and Australia certainly has its share of life saving beacons which warn mariners of dangerous coast. Tacking Point Lighthouse, New South Wales, is one of them.

It's not far from Port Macquarie, north of Sydney, about 10 minutes by car or about one hour's walk.

Built in 1879, it's classed as a small navigational lighthouse so there's no huge tower.



The lighthouse is a heritage site and is classified by the National Trust of Australia (New South Wales).

As far as navigation goes, lighthouses are also good beacons for pilots (a bit similar to the huge white grain silos inland). They're clearly marked on the map and there's no question about position.

One thing I do regret about my flight around Australia's coast is that I didn't fly lower to photograph the lighthouses. So my photos really only capture the shape and colour of the coast rather than the actual lighthouses themselves. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

Here's a bit more about the Tacking Point Lighthouse.

If you're interested in lighthouses, I came across this book on Amazon.com. Tacking Point Lighthouse is listed in the contents, so hopefully it's the Australian lighthouse that's depicted. Click on the ad if you want more information.

Flyabout along Australia's Shipwreck Coast, Victoria

On the first day of my flight around Australia's coast, I flew along the Shipwreck Coast in Victoria. As you can imagine from the name, the coast is very rugged and treacherous. Many ships have been wrecked and lives lost.

This particular photo highlights the gorge where one ship, the "Loch Ard", was wrecked. A place of sadness yet at the same time infinite beauty.

In the foreground is Muttonbird Island, with Loch Ard Gorge the second gorge in the background. To the right is Island Arch.


All this beautiful coastline is located within Port Campbell National Park, home of the famous Twelve Apostles.

In my book, Plane Reflections: about life and a flight around Australia's coast, this photo is featured with these words. "Life is like the coastline. It has its ups and downs, its ins and outs and rugged and smooth patches, but it's still beautiful - a gift to be treasured."

Flyabout to Kangaroo Island, off South Australia's Coast

Kangaroo Island, off South Australia's coast, offers a pleasant flyabout for the day. It takes about 2 hours to fly right around the island which lies about 10 nautical miles off the mainland.

This island is packed with adventure as there are so many things to see and do.

I usually land at Muston Heights and tour the island from there.

As mentioned before, Admiral's Arch is a tourist hot spot.

However, Seal Bay, on the south coast, is where people flock to see the seals on the beach. Just amazing that, in the past, these creatures were hunted for their skins and now they're hunted for their photographs! Everybody wins in that kind of deal.

Here's more about Seal Bay Conservation Park.

Flyabout around Australia's Coast - Cape Liptrap Lighthouse

On my flight around Australia's coast I passed quite a few lighthouses.
This one is situated at Cape Liptrap in Victoria.

I took off from Phillip Island, in Western Port Bay, and headed southeast along the coast.

Cape Liptrap is in South Gippsland, between Inverloch and Wilsons Promontory, the southern most point on the Australian mainland.

Here's a bit more about Cape Liptrap Coastal Park
http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1park_display.cfm?park=84
and the lighthouse http://www.lighthouse.net.au/lights/vic/Cape%20Liptrap/Cape%20Liptrap%20Lighthouse.htm

Flyabout Adventure around Australia's Coast - Port Germein

Port Germein, on Yorke Peninsula, is just another small country town which I flew past on my flight around Australia's coast. It's north of Port Pirie, in my home state of South Australia.

These places around Spencer Gulf are great for holiday makers to just relax, go for walks along the beach or go fishing in a boat or off the jetty. Here the Flinders Ranges are close handy too.

This spot is famous for its long jetty and catching Blue Swimmer Crabs - yum! Read all about it at http://www.portgermein.com.

I'll probably call in to Port Germein next weekend, to see it from ground level, on my way Outback.

You can join me on my trip, by remote via the web, by going to this site
http://theworldbyweb.com/global/blogs/entry/Fran-West-Off-the-beaten-track-1-week-till-launch

Flyabout around Australia's Coast - Steep Point, Western Australia

On mainland Australia's coast there are four places which are the extremities of the continent. The most westerly point is, funnily enough, found in Western Australia.

It's this spot, Steep Point, found in the Shark Bay area.

Perhaps it's not quite as remarkable a feature as the other three places - Wilsons Promontory, Cape York and Cape Byron, nor as accessible.


However, this place certainly is steeped in history being in an area touched by the early Dutch navigators. It's near Dirk Hartog Island.

To see more of this World Heritage region I can recommend Shark Bay Air http://www.sharkbayair.com.au/.

Flyabout to Preservation Island, Bass Strait

To finish my flyabout around Australia's coast, I had to cross Bass Strait to reach Tasmania.

I left the mainland coast at Wilsons Promontory and headed over Hogan Island and the Kent Group of Islands to Flinders Island.

While there, I met up with Leedham Walker and he took us for a flight to some of the other Bass Strait islands.

We did land on Preservation Island and went for a walk up the hillside where we found this "loo with a view".


The top half of the door was open so you could sit and enjoy the island vista.

However, I decided to give this pit stop a miss when I saw a tiger snake skin on the ground just near the door. No thanks. I'll wait!

When I tell this story to young children they always ask me why the tiger snake left its skin outside when it went to the toilet. I don't have the answer to that one, do you?

Another "loo with a view" http://franwest2.blogspot.com/2010/08/walkabout-on-tasmanias-overland-track.html

Flyabout around Australia's Coast - Cooktown, Queensland

Cooktown, in far north Queensland, was one of the places I landed during my flight around Australia's coast.

This statue of Captain James Cook is an indicator of how the town got its name.



Cook beached his ship "Endeavour" here in 1770 and the river is named after that.





A century later, the town had over 90 pubs and more than 30,000 people attracted by the Palmer River gold rush. Today the town is much smaller and has only a few thousand people, with cattle, fishing and tourism being the mainstays. A real Outback town worth exploring.

Try http://www.guurrbitours.com/

Flyabout around Australia's Coast - Port Hedland

Port Hedland, Western Australia, was one of the places I landed at during my flyabout around Australia's coast.

I actually landed here twice (the airport is in the top left of the photo). The first time was on the leg from Broome and the second time after a detour inland to Newman and Karijini National Park with my friend, Ken Wansbrough.

When some people first see this photo they think that it's farm land with the various paddocks. However, it's salt pans. Some bright spark once commented about the different colours "So that's how they make celery salt and garlic salt as well as sea salt!"


Here's some more information about the salt http://www.dampiersalt.com.au/ENG/sales/1148_port_hedland.asp

Flyabout around Australia's coast - Derby

During my flight around Australia's coast, I landed at Derby in the northwest of Western Australia. It's located on King Sound and the last part of the flight from Mount Hart Station was across miles and miles of mud flats as you can see in the photo.

Derby is a major centre for the Kimberley area and is a jumping off spot for the spectacular gorges in the region, like Windjana and Geikie.

It's also one of a few places in the world that has high tides like the Bay of Fundy in Canada.

And by the way, the airport was miles from town.