Birds of a feather

Age is no barrier to being obsessed with the joy of flying and at this week’s Australia Women Pilot’s Association conference I’ve met some remarkable women both old and young who love being airborne. (And what a bonus, being able to talk aviation for days with a bunch of women! Gold!) Some of the most memorable Continue reading


Island of Dreams

Fifteen years ago when I first landed at Dunk Island, a tiny slice of paradise half way between Cairns and Townsville, I was a newly qualified First Officer on a Twin Otter. I was mesmerised by the azure water, the tropical gardens and the tiny sunbirds nesting underneath the roof of the bush terminal. Capt Continue reading


Sublime to the ridiculous

The morning started at 4 am with a local tinnie driver doing a donut around Roo Bin Esque. Luckily I wanted to watch a meteorite shower so I was happy to be awake.  Sadly the clouds had other ideas and for once the stars and meteorites were hidden from sight. Dawn broke with a sigh Continue reading


Rocks look different at sea level

So many of the most beautiful moments of this trip have been seeing places at sea level instead of from fifteen to twenty-five thousand feet strapped in a pressurised flight deck. I’ve spent fifteen years flying from Cairns to Brisbane and back and have driven the roads many times, but on this trip I’ve been Continue reading


Now where was I?

Since Telstra so rudely interrupted us I’ve lost track of time 🙂 Easy to do when you have no contact with the outside world – and no offence, but it was a lovely three days of sailing, writing and talking. Shoalwater Bay is a remote section of coast that is owned by the Department of Continue reading


Great! It’s Keppel

Anyone else remember the best advertising campaign for an Australian resort island – Get Wrecked on Great Keppel? Sadly the resort is no longer operating, a salutory reminder that Australian tourism is not the driving force it used to be. 24 years ago, with my brand new private pilot licence, I landed on Great Keppel Continue reading


Lighter winds, but the warriors were out and about.

We started the day with a trip to the beach for Zeus and you can only imagine his joy at finding more sticks. I think he may be developing a small phobia about his lime green lifejacket, but I keep telling him he looks very smart and brave in it. I don’t think he’s entirely Continue reading


Where’s Zeus?

Well that’s a relief! Day One is under our belts (or is that under our keel?). After a mad dash to the airport to drop off the hire car, followed by  a journey back to Manly on Brisbane’s trains (entertained by Margareta Osborn’s fabulous ‘Hope’s Road’ on my iPhone), good friends came to throw our Continue reading