Western Australia is, of course, a huge State and as such there are so many "wonders" that you can see.
Many of us have not seen our own State as we tend to go further afield when we holiday, however, I have seen a lot of this interesting State, having worked in several areas during my working days.
One of the better experiences I had whilst up North was flying in a helicopter with the ship's pilot master, to bring an ocean cargo boat into Port Hedland. This was quite a harrowing experience as I had never been on a small plane or helicopter before, but on looking back, it was very exciting!
This is a list of just some of the places in our vast State where it is worth the amount of money you pay for a scenic flight - flights that give you stunning views which you would not otherwise get the opportunity to see! Many towns have scenic flights and there are too many to list them all, so I have picked the most interesting and stunning ones for this list.
1. Lake Hillier-Middle Island Scenic FlightThis scenic flight leaves from Esperance airport terminal and takes 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Lake Hillier is a very pink unusual lake and on your tour, you will begin with a short transit over some of Australia's most productive arable land, to the Esperance town and Port.
From here, you will travel along Esperance Bay past Frenchman's Peak and over the Cape Le Grand National Park. You will fly over spectacular white beaches, the whitest in Australia as certified by Geoscience Australia, and the stunning Turquoise waters of Lucky Bay.
You will continue through the Recherche Archipelago to the unique Middle Island with its world-renowned Pink Lake Hillier.
Image: Wikimedia.Commons-CC BY-SA 4.0 LIQENI HILLIER - ROZE.jpg
The vibrant colour of the lake is permanent and does not change, even when the water is taken in a container. The pink colour is considered to be so because of the organism Dunaliella salina. You can see more and book for this flight
here.
2. Bungle Bungle Adventure TourThe Bungle Bungle Range in the World Heritage listed Purnululu National Park is a fascinating geological landscape in Western Australia.
On this tour and from an aircraft, it is an imposing sight. This is a two-hour scenic flight which flies over the Bungle Bungle Range, Lake Argyle, the Argyle Diamond Mine and Ord River Irrigation Area.
This tour is available all year round and this is an exhilarating and fascinating way to see this area.
You will fly over the full expanse of Lake Argyle, the Ord Top Dam wall, Lake Kununurra and the Ord Irrigation Area. View the Carr Boyd and Osmand Ranges, the Ord River and Bow River all with spectacular aerial views of the whole Bungle Bungle Range.
For prices and more information about this tour, and other similar ones, click on this
link.
3. Horizontal Falls and Cape Leveque Air from Broome
See the famous Horizontal Falls, the spectacular Buccaneer Archipelago with a relaxing stopover at the remote Cape Leveque. Fly above these spectacular Falls, which will give you a great view of this fast-moving tidal flow from both sides of the aircraft. You will also pass over the many islands and turquoise waters of the Buccaneer Archipelago.
See more about this tour at this
website.
4. Hamelin Pool and Stromatolites
This flight takes you over the Peron Peninsula to see the shallow waters of the Faure Sill, as well as the huge Wooramel sea-grass beds. You will then land at Hamelin Station and your vehicle will take you to the Stromatolites, an ancient form of life unchanged for billions of years.
The return flight is via Nanga Resort, and the famous Shell Beach made up of trillions of small coquina shells.
You can find out more at this
link.
5. Steep Point and Zuytdorp Cliffs
This is a 40-minute flight and you will see why this amazing area was granted World Heritage Listing.
You will probably sight some sharks, rays and turtles, perhaps even whales in season, as well as the shy, elusive dugong.
This flight crosses Freycinet Reach to the salt ponds at Useless Loop, then across the sandy finger of Bellefin Prong and out over the amazing Zuytdorp Cliffs, following the cliffs northward to Australia's most westerly landfall at Steep Point which is separated from historic Dirk Hartog Island by the waters of South Passage.
You can see more about this flight
here.
6. Ballooning in the Avon Valley
Ballooning is a different way of seeing an area from an aerial view, and The Avon Valley is the place to do this!
Balloons have been flying over the Avon Valley for more than a quarter of a century, and here you will see the rural landscape, with its rolling hills, lush green fields, and streams. From the air, you will see the first signs of dawn as the sun climbs over the countryside.
After the flight, you will have a champagne breakfast and the flight lasts from approximately 45 minutes to an hour.
Image: Pixabay.com
You can find out more at this
site.
7. Batavia Shipwreck and Abrolhos Islands
Depart Kalbarri, travel to the mouth of the Murchison River and then along the coastal cliffs. You will be flown over Overfly Gantheume Bay and across to the Albrolhos Islands. There you will see the beautiful coral formations, with crystal clear water that allows you to see a lot!
Then on over the 1629 shipwreck of the Dutch ship Batavia and then a short stop for afternoon tea. Fly over the Batavia wreck site and famous islands such as Long Island where many of the mutineers were hung, Beacon Island where many of the victims of the mutiny were buried, and West Wallabi.
See more about this tour
here.
8. Mt Augustus
Mount Augustus is the world's largest rock - more than twice the size of Uluru!
The flight goes across the Kennedy Ranges as well as rugged cattle station country. You fly right around the rock which towers 1,180 metres above the surrounding landscape, then land at nearby Mt Augustus station (or Cobra).
See more about these flights at this
link.
Conclusion
There are also many scenic flights you could do in and around Perth, however, this list is of more unusual places many of which are totally unique to Western Australia.
