2 Day Lake Eyre Scenic Flights Plus Coober Pedy

Tour Details

Operator

Banksia Adventures

Destinations

Adelaide, Flinders Ranges, Coober Pedy, Wilpena Pound and Lake Eyre

Departs From

Adelaide

Tour Description

This tour offers you the rare chance to see Lake Eyre in all of its natural beauty. There is very little time in which you are able to see Lake Eyre as flood waters flow in from the channel country. Take this short lived opportunity as the area’s unique ecosystem comes alive. The Lake Eyre Basin is a very special part of Australia. It covers one sixth of the continent and holds some of the rarest, least exploited ecosystems on the planet. The Basin is also the cradle of much Indigenous and non-Indigenous culture and history. By taking this 2 day scenic flight to Birdsville, you will fly over the Flinders Ranges, Coopers Creek, Innamincka, Coongie Lakes, Diamantina and Warburton Rivers and of course Lake Eyre. Another highlight is a stop at Coober Pedy for lunch, followed by tours of the town and an underground mine. The scenery is awe-inspiring from the air, from the rich Adelaide Plains up to the raw expanses of the Outback.

DAY 1
Depart from the General Aviation Terminal, Adelaide Airport and fly north to Hawker. After a short stop it is time to fly over the Southern Flinders Ranges and Wilpena Pound. From your vantage point you will clearly see how the Flinders Ranges appear to be a ‘backbone on the landscape’. Fly over the Elder Range, Wilpena Pound, St Marys Peak and Bunyeroo and Brachina Gorges, before flying on to Innamincka. Enjoy lunch at the Innamincka Hotel before flying to the famous Burke & Wills Dig Tree. Once back on your aircraft, you will fly over the Coongie Lakes to Birdsville. There will be plenty of time to explore the township and visit the Birdsville Working Museum and other places of interest. O/n – Birdsville Hotel.

DAY 2
This morning you will fly along the Diamantina River to Goyders Lagoon and witness from low altitude the spectacular green, carpet like, water way flanked by two striking different deserts, The Simpson Desert and the Strzelecki Desert. Soon Lake Eyre, which has only filled to the brim three times in the last 160 years, will become visible on the horizon. Normally inhospitable to wildlife, when flowing with water Lake Eyre is transformed into Australia's largest lake, a wildlife oasis brimming with flora and fauna. Pelicans, gulls and terns follow the water, whilst camels and other wildlife are drawn by the water's scent. Its incredible colours and patterns become accentuated from the air especially when full of water. When the lake is 80% full of water, there are up to 85 different varieties of birds on the lake. You will fly at low altitude to the Warburton Groove, at the northern end of the lake, before landing at Coober Pedy for lunch and a short tour of the town and Old Timers Mine. The return flight to Adelaide affords stunning views of Lakes Gairdner and Torrens, Spencer and St Vincent Gulfs before landing at Adelaide Airport at approximately 5.30pm.