Air tours of Outback Australia

With Odyssey you are travelling with a maximum of 12 passengers, accompanied by an experienced tour leader and pilot, which gives you access to remote places of unimaginable beauty and diverse unique experiences away from the well-trodden tourist path where large groups can’t go and big planes simply can’t land.

On Odyssey’s Kimberley, Purnulul, Tiwi Islands and Arnhem Land tour, we begin with a two-day adventure with a scenic flight departing Kununurra, taking you on an unforgettable journey over the Ord River, Lake Argyle, Lissadell Station, Texas Downs Station, the Osmand Ranges, and a stunning circuit over the Bungle Bungle Range.

After landing in Purnululu National Park, you will be met by your informative guide, who will lead you on a tour of the famous orange and black banded domes, as well as a walk into Cathedral Gorge. Once you have reached Cathedral Gorge, you can enjoy a fresh picnic lunch in the shade of the towering cliffs surrounding you.

Once returning from this walk, you will arrive at Bungle Bungle Savannah Lodge, where you can relax in the privacy of your ensuite cabin, or else take a dip in the only pool located within the national park. A chef-prepared dinner is served that evening in the Lodge dining area or can be eaten outside under the starry night sky, by the warmth of the outdoor fire pit.

The next morning, you will be driven to the northern end of Purnululu National Park, where you will spend the day exploring Echidna Chasm and nearby trails alongside your guide. Lunch is provided again on this day.

The following leg of our journey takes us to the World Heritage Listed Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungles). The Bungle Bungle Range is renowned for its striking orange and grey horizontal banded domes. The distinctive beehive-shaped landforms have been produced by uplift and erosion over the last 20 million years.

The Bungle Bungles are, by far, the most outstanding example of cone karst in sandstones anywhere in the world and owe their existence and uniqueness to several interacting geological, biological, erosional and climatic phenomena. The sandstone karst of Purnululu National Park is of great scientific importance in demonstrating so clearly the process of cone karst formation on sandstone – a phenomenon recognized by geomorphologists only recently and still not completely understood. The Bungle Bungle Ranges of the Park also display to an exceptional degree evidence of geomorphic processes of dissolution, weathering and erosion in the evolution of landforms under a savannah climatic regime within an ancient, stable sedimentary landscape.

We return to Kununurra in the late afternoon with aerial views of the Argyle Diamond Mine, Ragged Ranges and Carr Boyd Ranges.

We will also experience a scenic fixed wing flight over the Mitchell Plateau and the incredible Mitchell Falls. The scenery from the air is remarkable, and it gives us a great perspective before seeing it on the ground for afternoon tea.

We continue on along the coast of the Kimberley at between 500 -4500 ft above sea level. The group sees from the Air many of the highlights of this fascinating region of Australia and learns about the deep history and colonial activity of the region. We pass over the Pearl farms and laboratories as well as remote lodges along the coast, looking below for the wildlife of the ocean in the shallow seas below before turning at the Gulf of Cambridge to follow at a low level the mighty Ord River from the historic township of Wyndham back to Kununurra.

Experience Odyssey’s Air tours travelling the Australian Outback in the safety and comfort of our own private aircraft with up to 12 other like minded travellers and your tour leader.

Odyssey specialises in educational small group tours for seniors, typically groups sizes are between 6 to 12 people. Odyssey has been offering this style of adventure and educational programs to since 1983. We offer a wide range of fully escorted, cultural and heritage journeys that expand horizons and broaden the mind. Our tours are designed for active, inquisitive travellers in a small group environment.

We are based in Sydney, Australia, however, we have many travellers from USA, Canada, UK and Europe who travel with us every year.

In-flight, your every need will be met by experienced pilots with hours of experience in Outback Australia. The privately chartered Aircraft types used for our small group tours for mature and senior travellers are the Cessna Caravan, or Beechcraft King Air Cessna 402 or Cessna Conquest.

When you travel on one of Odyssey’s air tours you can be assured that we have taken all care to ensure your health and safety is our number one priority.

You can be assured that we have adopted the best safety practice protocols throughout the duration of your tour.

Please visit Odyssey’s website with a selection of fabulous Air Tours:

• Kimberley, Purnululu, Tiwi Islands and Arnhem Land
• Cape York and Torres Strait explored by air
• Central and Western Australia by Air
• Kimberley and Pilbara explored by air
• Flinders and King island and Strahan air tour for seniors

Australia is the planet’s sixth-largest country after Russia, Canada, China, the USA, and Brazil and although it is the smallest continental landmass, it is the world’s largest island.

A suggested minimum time to tour all the way around Australia would be 6 months, though 12 months (or more) would be a better length of time to travel around the country.
Flying is the best way to cover Australia’s large distances in a short time.