150.Phillip Island (YPID)

Tonight we'll tackle Melbourne, Australia in helicopters. It's time to rip off the training wheels and see what you can do!

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. The metropolis occupies much of the northern and eastern coastlines of Port Phillip Bay and spreads into the Mornington Peninsula, part of West Gippsland, as well as the hinterlands towards the Yarra Valley, the Dandenong and Macedon Ranges. It has a population over 5 million, mostly residing to the east side of the city centre, and its inhabitants are commonly referred to as "Melburnians". We've thrown down an assortment of smoke canisters to guide the way. Landing at them is optional, but encouraged.

151.Smithon (YSMI)

After a wild ride in the helicopters near Mebourne we're ready to get back to basics. Today we head to Smithon, Tasmania. The first secion is a water crossing so ensure you're prepared and carrying the proper gear. Extended range tanks are not required, but please be sure to have safety gear ready and checked. THere will be in flight entertainment. Link will be provided on departure. A little history about our destination Smithon. The economy of Smithton is agriculture based, consisting primarily of dairy and beef farming. Other major industries that contribute to the local economy are fishing, aquaculture, crop farming, timber plantations and tourism. Duck River Post Office opened in 1873 and was renamed Smithton in 1895. In 1905 Smithton was declared a town and the Mowbray swamp (now part of the locality of Mella) was drained for dairy pasture. It was here that, in 1920, the 45,000 year old skeleton of a Zygomaturus (marsupial hippopotamus) was discovered.

152.Bathurst Harbour (YBHB)

We'll be spending the next couple of days flying around Tasmania. Departing Smithton we will head a little further east to Wynyard and continue south with a final leg into Bathurst Harbour. Bathurst Harbour is a shallow bay located in the south west region of Tasmania, Australia. The harbour is an expansive, almost landlocked, shallow bay of relatively uniform depth ranging from 3 to 7 metres (9.8 to 23.0 ft), which provides safe anchorage from the Roaring Forties that buffet the western and southern coasts of Tasmania. The land around the harbour is unpopulated with little infrastructure. Most buildings and structures in the vicinity of the harbour are located at Melaleuca which supports an airstrip, several light structures, boat moorings and remains from the tin mines in the early 1900s. Bathurst Harbour has no vehicular access of any kind. Access is instead provided by either boat, air or walking. The only marine access to the harbour is via the Bathurst Channel from Port Davey.

153.Lagoon Bay (YLAG)

Surfs up! We'll be staying overnight in Lagoon Bay, Tasmania. Located just East of Hobart, This area of Tasmania has some interesting history. Hobart is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania.  Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-smallest if territories are taken into account, before Darwin, Northern Territory. Founded in 1804 as a British penal colony, Hobart is Australia's second-oldest capital city after Sydney, New South Wales. Whaling quickly emerged as a major industry in the area, and for a time Hobart served as the Southern Ocean's main whaling port.

154.Flinders Island (YFLI)

Today we are headed north on our final day in Tasmania. We have 15 fields to hit in a short time. So expect this to be a handful. I will also recommend turning off crash damage for this flight. Some of these fields are VERY tight for even the most capable bush pilot. Our last stop is on Flinders Island. Flinders Island was the place where the last remnants of Aboriginal Tasmanian population were exiled by the colonial British government. Today Flinders Island is part of the state of Tasmania, Australia and was first inhabited at least 35,000 years ago, when people made their way from Australia across the then land-bridge which is now Bass Strait. A population remained until about 4,500 years ago, succumbing to thirst and hunger following an acute El Niño climate shift. 

155.Snowy Range (YHEE)

Who the hell planned the last flight? We have no fuel stop until Welshpool Airport! About 130NM northwest of our departure. You had better calculate and set proper cruise power so you're clear of any low fuel risk. once you get to Welshpool fuel up and then contiinue with the group to our final stop at Snowy Range Airfield, Victoria, Australia. Located in Central Gippsland the airstrip is near the center of several wilderness areas and national parks. From rugged off roading to hiking, swimming and other natural adventures.

156.Canberra (YSCB)

You'll finally get a good nights rest after roughing it in the forest for so many days. We're off to Canberra today through a mountainous region with great views. Canberra is the capital city of Australia. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory at the northern tip of the Australian Alps, the country's highest mountain range. The area chosen for the capital had been inhabited by Indigenous Australians for up to 21,000 years. Canberra has been ranked among the world's best cities to live and visit. 

157.Sydney (YSSY)

We're finally making our way to Sydney Australia today! Sydney is the capital city of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour. Despite being one of the most expensive cities in the world, Sydney frequently ranks in the top ten most liveable cities in the world. The first people to inhabit the area now known as Sydney were Aboriginal Australians who had migrated from northern Australia and before that from southeast Asia. The inhabitants subsisted on fishing, hunting, and gathering plant foods and shellfish.

158.Kaitaia (NZKT)

The Ukrainian heavy lifter AN225 has safely transported our equipment to Auckland, New Zealand. A squadron of military jets escorted this beauty nearly 1200NM across open ocean to ensure a safe arrival. Thank you to the crews who made it happen! On day 158 we will begin our multi day exploration of beautiful New Zealand. Our stop today will take us to a small northern town called Kaitaia. Kaitaia derives its name from a Maori word meaning “food destroyed by floods.” It is a business and administrative centre for the dairy, sheep, and mushroom farms of the northernmost part of the island. There is a road with connections to Auckland to the southeast. The town’s manufactures include agricultural machinery and engineering and concrete products; there are also dairy plants, limeworks, and sawmills.

159.Raglan (NZRA)

We're sitting just east of Ninety mile beach to the north of Auckand and will continue today flying south toward Raglan, New Zealand. The Ngāti Māhanga iwi occupied the area around Raglan in the late 18th century. There are at least 81 archaeological sites; mainly near the coast. Limited radiocarbon dating puts the earliest sites at about 1400AD. The first Europeans to settle in the area, the Rev James and Mary Wallis, Wesleyan missionaries, were embraced and welcomed by local Māori in 1835. European settlement, including large scale conversion of land to pasture, began in the mid-1850s. During World War II, the New Zealand Government took local ancestral land from indigenous Māori owners to construct a military airfield. When no longer required for defence purposes, part of the land, a 62-acre (25 ha) block, was not returned to the owners, but instead was transferred to Raglan County Council in 1953 and became the public Raglan golf-course in 1968.