Dodging Clouds into Melbourne
For those based along the east coast, you will know all too well that Christmas ‘23 was a bit rainy, and not exactly the sort of weather to be flying in, so I didn’t fly on the 26th. It was honestly good to take another rest day and spend time just relaxing after a few flying days previously.
From Wudinna, I flew around the coast to Goolwa. Whilst Wudinna’s forecast was wonderful all day, this was not the case around Goolwa with a low cloud layer around the town. I waited until midday until I departed, and by that point the cloud had lifted enough so that I could safely and legally make it in.
I landed in the afternoon and met with Barb Trappett, the President of the Australian Women Pilot’s Association and various other people at the airport. I chatted for about an hour and enjoyed a lovely homemade lunch of sandwiches with some raspberries and biscuits as well! Then, after checking the forecast one final time, I set out again.
One good thing about doing this flight in December means that I have a lot of daylight to work with, and I departed Goolwa at about 5pm, with still enough time to make it into Melbourne before sunset. The first 20 minutes of the flight out, I flew low along the coast, seeing the mouth of the Murray River. Soon enough, the low level of cloud which seemed exclusive to Goolwa and the area lifted and I was able to climb up- to 9500 feet! Cruising high gave me advantages in fuel burn and speed, but it was also quite cold, which meant that it wasn’t as comfortable as I would have hoped.
I didn’t fly the entire flight at 9500, as there was cloud coming into Melbourne. I was constantly re-picking my level, staying away from cloud, above the terrain, below airspace and if operationally possible at an altitude which gave me the most favourable winds. It seemed as though no height was really working wonderfully for me so I had to mix and match my approach in to find the safest outcome. Beyond Ballarat, the ground level started to descend so it became easier to fly on, and I was met with the beautiful evening skyline and the skyscrapers of Melbourne!
I flew the costal transit route to Moorabbin airport and admired the beautiful sites of the city from the air, with the low sun casting a gorgeous golden glow on the city. I landed in Moorabbin about 10 minutes before sunset and 45 minutes before last light!
I wasn’t left to pack up the aeroplane on my own however, and I had two people who mean an awful lot to me come and say hi. Crossing the Bass Strait to Tasmania was always going to be the most difficult and potentially dangerous part of the trip, so the agreement had always been that I would fly it with an instructor before setting out solo. In Melbourne, I was met by the lovely Janaya and Bec, a PPL student who has been one of my best friends in aviation for over a year. The three of us were incredibly tight and having the opportunity to hang out and fly for a few days was absolutely wonderful. I don’t think I realised how much I missed home until I was reunited with people from Sydney. On one hand, I phone everyone frequently- to brief on weather and plans, and it doesn’t feel like I’m ever truly alone since my friends and family are just a call away. But at the same time, nothing beat the group hug when I met up with them.
After unloading NCO, we went back to our AirBNB and then ventured out for a late night Maccas run. It was so great to connect with them again, we had too much fun together.
