Splash and Dash Searey Seaplane Delights
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Around Australia Seaplane Adventure
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 Photo Info
Posted By: Hal Brown
Date Posted: Apr 15, 2014
Description: Introducing Doug Bauer and Searey VH-SEY
Date Taken: Apr 15, 2014
Place Taken: Maryborough Queensland
Owner: A friend of Dougs
File Name: 10003927_615613318522670_399778094_n.jpg   - Photo HTML
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Category: 548, Around Oz Adventure Day 0
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Marty Corr - Apr 15,2014   Viewers  | Reply
    Over 14,000 km's, over 100 stops ( not counting Touch and Go's).60 days, 7 aviators, 5 seaplanes. <br />The Around Australia Seaplane Adventure 2014 was born when David Geers, owner of VH-XWW (LSX002 built by Adam Yang) drove around Australia in a car in the 1980's. He loved seeing his country, but was not a fan of the endless hours required behind the wheel. He vowed he would one day repeat the exercise in an aeroplane. It took until 2013 for the idea to finally gel into reality.<br />David runs the Seaplane Intranet in Australia and put the word out, asking if anybody wanted to join him. He got a bunch of guys (and a girl) inspired. <br />We'll introduce the crew one by one as they join the tour from their home bases. <br />The first man to put wind under the wings is Doug Bauer from Maryborough Queensland, <br />Doug finished building his Searey in August 2013. <br />Here is is at his home base, about to kick off the adventure on 30th March 2014.<br />His mission to fly down to Caboulture near Brisbane to meet up with David (Owner and Pilot of XWW), and Marty Corr (still building Searey VH-UFM) his co-pilot and camera man.     
  
Marty Corr - Apr 15,2014   Viewers  | Reply
    The guys have linked up with a few good causes to ease the guilt of having two much fun on their trip.<br />We're supporting Clean Up Australia by making sure we leave every place we visit cleaner than we found it. <br />We also supporting Make A Wish Australia. They make dreams come true for seriously ill and disadvantaged children. We will take as many as these kids as possible up to experience the thrill of a Seaplane flight as we travel clockwise around the country.<br />It has been a mammoth undertaking months in preparation and we have several generous sponsors helping us with our trip.<br />The first thing we do in preparation is to apply the logos of our sponsors.<br />Then it is time to commence the voyage, we start it off with some good vibes.<br />Two sick kids get a fly from Caboulture in XWW before we depart for Evans Head, our first over-night stop      Attachments:  

1544983 614869721930363 905472857 n.jpg
1544983 614869721930363 905472857 n

    
  
Marty Corr - Apr 15,2014   Viewers  | Reply
    The initial leg of the flight did not provide much opportunity for taking pictures.<br />We were vectored out through controlled airspace near Brisbane International Airport into Moreton Bay by Brisbane Air Traffic Control. The cloud base was about 800 feet, the rain coming down as once clear of the restricted area we dodged the clouds south towards Surfers Paradise. The heart of the Gold Coast.<br />We flew on in the rain, joined for around an hour by the Super Petrel of Rohan Whittington a Gold Coast Local      Attachments:  

Rohan Super Petrel.jpg
Rohan Super Petrel

    
  
Marty Corr - Apr 15,2014   Viewers  | Reply
    At the Southern end of the Gold Coast the weather began to lift. <br />Here we are overhead Kirra Point and the Snapper Rocks Superbank, legendary surf breaks. The Superbank wave sometimes breaks perfectly at freight-train speed for a kilometer. Surfers come from all over the world to ride it. Not at it's best today but still a bunch of people out. It is actually man-made. The city council created a sand by-pass system at the mouth of the Tweed River on the Queensland / New South Wales border to protect the sand on the tourist beaches. A by product of the sand pumping was the Superbank. Probably the only time in history surfers think their tax dollars well spent      Attachments:  

Kirra.jpg
Kirra

    
  
Marty Corr - Apr 15,2014   Viewers  | Reply
    We flew on South.<br />This is coming up to the Lighthouse at Cape Byron, the eastern-most place in Australia. It's also famous for being a hippy hang-out and for the Byron Bay Blues Festival.      Attachments:  

Cape Byron.jpg
Cape Byron

    
  
Marty Corr - Apr 15,2014   Viewers  | Reply
    I don't know the name of this river, but I call it 'Green Mango River' Flying over the river bought back memories of a three week road trip along the same route in a camper van.last year. <br />The area was rich in Mango trees full of unripe fruit. <br />Very hard to buy sour Mangoes in the shops in Australia but I love Thai food and you 've got to have sour green mangoes to make it authentic. All you had to do was find a suitable place to stop at the side of the road and pick all you wanted      Attachments:  

Green Mango River.jpg
Green Mango River

    
  
Marty Corr - Apr 15,2014   Viewers  | Reply
    Our first nights destination Evans head comes into view.<br />We will be landing on the old R.A.A.F (Royal Australian Air Force) which is in process of being turned into an air park. The developer owns a beautiful Grumman Mallard. There is also a museum on the airport. The star exhibit is an F-111<br />We did a lot of research for the trip, finding out as much as we possibly could online about each of our 60 destinations. We also scouted the locations on Google Earth.<br />Evans Head looked an absolutely fantastic place to put down on the river for the night, but further research showed the speed limit between the town bridge and the river mouth meant we could not land there so the airport was our only choice.<br />      Attachments:  

IMG 4158.jpg
IMG 4158

    
  
Marty Corr - Apr 15,2014   Viewers  | Reply
    Another part of our research was finding places to stay. preferably affordable as like most people, we have to watch the pennies.<br />An idea we had was to offer a seaplane ride in exchange for a place to stay.<br />We researched places that looked like a good location on Google Earth then send out e mails to accommodation close by with our proposition.<br />We came up trumps on our very first attempt.<br />The owner of Evans River Bed and Breakfast was a man called Tony. <br />He loves seaplanes. As a schoolboy he lived in Fiji and used to go on a Catalina to the school island at the beginning and end of each term.<br />Tony picked us up from the airport, ran us around to get fuel and we had a wonderful evening joining him and his wife for dinner.<br />His place overlooked the river, had a swimming pool, extremely quiet and comfortable accommodation and a substantial breakfast. <br /><br />We had a great first night and felt very pleased our seaplane ride for a room deal had worked out. Tony had a blast on his flight, we found out the speed limit did not apply up river of the town bridge so he enjoyed some water landings and a fly over his house.<br />We weren't the only ones with a good roost for the hours of darkness....Here's XWW tucked up for the night at Evans Head.<br /><br />      Attachments:  

XWW gone to bed at Evans Head.jpg
XWW gone to bed at Evans Head

    
  
Frank A. Carr - Apr 15,2014   Viewers  | Reply
    Thanks for posting Marty, great adventure, we're all envious.     
  
Dan Nickens - Apr 15,2014   Viewers  | Reply
    What an incredible adventure! Thanks for posting these highlights, Marty.     
  
Dave Edward - Apr 15,2014   Viewers  | Reply
    Thanks for sharing Marty. Can't wait for more of the same.     
  
Daniel Paul Myers - Apr 15,2014   Viewers  | Reply
    Doug must be a tall dude..     
  
Marty Corr - Apr 15,2014   Viewers  | Reply
    Thanks for the positive response. I will do my best to catch up as we are now actually on day 16. There have been many great times, incredible vistas and unique experiences. If you are impatient to catch up with where we are at go to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/">www.facebook.com</a> and enter Australian Seaplane Adventures in the search box.<br /><br />Dan Nickens, I have always very much enjoyed reading of your adventures. Having now attempted to document a trip myself I have an appreciation of the amount of time it takes.<br /><br />Dan Myers, yes he is tall. He added a 3 inch height extension to his canopy     
  
Marty Corr - Apr 19,2014   Viewers  | Reply
    Our host Tony drove us out to Evans Head Airport after a hearty breakfast and a run-around to get fuel in the morning. <br />We also got a call from a Rally Sport photographer called Nigel connected with RallySafe, one of our sponsors. (More on RallySafe later). Nigel had photographed us flying over Byron Bay yesterday and wanted to meet us. He bought us some photographic filters courtesy of RallySafe and gave us a bunch of photography tips.<br />He also had a drone with him. <br />I had done a lot of research into getting a drone having first seen footage of one posted on this site. Unfortunately I didn't lose enough weight or have enough time to order the drone I wanted from the USA and learn to fly it prior to the trip (Matrix Turbo Ace with Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera) so I am droneless. <br />Here Nigel demonstrates his DJI Phantom drone for us.<br />I still dream of the footage that would have been possible in some of the places we are going with a drone. I will just have to do the Round Oz trip again.      Attachments:  

Drone Pic.jpg
Drone Pic

    
  
Marty Corr - Apr 19,2014   Viewers  | Reply
    Another treat was in store at Evans Head Airfield. There is an aviation museum there. Normally open only on weekends. The museum guys opened it up especially for us. The star exhibit was an F-111.     
  
Marty Corr - Apr 20,2014   Viewers  | Reply
    Several hours later than anticipated, we took off to fly south to enjoy the company of Keith Clark, President of the Seaplane Pilots Association of Australia at his place in Smiths Lake. All togged out in our SPAA hats and Round Oz shirts we were decked out in our finery for the occasion.<br />Then during a seemingly innocuous photo opportunity best performed with an open canopy, in flight destructive testing of a Seaplane Pilots Association Australia Cap was carried out not far from Port Macquarie. The test was carried out shortly after Squadron Leader Geers uttered the words ' if you are going to lean out of the window make sure...' <br />Identity of the crew member withheld. For those that know us personally a clue.... He is the one most in need of a cap! In his defense the same maneuver had been carried out numerous times previously with a different headset that held the cap on.<br />Different day, different headset and the cap is shredded in the prop and sent to a watery grave.      Attachments:  

SPAA hat.jpg
SPAA hat

    
  
Marty Corr - Apr 20,2014   Viewers  | Reply
    The level in the lake at Keith's house at Smiths Lake was too low to get the aircraft out of the water. Taxiing in to check out the depth a huge fish jumped out of the water, bounced off my arm and the side of the plane before splashing back into the water again.<br />We took off again and flew across the lake to another beautiful home (pictured). The lucky man that lives there is Steve Ridley. Another seaplane pilot, Steve has a self built Quad City Flier on floats in his garage.      Attachments:  

Steve Ridleys House.jpg
Steve Ridleys House

    
  
Steve Kessinger - Apr 20,2014   Viewers  | Reply
    How much for a hat and tshirt, Marty?     
  
Marty Corr - Apr 20,2014   Viewers  | Reply
    Hi Steve,<br />I have looked up the web-site for you. Here's the link to the merchandise<br /><a href="http://seaplanes.org.au/Merchandise/merchandise.htm">http://seaplanes.org.au/Merchandise/merchandise.htm</a><br />The man to contact is Ben Hunter. Ben's contact is<br />mob: +61 417 022 712<br />email: secretary@seaplanes.org.au     


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