Robert HardingSam and Andy are now flying through Australia, the final country on their momentous journey from the UK to Sydney in their little Cherokee plane.
The duo entered Oz on Friday, completing a challenging flight over a huge stretch of water between Timor and the Australian mainland. During the journey they only spent 15 minutes over land in Timor, before embarking on a 5 hour 20 minute haul over the ocean. Then they were only in sight of dry land for five more minutes before descending to the landing in Darwin. This photo shows the coast of Timor prior to their epic ocean crossing:
During the next leg, after leaving Darwin, Sam and Andy had to make an unexpected stop at RAAF Tindal near Katherine in the Northern Territory, as their engine started running a bit rough about 250NM south of Darwin. Fortunately they found three engineers who were able to quickly diagnose the problem (a fouled spark-plug) and fix it, meaning they could be airborne again in less than an hour. This was the first technical hitch they’ve had with the engine and they’re very glad it didn’t happen over the Timor Sea the previous day!
The journey resumed, Sam and Andy photographed the ‘River of Trees’ in northern Australia, where water runs under the ground through the arid desert.
They successfully reach Alice Springs in the centre of this giant country. Sam at the domestic airport at sunset:
Track their progress live here. We have sponsored their journey. If you want to join us, you can donate to Oxfam here.