What do Melbourne’s western suburbs look like from a bird’s eye view?
Star Weekly decided to find out by flying from Williamstown to Point Cook with Melbourne Seaplanes, established in Williamstown in 1997.
The Way out West trip takes in Williamstown and Altona beaches, Jawbone Marine Sanctuary, Cheetham Wetlands, Sanctuary Lakes and Point Cook Marine Sanctuary.
Cruising at 500 feet above water and more than 1000 feet over built-up areas, chief pilot Rod Gunther then flies over Wyndham and across Port Phillip Bay to St Kilda.
We fly over Webb Dock and the cruise ship Celebrity Solstice which docked at Port Melbourne on Wednesday.
Distance is no object when travelling at more than 200km/h, although the plane is so smooth it’s like sitting on a cloud.
The seaplane passes over the West Gate Bridge where the cars look like matchboxes, and past the mouth of the Yarra River and Newport Power Station before landing among sailboats and yachts in Williamstown.
Melbourne Seaplanes has been taken over by Brett and Barbara Audas. Mr Audas previously flew the Emirates A380, which is the largest commercial aircraft in the world.
Ms Audas said there had been renewed interest in seaplanes since The Bachelorette Sophie Monk and winner Stu Laundy took a seaplane to their romantic date.
“I’ve got a gentleman booked in and he’s going up over the Melbourne city skyline and he’s proposing to his girlfriend,” Ms Audas said.
Details visit www.melbourneseaplanes.com.au or call 9397 5388.
