Every now and then, I get to reconnect with someone from my past in the most unexpected and delightful way. This podcast episode of Travel With Us A While was one of those times.
My guest, Nigel Fotheringham, and I grew up together in the small town of Selukwe (now Shurugwi) in Zimbabwe. Decades later, we found ourselves chatting across the airwaves — me from my life of sailing and travel, and Nigel from the cockpit of his aircraft — sharing stories of exploration, adventure, and the joy of seeing the world from a different angle.
There’s something magical about seeing Australia from above — and few people know it better than Nigel, a pilot who’s spent years leading flying adventures through Queensland and New South Wales.
(Not to mention the many hours he has flown as a volunteer for Angel Flight)
By the end of our conversation, I’d added at least half a dozen new places to my ever-growing travel list!
Nigel is a member of the Gold Coast Sports Flying Club, a wonderfully active bunch based between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. When the club first invited him on a group flying trip just after COVID, he ended up taking the reins — and has been leading outback flying adventures ever since.
“We don’t go for flash hotels,” he laughed. “We want to experience the outback as it is — old pubs, country hospitality, and a clean bed. That’s all you need.”
Adventures from the Air
One of his recent trips started from the Gold Coast and took him and a small fleet of aircraft west to Roma and Wallaroo Outback Retreat, near Carnarvon Gorge.
Imagine landing on a private airstrip beside a luxury glamping camp, complete with ensuites and king-sized beds, and spending days exploring Aboriginal rock art and sandstone cliffs. Bliss!
From there, the group ventured on to Barcaldine, home of the famous Tree of Knowledge — the birthplace of the Australian Labor Party — then up to Winton, where dinosaur fossils and life-sized bronze replicas tell stories from prehistoric Australia. Nearby Lark Quarry is another gem, preserving thousands of fossilized dinosaur footprints in the red earth — an extraordinary window into the past.
Stories Carved in Stone and Memory
Nigel’s enthusiasm for the outback is infectious. He spoke with wonder about Paronella Park, the dreamlike North Queensland castle built by Spanish migrant José Paronella in the 1930s. After a lifetime of floods, neglect, and rediscovery, the park today is an enchanting mix of history, romance, and resilience.
And then there’s the Undara Lava Tubes — vast, hollowed-out tunnels formed by ancient volcanic flows — where visitors can stay in refurbished 1st Class railway carriages and enjoy bush breakfasts among the kookaburras (who, according to Nigel, have a special taste for sausages!).
Further north lies Cobbold Gorge, a slender ribbon of emerald water slicing through sandstone cliffs. “You travel up the gorge in a narrow boat,” Nigel said, “and at the end, you walk back over a glass bridge looking straight down into the gorge. It’s just incredible.”
Outback Legends and Laughs
No adventure is complete without a few memorable moments — like the time Nigel accidentally walked in on a very surprised hotel guest while trying to find the right room key (“Was that a six or a nine?”).
That evening the waitress from that same room served him dinner, greeting him with, “You came into my room!”
He’s seen Birdsville under flood, flown over the Dig Tree — where Burke and Wills’ ill-fated expedition left hidden supplies — and explored Wilpena Pound and Lake Eyre, even circling the mysterious Marree Man etched into the desert floor.
The Magic of Flying Low and Slow
What comes through in every story is Nigel’s deep love of Australia’s wild heart — and of sharing it with others. His trips aren’t about ticking boxes; they’re about camaraderie, curiosity, and discovering the lesser-known corners of this vast continent.
For me, our chat was a reminder that adventure doesn’t always mean crossing oceans. Sometimes, it’s as close as the nearest country airstrip — or the next dusty road that veers off the map.
Angel Flight Australia
Nigel is a volunteer pilot with the charity organization, Angel Flight Australia. The head office is in Brisbane.
Volunteers can operate wherever they wish to choose an assignment. Nigel generally operates within a 3 hour radius of Brisbane. That can take him to Sydney, or Bourke in NSW or Birdsville, Mt Isa and Mackay in Qld and all places in between.
Pilots volunteer their aircraft and services as a free taxi service flying people into the major centers from the outback for general medical treatments and specialist appointments.
Angel Flight is a charity which coordinates non-emergency flights to assist country people to access specialist medical treatment. If you would like to be part of the amazing service they give to our fellow Australians, please visit the the Angel Flight web page.
If you want to Listen to the full conversation
If you’d like to hear the full conversation, you can find the episode Flying the Outback with Nigel Fotheringham on the Travel With Us A While podcast.
And don’t forget to hit “subscribe” — there are plenty more stories by land, sea, and air still to come. If you would like to share your travel adventures, please let me know in the comments.
