RIVERS, RESERVES & RESERVIORS plus Historic Swan Reach Hotel

Did you know we can fly you across Australia’s only Dark Sky “RESERVE”, right
here in our backyard!

The River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve is approximately 3,200 square
Kilometres and has a reading of 21.9 on the Light Measurement Scale. It’s one
of only 200 Internationally accredited Dark Sky places in the world, and is
purely remarkable.

Whilst we do NOT fly at night, you will get an appreciation of the grand scale
of the reserve from the air during the day, plus a Birdseye view of the Mighty
Murray River.

Dry Climates and cloudless skies contribute to the magnitude of the reserve,
you will see that there are hardly any built up areas to pollute the sky with
lights.

Departing from Lyndoch we take you over the northern Barossa where we will
point out the amazing Dry Stone Walls, dating from the earliest days of
settlement. Along this range, there was plenty of rock and little timber for
fences. So, it made sense to build from rock.

From here we fly across the vast plains between the Barossa Ranges and the
Murray River, joining the river just south of Blanchetown, where we track
along the river towards Swan Reach.

Landing at the Swan Reach Hotel, where you can still see the remains of the
original Swan Reach Homestead, as it was originally built as, CIRCA 1865.
After quenching your thirst and a bite to eat we continue our journey of
history and discovery.

Just out of Swan Reach is BIG BEND, the tallest cliffs, and the longest single
bend

anywhere along the Murray River. These limestone cliffs are rich with millions
of ocean fossils and are home to colonies of bats and birds.

Following the Murray River to Wongulla where we meet the Marne River. Pre-
European times the Ngarrindjeri and Peramangk Aboriginal people used this
river as a route to and from the hills to trade.

Not far from where the rivers meet is Shell Hill, on the banks of the Marne
River, said to be over 5 million years old. The hill gets its name from the
deposit of oyster shells, which in some places were six meters deep. It
remained untouched until the 1930’s.

Following the Marne River past Cambrai into the Southern Barossa, we follow
the Reservoir system. Flying over the Warren Reservoir, which was built
between 1914-1916. This reservoir is open for public use.

Here you can see the South Para Reservoir, which is South Australia’s second
largest reservoir.

Build in 1958 to supply rapidly growing urban and industrial areas.

The Barossa Reservoir is home to the Whispering Wall, one of the most popular
tourist attractions in the Barossa Valley region. The Whispering Wall is 36m
high, at the time of completion (1902) it was the highest dam wall in
Australia. Water from these reservoirs supply over 85,000 customers.

Descending into the Hoffnungsthal Valley, you will see why the area was
settled. It was founded in 1847, as a German settlement. The local Peramangk
people warned the settlers that the area was prone to flooding, but this
advice was ignored. In October 1853, after a week of heavy spring rain, the
area was flooded. The village was left deserted. Most settlers moved a little
further north to Bethany. You can still see the floor of the Lutheran Church;
it was still used until 1867. This parcel of land become part of the Kies
Family in the 1880’s. 6 generations later and this is still home.

Welcome to our back yard.

Duration: 3-4 hours

No. of People: 1-3

Approximate Flight Time: 90 minutes

Inclusions:

Safety brief

Live commentary from your pilot

Main meal for lunch at the Swan Reach Hotel

Helicopter flight

Exclusions:

Drinks package

Souvenirs

Transfers to and from Barossa Helicopters Base