TasWeekend: Take to the skies for a unique viewpoint

What better way is there to experience Tasmania’s hidden wonders, diverse land and seascapes and rich natural and human history than from the air.

Generic aerial view of Tasman Peninsula from the air. Above and Beyond Tasmanian Seaplanes. Port Arthur – Three Capes Panorama scenic flight. Picture: PATRICK GEE

I MAY be local to southern Tasmania, but I am as excited as any tourist might be to see my home from a little blue and white seaplane in the sky. I meet pilot Ben Ritchie and fellow guests Fiona and Greg, from Cygnet, on Hobart’s Franklin Wharf. We are set to soar southeast with Above and Beyond Tasmanian Seaplanes to witness Tasmania’s famed Three Capes from the air and touch down briefly at Port Arthur Historic Site.

It is one of three scenic flights offered by the new business venture of the winemaking Ellis family behind Meadowbank vineyard in the Derwent Valley. Father and son Gerald and Henry Ellis opened Above and Beyond last December. It also delivers passengers to isolated destinations including Pumphouse Point at Lake St Clair and Satellite Island in the South East.

Ben walks us along the jetty and down onto the floating dock, remarking how lucky we are to be flying without a cloud in the sky, not a wisp of wind and not a bump on the River Derwent.

Above and Beyond Tasmanian Seaplanes three capes scenic flight. Picture: SUPPLIED

Generic aerial view of Hobart taken from Above and Beyond seaplane. Picture: PATRICK GEE

Generic aerial view of Clifton Beach from the air. Above and Beyond Tasmanian Seaplanes. Port Arthur – Three Capes Panorama scenic flight. Picture: PATRICK GEE

Generic aerial view of Cremorne from the air. Above and Beyond Tasmanian Seaplanes. Port Arthur – Three Capes Panorama scenic flight. Picture: PATRICK GEE

As we saunter along, I wonder if taking off in a seaplane might be anything like that famous scene in Indiana Jones, The Raiders of the Lost Ark, in which Jones escapes dozens of furious spear-wielding locals by swinging out of a forest on a conveniently placed vine and climbing into a rickety old open-cockpit seaplane before it lifts wildly into the air. I hope today’s flight will be far more civilised.

After a safety briefing, I step onto the plane’s float and duck through the small door into the cosy cabin, clambering into a front seat to sit beside Ben.

I slide my radio headset over my ears and click my seat belt on, careful not to bump any of the buttons, knobs and levers surrounding my knees.

Fiona and Greg opt for seats at the rear, leaving the middle row free. From here they have views out of all the plane’s windows.

We taxi out of port and, engine roaring, we blast upriver towards the Tasman Bridge.

Our vessel cuts through the water at 45 knots without a bump, and before I know it we are airborne.

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I am not nervous as Ben has assured us of the reliability of the craft — a 1956-built de Havilland Beaver.

Although these old planes are no longer in production, he says they are the best at what they do so are forever being rebuilt.

We bank hard right towards the South East and see people like ants on the white sand of Clifton Beach, where a surf carnival is under way. Bright blue bays pass under us.

Ben points out Bruny Island, the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, Storm Bay, Frederick Henry Bay, Lauderdale and Cremorne.

The aerial perspective is unique enough to disorient even locals who know southern Tasmania’s geography well.

I pull open the window to my right and poke the lens of my camera out, knowing no image can do this view justice.

Sloping Island and Connellys Marsh pass us by. Ben points out historic convict coal mines at Premaydena and tells us briefly of their history. We reach the climax of our scenic expedition. The spectacular sheer rugged cliff faces of Cape Hauy, Cape Pillar and The Blade, and Tasman Island with its lonely lighthouse and lighthouse keeper’s houses.

MAKE A NOTE GETTING THERE: Check in for your flight in the building across the road from Mures seafood restaurant on the water side at Franklin Wharf. You will see your plane docked at Kings Pier Marina PRICES: Scenic flights start from $120. Above and Beyond’s Port Arthur and Three Capes Panorama flights are $595 per person with two passengers, or $545 with three or more. Custom and commercial charters can also be arranged. Book at aboveandbeyond.flights or call 1300 338 303

We turn west for a mesmerising view up the East Coast over the windswept south-facing cliffs. Ben makes a number of S-turns over these significant landmarks to maximise our viewing time.

We land on Carnarvon Bay at the Port Arthur Historic Site, where a number of watercraft are on the harbour.

We gaze over old cottages and eerie ruins as Ben talks about the former convict colony.

Then we fly over the ferocious dolerite spires of Cape Raoul and head homeward.

On the way back to Hobart I fight the temptation to immortalise the experience in JPEG form. I want to fully enjoy what little time remains of this 1.5 hour flight.

I curse the speed at which planes travel, because it will be over all too soon.

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Port Arthur Historic Site Above and Beyond Tasmanian Seaplanes. Port Arthur – Three Capes Panorama scenic flight. Picture: PATRICK GEE

Generic aerial view of Tasman Island and The Blade from the air. Above and Beyond Tasmanian Seaplanes. Port Arthur – Three Capes Panorama scenic flight. Picture: PATRICK GEE