Flying around the hills is completely different from flying over the flat-lands.  I have always found the high country inspiring, and have spent much time there bushwalking and cross-country skiing.  To see it from the air adds another dimension and perspective, as well as bringing back those memories.

2004 was my third Porepunkah camp.  The first year I was soaring mostly locally.  Last year I had a wonderful flight to Mt Hotham, but this year I had hopes of flying further afield.

 Autumn generally brings fine weather.  Almost every day was soarable with pleasant conditions.  On Monday, April 12 the Janus was free, so at about 1pm Cath and I took a launch.  Bob Tyler towed us out toward Mt Porepunkah, where we released at about 2,800’ AGL, turning to the right straight into a 4-6kt thermal that took us to 5,400’ before weakening.  As we went up we could clearly see good Cu’s over Bogong and Hotham, so I decided to give it a go.

Mount Porepunkah makes a great jumping off point for travel to the north and east.  From there we were able to travel along the broad ridges, finding more good thermals.  Strangely they seemed to be over peaks and ridges, and in the middle of valleys. 

I had never flown over the Keiwa Valley from Porepunkah before, so I felt some trepidation as we headed across to Bogong.  There were hills half-way across that had been burnt out and had a wisp of Cu above, and I was reassured by the gliders on the flanks of Bogong, so we took the plunge.  The hill wasn’t working very well, and it took some effort to find and centre the thermal.  Now at about 6,800’ we headed across to Victoria’s highest peak, Mt Bogong.  Mt Bogong is 1973m high, and has claimed a number of lives.  Many of the ridges from the top don’t lead easily off the broad summit but down to cliffs, and have caught hikers out in poor weather.  Some years ago I climbed up Staircase Spur by myself in winter, with my skies strapped to my pack.  As I was approaching the tree-line I met someone coming down, who told me of the ferocious winds up top that nearly blew him off the icy surface.  This was hard to reconcile with the eery stillness that surrounded us.  I kept going to above the tree-line, but found I could only see one snow-pole in front.  I weighed up the risks, and turned around.  Later I heard about damage from storms and wind down below.  I never have made it back to the summit on foot or ski.

We approached below the summit but above Little Bogong.  I had flown around here two years ago, when VMFG had made John Buchanan, Cath, Spiro and I welcome after our camp had finished due to Super Cub troubles.  However, at that time we had not been able to make the jump up onto Bogong.  This time was different.  There were very large, almost over-developed Cu’s above Bogong but they were difficult to find lift under.  I saw some gliders below us scraping right along the side of Bogong.  Slowly we made our way back up, until we had a wonderful view looking down on the peak.  We lingered, enjoying the view.  It had taken us just 45 minutes from launch.

We decided to push on, heading for Falls Creek.  The ground seemed low below us, after the height over the valleys.  But it would have been an easy glide back to Mt Beauty.  I never realized that Falls Creek was so small.  Further wisps of Cu drew us across the high plains, where we met and briefly circled with some gliders returning to Mt Beauty.  On one side were the Fainters and Niggerheads that I had once climbed; on the other side the plains stretched out, with the hydro-electric dams holding the headwaters of the Keiwa River.  We crossed the deep valley of the Cobungra River, and found ourselves over Mt Loch and Mt Hotham.  Last year I had made here, but not by the less direct route of Mt Bogong. 

The thermals were less reliable on the way down to Dinner Plain, so we only had a brief look at the village and the airstrip before heading back to Hotham Heights.  Here it seemed positively easy, and we got up to 8,300’ and launched out over the Razorback.  The Razorback is spectacular.  It and Feathertop are some of our only true Alpine scenery, rising steeply up out of the Ovens River Valley from Harrietville.  Again the thermals seemed harder to find; it was not until we moved away from the ridges and peaks into the valley to the west that we were able to climb.  Still, we were hardly troubled for height, with more than final glide.  At 8,300’ we put the nose down and the flaps negative.  The Janus is a fantastic ship.  We roared back at 95 knots, losing only about 3000’ on the way.  We still had stacks of height, but there was someone waiting for an AEF.  We did a quick tour around the southern end of the Buffalo Plateau, but despite the sun on the slopes, the thermals appeared to be dying.  Mind you, we did not really try.  So we coasted down the west slope of Buffalo to bring the glider back.

We were fortunate to have launched at the best part of the day.  It was one of the easiest days and had some of the best visibility.  After two hours and eighteen minutes, we had been to Mt Porepunkah, Mt Bogong, Falls Creek and the Bogong High Plains, Mt Hotham, Mt Feathertop and the Buffalo Plateau.  Now that’s what gliding is about!