Gliding

Ride the air currents of New South Wales in a sleek gliding machine. With no motor to keep you in the air, you must search out the thermals that allow you to rise into the sky. Sounds difficult? Not at all, and you can get trial instructional flights from a heap of different operators around the state.

One of the greatest joys of gliding in this part of the country is the experience of flying beside a Wedge-tail Eagle. These magnificent birds will sometimes fly right next to your aircraft, soaring and wheeling through the skies in unison with you. There is nothing quite like soaring thousands of metres above the earth in complete silence with a bird that has a 2.5 metre wingspan for company.

Byron Bay is one of the most popular areas for gliding, with the best times to visit at spring and autumn, or summer for more experienced pilots. Situated on the edge of an extinct volcano this area has a strong sea breeze during hot months, producing ridge lifts that will take a glider high into the clouds.

Travel inland and you’ll find Narromine. It’s a little place that’s renowned as having the best climate for soaring in Australia with no airspace restrictions, flat terrain and safe places for outlandings. Pilots the world over come to soar these skies, and it’s the home of both the National and State Gliding Championships. If you’re after fantastic gliding, you won’t want to miss this.