A photo taken over Lake Eyre from the window of the plane.
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Recent floods in Queensland are expected to equate to a bonanza year for Kyabram tourist operator Rob Asplin.
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While Mr Asplin sold most of his River Country tourist business last year, his decision to keep the aerial component for at least this year is expected to deliver a huge windfall.
Since his first two-day aerial tourist trips to view a full or partially full Lake Eyre in 1997, he is now gearing up to take tourists on flights to witness a full Lake Eyre, something he has only experienced once in 163 trips to the country’s biggest inland lake.
‘‘In 2011, we did 26 trips to Lake Eyre, which is the record,’’ Mr Asplin said.
He said Lake Eyre was last full in 2011, when Hurricane Yasi dumped metres of rain in its catchment area.
This year’s floods have been making their way down the Diamantina River and Cooper Creek and other tributaries to fill Lake Eyre to an expected second-largest volume, just behind the 1974 all-time record.
Signs are this year’s inflow into Lake Eyre will be an increase on the 2011 levels and even challenge the 1974 reading.
Mr Asplin said the magnitude of Lake Eyre when full or near full captivates tourists the most on his trips.
‘‘In some places when it’s full or near full you can’t see land at all, even from the plane, and that will probably be the case again this year,’’ he said.
In his early trips, he had made overnight stops at William Creek and Innamincka in north-east South Australia.
‘‘But we found Birdsville was the most convenient spot for our overnight stay for what we wanted to do,’’ Mr Asplin said.
Parked up at the Birdsville Hotel.
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Tourists also get the chance to see the iconic sand dune Big Red and the famous Burke and Wills Dig Tree.
Mr Asplin believes he has probably created a record of tourist trips to Lake Eyre.
‘‘When I take the first trip up there in May, it will be my 164th in the 28 years I have been doing it,’’ he said.
‘’I haven’t heard of any other tourist operator making that many trips there.
‘‘History shows it rarely fills, so this could be the last chance for many people who have it on their bucket list to witness.’’
To arrange a trip, contact Mr Asplin on 0428 585 227.
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