Pilot Peter McDonald with two passengers, photographers from Italy, at Swan Hill earlier this year.
When Caldwell farmers Peter and Wendy McDonald took the plunge and established Murray Darling Scenic Flights, they had no idea their business would be nominated as a finalist for the Start-up of the Year in the Australian Aviation Awards 2023.
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The awards are part of a nationwide recognition program and are the universal benchmark for aviation excellence.
They feature more than 145 high-achieving professionals across 28 submission-based categories.
Peter said he was humbled to be recognised and proud to be named as a finalist for the awards.
“We have faced some pretty tough times getting our business up and running including COVID and then the unprecedented floods of 2022 but during that time, we also learnt the importance of being flexible with our business model and here we are today,” he said.
With a focus on customer service, tailored travel packages and a passion to share their knowledge of the river country of the southern basin, Murray Darling Scenic Flights has hit a niche market and travellers are loving it.
As a fifth-generation farmer, Peter was born and bred in the river country and his intimate knowledge of the country fondly known as the ‘Kakadu of the South’ is what sets his tours apart.
“I just love getting up in the air and pointing out all the amazing red gum forests, wetlands, lakes, rivers and of course our diverse agricultural land,” he said.
“Sharing our story and the history and geography from the air is just an amazing experience and I never tire of it.”
The tours offer the opportunity to fly from the river to the outback, over red gum forests, wetlands, agricultural landscapes and ancient desert lakes that create a jigsaw from Barmah in the east to Mildura in the west.
“We offer routes over the stunning salt lake system of Lake Tyrrell in northern Victoria, to the ancient site of Lake Mungo, Yanga National Park, Gayini Wetlands, Barmah/Millewa Forest and over the Murray River,” Peter said.
Flights depart from Echuca, Swan Hill and Deniliquin and special overnight River to Outback packages are available.
“Flying people across this landscape gives us the opportunity to tell our own personal farming story and that of the Riverina and how it entwines with the native landscape,” Peter said.
The McDonalds strongly believe the landscape must be managed in a sustainable way and over the past 20 years they have established native vegetation regeneration sites on their own farm, including a remnant habitat wetland while managing and protecting stands of red gum timber.
The flight business is an additional income stream that allows the couple to support their ongoing farming business and environmental work.
“To offset the carbon emissions of the Murray Darling Scenic Flights, one per cent of ticket sales goes directly to support the environmental enhancement programs of Western Murray Land Improvement Group, a non-for-profit community-run group which conducts landcare and regeneration works regionally,” Peter said.
“Keeping the environmental offsets local and real, is important to us.”
The national awards program culminates in a black-tie gala event in Sydney on August 31.
Australian Aviation’s Adam Thorn said this year’s awards received a record number of entries.
‘’All of our nominees should feel hugely proud to be shortlisted,“ he said.
“The industry spent much of the last year grappling with the after-effects of COVID-19, including rising inflation and a talent shortage.
“It’s to their huge credit that our nominees have shown great initiative to navigate these difficult times and thrive.”
The view from the Murray Darling Scenic Flights plane over Lake Tyrrell, near Sea Lake. It's a hot spot for flights with international visitors, local tourists and keen photographers. Photo: Wendy McDonald
