Broome's Cable Beach. Photo / Jarrad Seng
Mother Nature is on fire in the far northwest and the best way to see her relatively untouched splendour is from the air, writes Belinda Feek.
From the sky, it's like a scattering of beehives.
But from the ground, we're dwarfed as the Bungle Bungle Range towers around us.
We're in the Kimberley region, mate, up in the northwest reaches of Western Australia, in the Purnululu National Park.
And boy it's hot. This is tropical savannah country; we're a stone's throw to Darwin and what seems like a short ride to the equator.
Between December and March it's wet up here - the locals are clever and take off for a couple of months to holiday somewhere not so wet - but the rest of the year you're left deciding which pair of jandals, or thongs, match best with your array of singlets, shorts or dresses.
I didn't have to worry about rain during my nine days. A second layer of clothing is pretty much laughable and it's just perfect when escaping a miserable New Zealand winter.
It's not even cold in the chopper as we zig-zag our way over the range for a closer look. Like most of the country in the Kimberley, everything is ridiculously old and relatively untouched.
This range, which goes back 350 million years and covers 320,000ha, has developed into its own unique form because of countless earthquakes, winds and other special tricks from Mother Nature.
Earlier, our group completed the short 3km walk through an area dubbed Cathedral Gorge, a natural amphitheatre of sandstone walls.
Anyone would have thought we were taking part in a marathon. We were hot, sweaty and exhausted yet over-awed by our surroundings, constantly stopping to take pictures which don't do the Bungles any justice.
To get into this part of Australia, you're most likely to land in Broome, over on the west coast.
Flying in is a picture-postcard scene - the sea is lagoon blue and the land is flame-thrower red. The air is a dry 35C with only a small amount of humidity, making it surprisingly comfortable.
Broome is a cool town with unusual things to do, however, riding a camel along the beach isn't one I am expecting.
Rides are held twice a day, but the sunset option is always a hit with those seeking sensational selfies, plus it's cheap at about A$40 ($44) a pop. Having never encountered a camel before, the only thing running through my head is how I am expected to get on the thing.
Turns out there's no running jump involved - they just sit down and let you, rather ungraciously, clamber on before gently taking you down the beach.
Given this amazing landscape and a limited holiday time, the best and common way to get around is by air.
From a few hundred dollars, you can choose from a variety of scenic flights at Kimberley Aviation.
We opt for a couple of trips. One up to the isolated area of Cape Leveque - on the Dampier Peninsula - just an hour's flight away.
There's not a lot there - a restaurant and camping area - but the isolation is its attraction.
After landing, I turn around and feel like I'm in a scene from 1990s Aussie TV show The Flying Doctors, with our small plane on its fire-red dirt landing strip.
After a cooked breakfast and quick dip in the Indian Ocean, we're off to take in more historical and breathtaking views - this time the Buccaneer Archipelago, a 100km stretch of about 2000 islands, scattered along the coastline.
Like the Bungles, the archipelago is billions of years old. You can get close if you take a visit to the Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm, where you can see how the pearls are manufactured and take a boat ride to the oyster farm and the edges of the archipelago.
Another, albeit unusual, sight during the flight (which can also be seen by boat) are the Horizontal Waterfalls, a natural phenomenon caused by massive tidal movements.
The waterfalls' natural beauty and rarity also captured the heart of David Attenborough who once dubbed them one of the greatest natural wonders of the world.
We then fly out to Kununurra, one of the many towns in the Kimberley region, and the youngest town in Australia, gazetted in 1961.
It's a two-hour flight and is the gateway to the Bungles and to El Questro. The name may sound like a potent Mexican drink or dangerous gangster but it's a wilderness park, sprawling over 283ha. Its marketing material says you can spend a year there and still not experience everything. We had two days.
First is a hike and overnight glamp in the Emma Gorge. Our guide is Mick Clark, who is a walking encyclopaedia on El Questro history.
Before it opened for tourism, in 1992, the whole area was full of cattle.
The development was the brainchild of Will and Celia Burrell who took over the lease a year earlier and immediately saw its tourism potential, but locals thought they were stark-raving mad, says Clark
"All this area was just cattle country. It took somebody with a bloody lot of money and enough foresight to come along. Don't worry, when Will and Celia were spending $7 million on El Questro, everyone along the Gibb River Rd were going 'this is crazy, what are you doing'. Turns out they were ahead of their time as every other cattle station is now turning to tourism."
There are 60 tented cabins, each with their own en suite - it's dubbed glamping - on site, with pool and restaurant.
Further up the road is El Questro station which has 12 units but focuses on tenting.
Then there's The Homestead.
It's pricey - between $1900 and $2600 a night - and private, which is probably the reason why it's hosted a series of celebrities over the years, including Ewan McGregor and Australia movie director Baz Luhrmann.
Chatting to a few of the Kimberley locals and tourism operators, there's loads of Kiwis working in the area and we even run into a couple of them. Hamilton man Tom Cupit - a pilot who was charged with flying us from El Questro to the Bungle ranges and back to Kununurra - is a 23-year-old graduate of the CTC Aviation school, and one of many Kiwis to have been lured over the Ditch.
The former Hamilton Boys' High School student has been in Kununurra for two-and-a-half years. Turns out Western Australia, and the Kimberley, is the go-to place for pilot graduates as the expanse of the area means it's a good place to quickly build up flying hours.
His pilot colleague and flatmate is Hannah Youmans, 31, originally from Auckland, who got into flying at 25.
Youmans was even CTC's poster girl for a while in a bid to encourage more women into the profession - she's not sure if it worked but hopes more women will take the plunge.
While there are plenty of New Zealanders working in the Kimberley, there's not so many that are visiting. Narelle Brook, Kununurra's Chamber executive officer, says Kiwis don't know what they're missing.
Brook is one of the founders of the Ord Valley Muster " Kununurra's nine-day festival. Australian chef Matt Moran dishes up some delectable treats alongside the Kununurra River at this year's event. We also check out the event's karaoke competition, Muster Idol, and attend the Kimberley Moon Experience, an outdoor concert set up on the banks of the Ord River featuring some of the country's biggest talent, including The Living End.
Brook says the event has been running for 15 years and has helped put Kununurra on the map. It's always held in May - the busier dry season - and draws in a couple of thousand punters.
The event is broken down into two sections; the corporates who are treated to canapes and a three-course sit-down dinner, and general admission for families who bring their own picnics.
The live music carries on throughout the evening before wrapping up about 10pm, our bellies full, voices hoarse.
Heels, bags and jackets are thrown over the shoulder or carried, as exhausted punters traipse to awaiting busses after yet another magic day in the Kimberley.
CHECKLIST
Getting there: Qantas flies from Auckland to Broome up to four times daily via Brisbane/Perth.
For more information: Visit westernaustralia.com
The writer travelled courtesy of Qantas and Tourism WA.
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