Hylton’s plan has dinosaur sites tourism ready to take off Sky’s limit for Winton
TOURISTS may soon be able to climb aboard for private jet and helicopter tours from Townsville to Winton to visit dinosaur sites.
A local aviation company has begun taking tourists for helicopter flights from Winton to visit the stunning remote outback locations.
The tours are just another boost to tourism in the western Queensland outback town which is rebuilding the $ 22 million Waltzing Matilda Cen- tre museum after stroyed it in 2015.
Elite Aviation pilot and coowner of the helicopter tours Hylton Ward said he had recently leased a hangar in Winton to trial the “Outback from Above” tours and the response had been positive.
“We have been doing joy flights with the locals in Winton to show them the dinosaur sites from the air,” he said.
“The community response has been ridiculous, it is something new for the locals and it is a new business in town, so they are excited.
“It is an outback experience involving the dinosaur sites so it will be popular with tourists, and we could go out to home- fire de- steads. The long- term picture is to fly tourists from Townsville and Cairns, to Winton and we may eventually have some outback glamping accommodation available.
“Within 12 months we plan to take a fixed- wing plane from Townsville to Winton and then we would get the helicopter out to the Dinosaur Stampede National Monument at Lark Quarry conservation park and around the region.
“At this stage we could take a group of four or five tourists to Longreach, Middleton, Hughenden and Richmond which are all dinosaur areas and to the local gorges.”
Mr Ward, who has a background in aviation tourism and remote resorts, said he was surprised aerial tours were not already offered in the area.
“Because it hasn’t been done, there is a risk factor there but we will give it our best shot,” he said. “We have teamed up with the local tour guides on the ground, where we will fly the tourists into a site and they will do the ground tours and walks around the dinosaur dig sites.
Mr Ward said film producers had already booked the helicopter to scout the region during the Winton Film Festival from June 23 to July 1.
“We will be taking people around the sights, backdrops for potential film sites. It is quite exciting,” he said.