CHRISTMAS WAVE
Were you waving at me? We’ve got a big bush fly season under way, courtesy of a wet winter that created good breeding conditions for flies. In last Saturday’s paper, Ben Harvey explained that it is the worst fly plague in living memory. And over the next few weeks, Perth and the South West can expect billions of flies to be blown in from their breeding grounds in the “livestock-rich Mid West” on easterly and northerly winds.
FLY BAY
The Duyfken was the first European ship to reach Australia, in 1606. Captain Willem Janszoon is believed to have named Fly Bay (“Vliege Bay” in Dutch) because he and his crew were so bothered by flies. Long before Europeans brought livestock.
+ Fly Bay is now called Albatross Bay, but don’t wait for a “weight of albatrosses” (“weight” being their collective noun).
+ An excellent replica of the Duyfken was made in WA and is now in the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney.
CAVE RESCUE
In 1896, explorer David Carnegie and his party were severely bothered by flies in Great Victoria Desert — near where a woman was rescued from a cave (which was also reported in last Saturday’s paper). Carnegie wrote that the flies “never ceased to annoy us”. The full story is at the back of this edition.
HAIL HOVERFLIES
+ What Harvs didn’t explain is that “bush flies” and other flies are significant and often underestimated pollinators. We like bees best because we can steal from them. But flies are important for both native plants and agricultural crops.
+ The bee in my bonnet is the usually invisible hoverfly. I like them better than bees. They are broad feeders which visit a wide range of plants lots of times across a big area. All of this makes hoverflies important pollinators. (Bees generally keep within a 5km radius). Hoverflies are stingless, don’t make hives and are particularly good at pollinating carrot crops. Their larvae are voracious predators of aphids.
SIMPLE DETERRENT
Our story last week about the tick season around Perth brought a lot of response.
+ Reader Gordon Roberts has been a Bibbulmun Track volunteer for 10 years. He says: “I have found Dettol is great to control ticks and March flies. A lady walked into a Bibbulmun Track shelter one day covered in pepper ticks. One of our lady ‘vollies’ took her around the back, took off her top and sprayed all the pepper ticks (with small spray bottle), which then dropped off. I spray my boots and ankles before walking and also my waist. When sprayed on skin, the March flies land but take off immediately without biting.”
+ (I tried Gordon’s tip last weekend, and didn’t find a tick on me . . . but my clothes, backpack and boots still all went in the freezer for three days!)
+ I mentioned a product to freeze ticks that have attached themselves (they drop off pretty quickly!) and reader Peggy Douglass adds that there’s also an (Australian) company that has a tick freeze product — Tick Tox — “just so you know”. Tick Tox snap freezes them and kills ticks on people and pets. It fits nicely into a pocket or backpack. (And it kills leeches too.) A 20g dispenser is a bit under $20. ticktox.com.au
HILLS STILL ALIVE
Alcoa Australia has withdrawn its Perth Hills exploration plans. A spokesperson says this is in response to community and local stakeholder feedback. It includes areas in the Armadale, Kalamunda, Mundaring, Beverley and York local government districts.
They had been identified in the company’s Mining and Management Plan but have now been removed. Alcoa director of regulatory approvals Kane Moyle says: “We listened to feedback and are making changes that will be reflected in both MMPs.”
BIG COVER-UP
If you want to get ahead, get a hat. More precisely, as summer really kicks in, if you want to keep your head, get a hat. And that brings me back to Flexibraid — lightweight, breathable, UPF50+ rated, and completely foldable. When you get it out of a suitcase, it just pops back into shape. (I bought one to test, and can vouch for this.) Flexibraid hats were invented in Australia. This is, as a Flexibraid spokesperson says: “A world-first braiding technique that embodies performance, protection and packability.” The hats are also crush-resistant, rain-resistant (which won’t matter for quite a while) and wind-resistant (which will matter). The spokesperson points out that they are also good for a caravan drawer, glove box, as well as in your aircraft carry-on. There are designs by Tina M Copenhagen, ooGee Australia and Evoke Headwear. flexibraid.com.au
TERRITORY INCENTIVE
+ Tourism NT has announced a $100 flight discount with Qantas to help travellers discover the Territory’s “Best Kept Season”. The discount gives $100 off return flights to Darwin and Alice Springs for travel between December 15, 2025, and April 30, 2026. Bookings have to be made from December 3 to 9, 2025 (qantas.com/au and use the code NT100).
+ A Tourism NT spokesperson says nature turns on its most spectacular show from December to April. They add: “It’s the season locals love most, from flowing waterfalls and outdoor markets without the crowds, to some of Australia’s best fishing and events you won’t find anywhere else.”
+ The Parrtjima light-installations show in Alice Springs is from April 10 to 19, 2026, transforming the desert landscape into an open-air night gallery.
+ And Alice Springs’ new mayor, Asta Hill, gets a special mention in today’s Travel 2026 Guide, which starts on page 11.
SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE
Outback Spirit has announced a pre-release of 2027 trips. There are savings of up to $2000 per person of some of its most popular 2027 flagship tours. From Arnhem Land to Cape York, the Kimberley to Central Australia, Outback Spirit has opened bookings for 11 small-group itineraries and two new tours to Queensland’s hinterland and South Australia’s Kangaroo Island. The seven-day Queensland Hinterland Spectacular is from $6490 per person and eight-day Spectacular Kangaroo Island from $7690 per person. outbackspirittours.com.au
MORE FLIGHTS
+ Jetstar has added to our direct flights out of WA, with a new service three times a week between Perth and Manila. The Airbus A321LR aircraft take about seven hours to cover the 5200km. jetstar.com
+ Malaysia Airlines has just stepped up to double daily flights between Perth and Kuala Lumpur.
+ All Nippon Airways will fly daily flights between Perth and Tokyo until April 19, 2026.
+ Cathay Pacific is now flying double daily flights between Perth and Hong Kong.
+ And Qantas begins is direct flight between Perth and Johannesburg, South Africa, on Monday, and we’re on it.
COSMIC RADIATION
It seems that cosmic radiation led to more than 6000 Airbus aircraft needing computer updates and being grounded. According to Airbus, tiny, high-energy particles from outer space affected an aircraft causing a sudden drop in altitude. Initial investigation indicates that the malfunction was triggered by cosmic radiation bombarding the Earth at that moment. It affected one of the aircraft’s computers that controls moving parts on the plane’s wings. An Airbus statement says: “Analysis of a recent event involving an A320 Family aircraft has revealed that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls.”
HAPPY PICK-UP
We recently wrote about trusted airport pickup services, and regular reader Iain Cameron adds that he has used Airport Pickups London four times in the past six weeks. Iain says: “They met us at Heathrow and took us to and from our son’s home in Wandsworth, south-west London. The cost from Heathrow to SW18 was $135 (£67) and the price from Wandsworth to Heathrow was $125 (£62). The drivers were all on time, the vehicles clean and we felt it was excellent value for money. Quotes from some other companies were much more expensive.” airport-pickups-london.com
