Home AG Society Awards Adventurer of the Year 2016

Adventurer of the Year 2016

By AG STAFF • October 13, 2016

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For becoming the first person to solo navigate the world in a single-engine flying boat, Michael Smith is the Adventurer of the Year.

IN APRIL 2015, PILOT Michael Smith left Melbourne to begin his trip in a Sea-Rey Amphibian aeroplane called “Southern Sun” to loosely follow the Qantas Empire Flying Boat Route of 1938 from Sydney to London. However, on reaching London, Michael decided to continue flying across the North Atlantic, North America, the North Pacific and upon arrival in Longreach on Wednesday, 11 November, became the first person to solo navigate the world using a single-engine flying boat.

Drake Passage’s formidable reputation has long deterred travellers wanting to discover the White Continent. But things have changed. You can now fly across Drake Passage in just two hours and be immersed in Antarctica’s delicate wild places in less time than it takes to drive from Bondi to Newcastle. Here’s how you can explore the wonders of Antarctica while avoiding a multi-day ocean crossing of Drake Passage.