02-Jan-2008 -- Having read many reports of arduous trials to reach remote confluence points (and done a few in Egypt myself), we decided to do it the easy way and visit by helicopter.

We left the Helimuster base on Victoria River Downs Station where Mark works as a pilot and flew south for 25 minutes, stopping at a remote site where we had spotted aboriginal cave paintings from the helicopter. Dodging several storms (it is the wet season) we came to a hover over the confluence point and landed. The pilot could only get to within one 1000th of a degree but not perfectly on (gps drift it was alleged)...so we had to take one pace from the helicopter due east to arrive at 17S 131E.

After a few minutes at the site, we flew back for a couple of cold beers at the station. What a way to travel! Amazing scenery and extremely fast access to the otherwise inaccessable.