The Outback Air Race 2025 Days 4–5: William Creek to Yulara, plus an Uluru sunrise

RFDS in the Red Centre

Out here, the distances are beautiful—and unforgiving. The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) connects remote communities, stations, travellers, and national parks with 24/7 telehealth and aero‑medical care. The Outback Air Race raises funds to keep that lifeline airborne. Over Days 4–5 we saw, again, how essential the RFDS is.

Day 4 field report: William Creek → Cadney Homestead (RFDS strip) → Yulara

• Departure: Cool dawn over William Creek’s flight line, aircraft dotted along the horizon.

• Plan vs reality: With headwinds building, we elected to stop at Cadney Homestead—a designated RFDS strip—for fuel. We’d confirmed availability the night before and again before launch.

• On arrival: The roadhouse had just run dry. Next delivery: “maybe four days.” That’s the outback.

• What it took: Contingency planning, and disciplined fuel management, to fly on to Yulara with our remaining fuel. Once at the regional centre of Yulara, and refuel safely for the final leg to Yulara.

• Takeaway: Resilience isn’t a slogan—it’s a practice. Locals, travellers, and pilots adapt together, and the RFDS stands ready when adaptation isn’t enough.

Short-field, soft-field departure from the Cadney RFDS strip. Remote strips are part of the adventure—and the safety net. The RFDS flies the same runways we do, but in all conditions, for all of us.

• Departure: Gravel under the wheels, golden light, dust in the prop wash.

• Why it matters: RFDS teams use these very strips—day and night—to reach people when minutes count.

• Fuel logistics at Yulara: Big delivery, bigger distances. Aviation in the Centre runs on careful planning—and so does the RFDS mission.

Day 5: Yulara lay day — sunrise at Uluru and Kata Tjuta

Uluru at first light — telephoto detail of the eastern face

• Pre‑dawn calm, and a horizon that turned from indigo to rose to gold in minutes.

• Uluru’s eastern face glowed pink‑violet; Kata Tjuta caught pastel light across the spinifex.

Desert gold — backlit wildflowers near Yulara

• Among the visitors were families from interstate and overseas—people drawn here by beauty who may one day rely on the Flying Doctor more than they ever expected.

Headline: Help the RFDS reach anyone, anywhere

• Donate to Team Charlie A. Foxtrot

• Link: https://royal-flying-doctor-service-western-operations.grassrootz.com/outbackairrace25/team-35-charlie-a-foxtrot/donate

• Your gift powers 24/7 telehealth, aero‑medical retrievals, and outback clinics like William Creek. Every dollar shortens the distance between an emergency and expert care.

Join the Flight

• What questions do you have about flying the outback, RFDS operations, or the race? Drop them below—we’ll answer in the next post.

• Poll idea: Which behind‑the‑scenes do you want next?

  • A) Pilot’s fuel/weight planning

  • B) RFDS telehealth: how it works at unstaffed clinics

  • C) Gravel strip techniques

  • D) On‑board camera/route tour

• Know someone planning a trip to the Red Centre? Share this post so they know how the RFDS has their back.