Australian Country Pub Crawl in a chopper

We Aussies have always had our priorities straight. In country towns across this wide brown land, one of the oldest buildings will almost certainly be the pub. As I said – priorities. In many places the pub will have been preceded only by the railway (thereby enabling us to get to the pub in the first place) and the bank (providing us with funds to buy the next round).

And who doesn’t love a good country watering hole? Once the sacred preserve of the sun-scorched, working-class man, today’s pub must appeal to a much broader range of punters in order to survive. Generally there’ll be good quality tucker (quite posh nosh in the case of the trendy gastro-pub), possibly boutique or craft beers, family events, live entertainment and let’s not forget good old-fashioned hospitality. What’s not to love?

So who wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to join a country pub crawl through the incredibly picturesque Scenic Rim, Ipswich and Lockyer Valley regions west of Brisbane – let alone a country pub crawl by helicopter. Excuse me? Yep, you read that right. A pub crawl by chopper.

The day involves paying a flying visit (literally) to around five country pubs with Ipswich-based Pterodactyl Helicopters. A pint at each pub and a delicious lunch are included, but it should be noted here that this is not an opportunity to get merry at 5,000 feet. Safety is paramount and there’s a limit of one beer per venue. It’s more about the experience.