Marty Hurst on the wave in his PIK.
By Michael Zupanc
Each spring, as the dawn light touches the wide, dusty plains of the Gulf Savannah, a handful of glider pilots stand in the pre-dawn stillness, gazing to the northeast. Somewhere out there, beyond the mangroves and salt flats of Burketown, the horizon begins to rise — a long, smooth line of cloud rolling towards them with silent purpose.
It’s the Morning Glory, one of the world’s most extraordinary meteorological phenomena, and for those who fly it, something of a holy grail of soaring.
A wave unlike any other, able to stretch for hundreds of kilometres across the southern Gulf of Carpentaria, the Morning Glory cloud is a rare, spectacular atmospheric wave that forms when clashing sea breezes meet above Cape York Peninsula, pushing up a dense mass of air. With the subsequent collapse of that mass of air, it is shoved over into the gulf by the trade winds blowing on the east coast of far north Queensland. This produces a phenomenon similar to a tidal bore, such as the Severn Bore, on the Bristol Chanel in the UK.
The resulting roll cloud can travel at up to 20kts for hundreds of kilometres, carrying with it powerful lift and an irresistible challenge.
K36, somewhere on the wave
Endless Lift
While surfers travel the globe to find the perfect wave, glider pilots travel to Burketown to ride the skyborne version. They come from across Australia and sometimes beyond, drawn by the promise of smooth, endless lift and the chance to surf a cloud that very few ever experience.
The Morning Glory appears with some reliability only here, in the Gulf Savannah of northern Queensland, usually from late September to mid-October. Its presence depends on the delicate balance of moisture, temperature and wind — and while satellite imagery and weather models help predict its arrival, it’s still very much a capricious visitor.
The old way of forecasting was to check how much condensation was running down your beer glass in the evening. Lots of drips meant a good chance of glory in the morning and, of course, lots of beer was needed for accurate data collection…
The 2025 season was quieter than usual, with lower humidity limiting cloud formation. Yet even in a subdued year, it was still magnificent. Smoke from distant bushfires painted the sunrises in vivid colour, though it also dulled visibility at times. But despite the challenges, the faithful returned, numerous familiar faces and a few newcomers, hoping to catch the wave.
The Guru, Geoff Pratt on his 24th Morning Glory expedition.
Persistence
Most mornings required some persistence as we usually had to motor out over the Gulf to contact the wave. We would then be rewarded with some fine flights along lines of smooth, silky lift.
The hang gliding community also made an appearance, with this year marking the 30th anniversary of the first time hang gliders rode the Morning Glory. Among them was one of the original pilots, Bill Olive, who returned to celebrate three decades since those pioneering flights.
The town of Burketown sits on the edge of nowhere. A remote outpost with a bitumen runway, a single pub, a caravan park and Savannah Lodge, it retains the reputation of being the Barramundi capital of Australia – or so the airport sign says.
The days are hot, the air dry, and the landscape vast and unforgiving. Yet, when the Morning Glory rolls through, it becomes the centre of the soaring world – well, for us anyway.
Jeremy Thompson on left, Hamish in the middle, canine host on the right. They flew a Grob 109 up from Gympie at Sweers Island.
Paul Tridgell (left) and his DG 1001M with P2 Josh Davis.
Fishing and Swimming
When the clouds stay away, there’s still plenty to do, just as long as you like fishing and drinking, though not necessarily in that order.
With a bit of a drive, there are lovely places further inland where you can swim in magnificent gorges with crystal clear water, relatively croc-free, or just spend your time swapping tall tales over cold drinks. The nearby Gregory River, 120km away, with its clear, permanent flow, offers a welcome escape from the heat and the crocodiles. A little farther afield are Adel’s Grove and Lawn Hill Gorge, lush oases tucked into red rock country, perfect for a day’s adventure or a refreshing swim.
Just don’t swim anywhere near Burketown itself – this is proper croc country. If you must cool off, drive inland – or swim very fast.
Bentinck Island with a tiny speck above, which is the Phoenix soaring on the wave.
A Singular Airborne Experience
Flying the Morning Glory is unlike anything else in aviation. As the cloud approaches before dawn, the air is cool and still, and everything drips with condensation. Then, with a blast of wind, the wave arrives overhead, rolling and boiling backwards. The gliders launch from Burketown’s airstrip – a security-controlled airport that also handles regular passenger traffic, so keep your ASIC card handy.
Once airborne, pilots cruise along the cloud and ride the wave, sometimes for hundreds of kilometres, soaring in smooth lift over some of the most remote country in Australia. Below lies a landscape of saltpans, rivers and rocky scrub, or open sea. Beautiful but hostile terrain, it features few roads, and on the ground, no mobile reception. Your ground crew will require satellite communications for safety. Even in the towns, the only phone reception you will get is Telstra or Boost. Numerous people have discovered that phone plans that “use the Telstra network” actually don’t…
For those lucky enough to catch it, the Morning Glory experience is nothing short of magical. When you’re standing there in the dark and you see the horizon start to rise in the northeast, it is like a behemoth rising from the darkness; it sends shivers up your spine.
Once you’re up there, flying along a line of cloud that stretches beyond sight, there’s nothing like it in the world. On top of that, we would often land at some amazing places, like Sweers Island, which is a fishing resort that we often fly over on the wave, and there’s the legendary vanilla slices at Hells Gate. Definitely worth the trip for a brunch at Hells Gate!
Similarly, Adels Grove has an airstrip where you can land after a glory flight for a swim in the crystal clear river.
Left to right. Andrew Plunkett, Jason (P2 in the Stemme) Grant Rookes Stemme owner.
Going Remote – a Reward in Itself
Burketown’s remoteness adds to the adventure. Accommodation is limited. A caravan park, Savannah Lodge – which has an awesome bar and pool – and the pub, fill quickly when the season begins. School holidays and the end of the Barra season add to the competition for rooms, as anglers and aviators converge on the town.
You can obtain a permit for camping on Aboriginal land along the river out around the saltflats near town, but only if you really like sandflies. Of course, anyone flying, or driving for that matter, about the place must carry the right safety equipment for remote operations. This is true outback flying, often hot, windy and very unforgiving.
Yet despite the challenges — or perhaps because of them — the experience stays with you. Each year, pilots return for another chance to ride one of nature’s most astonishing creations.
The Morning Glory is elusive, unpredictable, and utterly captivating. It can appear fierce and turbulent one day, silky smooth the next. It might vanish for a week, then roll in before dawn when you least expect it. But when it’s there – when you find yourself flying along the crest of a cloud that stretches from horizon to horizon – it’s pure magic.
Though Burketown might be a long way from anywhere, for those who’ve seen the Morning Glory from the cockpit of a glider, there’s nowhere else quite like it.
Barry and Graham at Hells Gate.
