Category: Food

Food

A Time to Chill

We’re halfway through the year, folks; so, it’s time to take a minute and allow yourself to have a little bit of a breather, yes? True, it can be hard to find the time to get away, let alone orchestrate more than one person to be able to make an escape at the same time, so Pterodactyl Helicopters – as it is our habit – have come back with the perfect solution. With our new breakfast and lunch tours, we have managed to cram a week’s worth of relaxation into the space of a few hours; it’s like a protein super shake for the mind and soul.

For our new and improved Lunch Tours, we have taken the liberty to source some brand-new locations for you to explore. Whether you fancy a day out at a Winery or prefer kicking back at an executive resort, Pterodactyl Helicopters’ shortlist has it all.
As there are just too many amazing local vineyards to choose from in the South-East Queensland region (how’s that for a first world problem…)  we have picked out our top six, leaving the final decision to you.
Currently our participating wineries are

·         Sirromet Wines

·         Albert River Wines

·         Woongooroo Estate Vineyard

·         O’Reilly’s Canungra Valley Vineyards

·         Kooroomba Vineyards and Lavender Farm

·         Ocean View Estates Winery and Restaurant

Each of these locations has been hand-picked for its beautiful setting, outstanding quality of food and drink, and slightly quirky charms. No matter where you choose to go, we promise there will be something special and unforgettable about your experience.
All Pterodactyl Helicopters Lunch Tours include a three-course gourmet meal, a wine tasting (all tasting fees included), a complementary bottle of wine with your meal and – naturally – all flights.

If you feel like a vineyard is not quite your scene, Pterodactyl Helicopters have three wonderful resort locations for your to explore – for lunch or breakfast, whichever takes your fancy or fits better with your busy schedule.
Spicers Hidden Vale, Spicers’ Peak Lodge and Woodlands of Marburg are our current top resort locations – none of which will disappoint, we promise.
Our breakfast or lunch tours include all flights, a three-course lunch or gourmet breakfast, and a bottle of house wine per couple.

Once you’ve selected your destination and made your booking, all that’s left for you to do is revel in anticipation and then, finally, relax and enjoy. Pterodactyl Helicopters have a number of bases from which our flights take off; however, provided there is a suitable landing space, we can also collect you straight from home in one of our state-of-the-art helicopters. Just in case you want to really feel like a Rockstar for a moment.

Contact Pterodactyl Helicopters today and inquire about our Lunch Tours – we look forward to flying with you soon!

 

The Feast-and-Flight Response

You know what we love the most about winter in South-East Queensland? It’s eating season! Those precious couple of cooler months when no one cares about beach bodies and simply goes to town on all the amazing delicacies our region has to offer. Pterodactyl Helicopter approves of shameless feasting whole-heartedly – so we have come up with a package that will allow you to eat, drink and make merry in style, comfort and helicopters.

Over the past few years, South-East Queensland has been rocked what can only be described as a hospitality explosion. Urban areas see trendy new cafes, concept bars and micro breweries popping up like mushrooms; sometimes it feels as though there is a new place opening every day. This development is not limited within city limits:  wineries, breweries, retro-country pubs…the countryside is positively teeming with good food and drink – and with our Flying Food Safari, you get to sample everything to your heart’s content.

If you want to treat yourself and a deserving loved one to a once-in-a-lifetime gourmet adventure, our Flying Food Safari is the perfect day out. Not only do you get to enjoy local specialties in their native environment, so to speak, each course will be accompanied by a hand-selected and perfectly matched beverage. It is a culinary road trip the likes of which you’ve never experienced before…probably because it would be impossible to pull off if you were confined to using actual roads.

When you go on a flying feat with Pterodactyl Helicopters, we guarantee you a minimum of five venues visited…unless you come across one you absolutely don’t want to leave. All our participating locations are special in their own ways, diverse in style and tastes and locally infamous for their excellence.

Of course, when you journey from one glorious location to the next in a hired chopper, getting there is half the fun.
South-East Queensland’s landscapes are just as diverse and delightful as the culinary delights they offer, so you will be able to take in some astonishing vistas – from mountain ranges to wide-open planes to vast bodies of water to everything in between. After all, a feast for the eyes can be just as satisfying as an actual feast.
Feasts all around, we say.

Pterodactyl Helicopters can pick you up with a car from anywhere within a ten km radius of downtown Ipswich…or, if you prefer and there is a suitable landing site nearby, we can collect you directly with your helicopter from home. If you would like to extend your Flying Food Safari into an overnighter, we are happy to arrange accommodation and breakfast at one of our fabulous hotspots – simply inquire about your options when you book your tour.

So, if you feel like getting out and about, feasting and flying and generally having a fabulous old time with someone special – contact Pterodactyl Helicopters today and start your pre-feast-fast…if you like. We look forward to flying with you soon!

Picnic in the Winter Sun

There is probably no season more perfect than the early Queensland winter – the sun is out, the skies are bright, the temperatures divine. In other words, absolutely perfect picnic conditions. That – unfortunately – means that every parkland in the greater Brisbane area is so chockers, a giant could play twister on the multi-coloured picnic rugs covering every inch of grass.
Luckily, Pterodactyl Helicopters has come up with a perfect solution to this picnic conundrum – an all-inclusive Gourmet Picnic package, guaranteeing you peace, quiet, beautiful scenery and winter romance galore.

If you book a Gourmet Picnic tour with Pterodactyl Helicopters, you and your special someone are in for as many treats as the human mind and body can feasibly sustain.
Firstly, of course, there is the journey to your private picnic location in one of our state-of-the-art helicopters. Travelling the scenic route to your chosen spot in true Rockstar style, it’s an experience that really sets the mood for a special outing for two.
Our Gourmet Picnic flights usually depart from our Lake Manchester hangar or the Archerfield Airport; that said, if you feel that driving yourself to either of these locations would put a damper on your romantic day out, we are happy to collect you directly from home…yes, in a helicopter.
(Side note: if you want to stage an anniversary surprise, or something equally outrageous, hiring a chopper for door-to-door transport in pretty surprising.)

Secondly, Pterodactyl Helicopters have done all the hard reconnaissance work for you. We’ve spent so much time flying across the great South-East, we know its every nook and cranny – so we understand that you might be spoilt for choice and unable to decide where you want to go.
For your convenience, we have hand-picked three outstanding Gourmet Picnic destinations:  Woodlands of Marburg, Spicers Hiddenvale and, should you feel particularly adventurous, a mystery riverside location guaranteed to knock your socks off.

And finally, the Gourmet Picnic experience absolves you of all responsibilities. When we say that all you need to do is show up, we mean this literally. We take you there, we pick you up, we take you home AND we provide you with everything you need for your picnic.
From a picnic basket filled with incredible culinary delights (no vegemite sandwiches, we swear), including a bottle of wine, to all the rugs, cutlery and other bits and pieces you might require – we will take care of it.

It’s time to kick your winter romance into the next gear – after all, nothing warms us from within quite like love – and we have the secret ingredients to your winter-afternoon-dream ready to go. Contact Pterodactyl Helicopters today and let us show you the sunny side of the coolish season. We look forward to flying with you soon.

 

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Calling all Culinary Chopper Enthusiasts!

Summer is here – bringing with it an abundance of seasonal delights every Australian gourmet dreams of during the (relatively) fruitless winter months. So, what better way to celebrate summer than with a Flying Food Safari? Can’t think of anything? Neither can we; to be honest.

 

Beautiful Southeast Queensland is a regular cornucopia of culinary delights. Lush farmland, orchards, vineyards, breweries…the list is long and the options are many. Some might even say too many – but that’s just because they’re limiting themselves when they consider transportation.
You see, if one was to set out on a food expedition by traditional means (yes, humble automobile, we’re looking at you) the best one could hope for would be two or three different locations, probably so close together they technically count as one. That doesn’t really sound like much of an outing to us at Pterodactyl Helicopters; especially since one poor soul would have to be the designated driver, thus missing out on a big part of the fun.

 

Thankfully, as ever, Pterodactyl Helicopters has your back. We have put together an irresistible package allowing you to explore a maximum of six separate hotspots of local culinary pleasures. Each location will thrill your palate with their house specialties and the perfect liquid accompaniment to boot. Lean back, enjoy and revel in some of the most serene settings Southeast Queensland has to offer; before appreciating the scenery from a different perspective as you are being whisked onward in your private chartered helicopter.

 

When you choose Pterodactyl Helicopters’ Flying Food Safari, you sign up for the perfect balance of excitement and relaxation. Our tours are a blind date with fine foods and boutique wines and craft beers – luckily, with so many prime locations within easy reach by helicopter transfer, all stops are guaranteed highlights. Usually, we will collect you from anywhere within a ten kilometre radius of the Ipswich CBD and drive you to our helipad; however, if you have an unusually large backyard or a convenient landing location nearby your house, we are happy to get you straight from home so your adventure can start without delay.

 

Our state of the art choppers can take up to three passengers, so you don’t have to pick just one special person to join you on your flying feast. After all, there is no experience (not even a helicopter tour of delicious destinations) that can’t be made that little bit more special through sharing it with those close to you.
Of course, if you want to be completely outrageous, the Flying Food Safari might be an ideal gift for a foodie you love. In which case you might just want it to be the two of you.
And, just FYI, if this is going to be a date, we are happy to arrange for an overnight stay and gourmet dinner at one of our select locations – so you can do it all over again the next day.

 

To book your Flying Food Safari today, contact our friendly team at Pterodactyl Helicopters and let us entertain you!

wine helicopter

Superstar-style Mini-Break? Anyone?

Summer is approaching, so the time has come to get out of the city – even if it’s only for 48 hours. Just because your getaway from the daily drudge is a quickie, doesn’t meant it can’t be memorable after all. Pterodactyl Helicopters offers Fly In/ Drive Out Country Escapes that are simply ideal for a short holiday from the everyday. Let’s face it, there is no better way to start off your weekend away than a private helicopter transfer to the gorgeous South-East Queensland countryside. And best of all, you’ll still have your car on site to explore your destination at your leisure.

 

How does it work?

At Pterodactyl Helicopters we understand that while helicopters are the most spectacular mode of transport around, it is still handy to have a car when on vacation. And, yes, we know your car is unlikely to fit into our state of the art choppers.

You can get your car to the destination of your choice two ways: either we will drive it there for you or you can bribe a friend to do you this special favour – the bribe being a helicopter ride back home, trust us, this always works.

With your car safely on its way, we can provide you with pick-up from Brisbane Airport, City Hotels, Archerfield, the Ipswich CBD or our Lake Manchester hangar (that said, we are quite flexible and can probably work something out if you prefer a different pick-up location).

No matter where we collect you, once you are in the air, drinking in the scenery from the comfort of your private chartered helicopter, the great South-East is your oyster.

 

Where to go?

Pterodactyl Helicopters offers Fly In/Drive Out Country Escapes to

+ The Scenic Rim View Cottages, a truly idyllic destination for your romantic getaway

+Mount French Lodge – formerly known as the Bunyip Cottages – an outrageously gorgeous location now under new ownership and keen to show you that none of its charms have been lost

+Spicers Hidden Vale, the perfect place to unwind for the true nature lover, sporting paddock-to-plate gourmet dining and a broad range of nature exploration activities

+The Branell Homestead in the heart of the beautiful Lockyer Valley, simply ideal to take a deep breath and finally relax

+many other glorious destinations.

 

All our Country Escapes include a one-way transfer to your preferred getaway by helicopter, wine and cheese (or chocolate, if you must) on arrival, overnight accommodation, a three-course gourmet dinner and full breakfast and (optional) transport of your vehicle to your destination. We also provide you with detailed information about your location and plenty of suggestions on where to best explore during your stay.

 

Have we whet your appetite? Contact Pterodactyl Helicopters for pricing and availability and plan your luxury min-break today!