Paragliding Manilla NSW | Easter 2023

Each year at easter time, a competition called the Paragliding State of Origin is held in the country town of Manilla, Australia. Three state teams: QLD, NSW, and others will spend the weekend flying as far as possible under a paraglider, using nothing but rising air to gain altitude before the next glide. Pilots will frequently fly up to 100kms+ from where they started, land, fold up their glider into a backpack, and walk to the nearest road. Up to 200 paraglider pilots will camp at the foot of Mt Borah, Manilla, recover from the festivities of the night before, and head up the mountain, ready for (hopefully) a massive day of flying.

Unfortunately, this year, the weather blocked the competition from going ahead. For those of us keen enough to set up camp the week before, however, had a fantastic few days of flying! Here are a few of my favorite shots I managed to take on a helmet-mounted GoPro. The flying is obviously the main reason for doing the trip, but the friendships formed, and experiences shared in the air and on the ground are what make this sport fantastic.