Paratech Paragliding

The Gold Coast hinterland around Canungra rises fast from the Scenic Rim's cane and dairy country into forested ridgelines high enough to hold reliable lift most of the year, less than an hour from Brisbane or the coast. Paratech runs tandem flights from Tamborine Mountain and Beechmont launches, typically eight to ten minutes of ridge soaring above the valley, flown by chief instructor Jason Turner, who has logged more than 3,500 tandem flights and 8,000 hours in the air over nearly 35 years of flying. The school's SAFA-approved training runs solo lessons from complete beginner through to licence and cross-country coaching, and — unusually for the sport — the instructors consider winter the easier season to start, when the air is smoother and less thermic than summer. Flights are booked directly with the operator and run around wind and cloud rather than a set calendar. Between the training hill and the higher commercial sites, it's one of the more established schools in South East Queensland.