Top five aircraft museums to check out this weekend
Plenty of us grew up dreaming of flying a Spitfire like Biggles, or diving 12 o’clock high out of the sun to take on the rascally Red Baron.Sadly, few of us achieved the goal of becoming a fighter pilot and the closest most get to aerial excitement is seat 68E in an Airbus A380. But if you’re about to jump in the car and go for a drive there are a number of great aviation museums in Australia to visit that can at least deliver vicarious flying thrills. Here are a few of our favourites.
RAAF Museum, Victoria
Visitors to Victoria heading towards the Great Ocean Road might want to detour through Point Cook and discover this fascinating aviation museum on an operational RAAF base. The base has been a military flying school since 1913 and the heritage gallery recounts the story, but it’s the hangars with aircraft such as a de Havilland Vampire jet, a Catalina seaplane and many older aircraft that will excite plane buffs. Three times a week, they even take one of the old bangers up for a flying display.
Temora Aviation Museum, New South Wales
Temora is about a five hour drive from Sydney, or if you’re cruising the Hume Highway it’s a worthwhile diversion especially for aircraft enthusiasts. The family-friendly aviation museum is far from a static display: they love to fly their planes and on any given day that might mean a Supamarine Spitfire, a Gloster Meteor or Australia’s own Wirraway might take to the air. Annual events include the Warbirds Downunder air show for military aircraft old and relatively new.
Central Australian Aviation Museum, Northern Territory
The Outback’s rich aviation history is celebrated at this former home of Connellan Airways in Alice Springs with plenty of aircraft, films, books and radio equipment. The Flying Doctor service is well represented, including a restored DC-3 and a DH 114 Heron, and there’s even the sad remains of the Westland Widgeon Kookaburra, whose crew perished in the Tanami Desert searching for the missing Fokker of Charles Kingsford Smith.
Queensland Air Museum, Queensland
Nobody really needs an excuse to drive up to Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast, but for aircraft nuts here’s something different to the usual surf and sand. This museum at the Caloundra airfield has more than 75 aircraft including an ex-RAAF Mirage, a Meteor Mk VIII, an F111, a Canberra bomber and many civilian planes. It’s owned and staffed by enthusiastic volunteer members who can answer all your questions, so drop in and take a look.
Classic Jets Fighter Museum, South Australia
If you’re into undiscovered attractions then this private aircraft museum, located in an out-of-the-way hangar north of Adelaide is well worth the $10 entry fee. The team is currently restoring a WWII Corsair fighter salvaged from a lagoon in Vanuatu. Among the aircraft on display is a Sea Venom jet fighter, and there’s also plenty of military and civil aviation memorabilia and artefacts.
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