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Published: September 14th 2009
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Day 139 - Darwin
I’m getting plenty of practice with analysing dreams at the moment but thought you might like to have a go yourselves with the latest one which was being stranded alone on a floating pontoon with a crocodile at my toes! I figure it’s not good! It’s probably just a reaction to the heat, which is becoming a bit of a joke between the two of us out here as the Darwin humidity begins to take hold!
We have a quick check on Eurodragster to see how Ed is fairing in Ramraider, still sitting pretty in the middle of the qualifying ladder which is excellent news.
We’ve got a nice easy day ahead of us today, couple of museums but nothing too heavy and then a bit of shopping followed by a nice relaxing evening at the local drag strip! Sounds like a good Saturday to us!
First up, the 1934 Qantas Hanger which we saw a sign for on our way to the markets on Thursday but haven’t been able to find any more information about. When we get there we are more than pleasantly surprised, the place is rammed with an array
of industrial and mechanical memorabilia and run entirely by volunteers. The Motor Vehicle Enthusiasts Club lease the hanger from the department of the arts and museums and it is their members who keep the place open on a regular basis to the public. You find the nice things in life here, the simple things, like a fridge full of cold drinks with an honesty box for your $1 next to it. Much needed and much appreciated.
The hanger itself has its own place in history. Built in 1934, as the name suggests, it still bears the scars of bullet holes when it came under attack from the Japanese in 1942. It’s now the last standing reminder of the Darwin Civil Aerodrome when Darwin was a critical link between Europe and Australia before the days of long distance, non stop flights. .
I was giggling as we walked around and pondering the reactions of our drag racing team mates back home should they be faced with all this ‘stuff’, although on second thoughts their own collections probably rival it on a smaller scale! There are fuel pumps, a steam locomotive, a Ferret armoured car, collections of jacks, spanners, motorbikes,
old petrol cans and even some Lister Petter steam engines from good old Dursley, Gloucestershire! Darryl got very excited around the Ferret; he talked me through how you drive one and pointed out the almost upside down steering wheel and the pre-selected gears. We went round the whole place at least twice, there’s so much here that you need to go full-circle a couple of times or you miss things! There were members working on their cars and when we were there another guy came in to donate a couple of jag engines. There are two British built bikes here, a BSA and a Matchless both complete with original badges and everything. You don’t see them everyday, not even in the UK! This is definitely Darwin’s best kept secret but what a shame for all those who miss seeing it’s hidden treasures. Spread the word people, the 1934 Qantas Hanger needs to be put on the things to see in Darwin list, it’s excellent and we were sure to leave a donation in appreciation of the member’s hard work and efforts.
Our next planned stop was the Australian Aviation Heritage Centre which has a rather stunning feature, a real
B52 Bomber! I’ve planned today around this place, you don’t take Darryl to somewhere with a real B52 Bomber and a Spitfire (even though it’s a replica) and expect to leave within the hour. We sit and watch a short Battle of Australia film when we first arrive and then wander through the mass array of exhibits. It’s very well laid out and the Bomber dwarfs everything! It’s reportedly one of only two on display outside of the USA and this one is on permanent loan to the heritage centre. We sit and watch another short film inside the ‘bomb bay’ of the bomber! It shows us the B52s in action and also talks to previous pilots about their experiences flying this huge beast of a plane. Among the interesting exhibits is the wreck of a Japanese Zero fighter shot down in 1942, several Rolls Royce engines, a Westland Helicopter and the enormous braking parachute of a B52 which spanned across the back wall of the hanger! This is another excellent, self funded museum that we would recommend people visit when in town and if you can, time your visit to coincide with one of the free guided tours as
Memories of good old Dursley
There were plenty of Lister engines in here we can imagine they would be useful in ensuring you don’t miss a thing!
We had a free hour in our schedule for today so we busied ourselves with a trip to Bunnings! It’s been a while since our last visit to the DIY superstore and we wanted to replace the bedside lights in the caravan because we’ve smashed them both now! The originals were really badly placed as they hang over your face when you are led down in bed and since the ‘pillow singe’ incident they have to go! We find some good alternatives, they’re battery powered too which will give us some bedside lighting when we’re on unpowered sites! We’ll fit them on Monday when the car is being serviced, on the edge of your seats for those photos aren’t you!
So the rest of the day was left to Drag Racing! Hidden Valley Drag Strip here we come! We parked on the opposite side to what we think is the spectator banking so we’re expecting a long walk around but wait, is that really an under-passage we spy just behind the start line! It was and we were across and up on the banking
in no time at all! What a good do! We got there so early it was ridiculous and were in fact the only spectators the track prep team had! The event’s been advertised on TV through the week so we’re hoping that a good number of cars will be here although it’s billed as the Holden v Ford shootout so we’re not sure if it will be street cars, race cars or a mix. We receive our answer shortly after 3pm when the drag strip is alive to the thundering rumble of race engines! There’s a great mix of cars including a Studebaker doorslammer and a couple of altereds plus what look to be Super Compacts. It was a great night with the qualifying going through til 6pm and then the racing starting at 7pm after everyone was upstanding for the National Anthem. When we dragged ourselves away at about 9.30 it was Ford in the lead over the Holdens and people looked pretty settled for the night!
Now that was a good end to a Saturday night and when we got back we caught up with more drag racing action back home at the Euro Finals through the
outstandingly brilliant coverage provided by Eurodragster. We managed a short Skype session with Ed to find out how things were going with the ‘Wild Bunch in Pro ET’and then we’re away to our beds.
Night night
Dar and Sar
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Jan Kettle
non-member comment
Pillow Singe 'Incident'
Um - don't remember that incident, it sounds very intriguing - you had better explain it please! xxx Mum