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Published: October 24th 2013
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There are older settlements in outback Queensland, but Longreach has a significant role both historically and continuing both commercially and for tourists. There is so much to do in this outback town that you need a few days to see it all.
In the early development of the region, the Thomson river was a significant waterway, then eventually rail came as far as Longreach, and that improved the lives of all in the area.
It's not until you read accounts of lives in these outback towns that the tyranny of distance was so severe. A person contracted typhoid fever, it took 10 days for a doctor to come, only to discover the patient died the night before.
While WW I caused terrible disruption and painful loss of life, it also spawned new opportunities as service people and others gained skills in aviation. And that, out here in outback Qld was the birth of one of the worlds great airlines, QANTAS. The dream didn't envisage the mass movement of ordinary citizens around the world, but the concept of accessibility and speed of travel was the focus.
As mentioned in the Winton Blog, Longreach, Winton and Cloncurry all claim
They started with this
Excellent replica. Apparently one original AVRO has been found recently overseas. It will be worth a mint. a place in the story. And rightfully so, because the dream started in one town, the formation of the company in another, but Longreach is where they set up their headquarters. in fact, they built their own aircraft here at Longreach. You can stand in the hanger where they built 9 aircraft. The jig bolt points are in the floor where they laid out the fuselage. (They were De Havilland designs made under license)
Longreach was also chosen as the base because of the rail head here. Passengers, freight and mail could get to Brisbane over a few days, but north of here the roads were much much worse than those we complain about today. So up and over was a great concept.
Now, another interesting fact is QANTAS ticket 1, was sold to an aged gentlemen (90 something), so that is rather an interesting fact.
In the first couple of months operating the airline, they made 1600 pounds. Not much from the distance routes, but from joy rides and barn storming. But the idea was growing in the community as was confidence in flying.
After protracted negotiations with the Federal Government, QANTAS was awarded a
subsidy for outback mail delivery, so they began a mail delivery service from town to town. They also surveyed a route for the Australian leg of an international air race. This in turn added the number of centres over into the Northern territory where QANTAS could service remote communities.
It is a great story how this airline got started, and at the QANTAS Founders Museum they play an excellent documentary of that period.
The museum is full of aviation history, and we spent a whole day here without the first sign of boredom. There are interactive displays, a WW I flight simulator, and a variety of aircraft to view.
We bought the tour and wing-walk package which gave us an inside and outside view of a Boeing 707, a Boeing 747, DC3 and an outside look at a Catalina flying boat and more. There is also a full blown flight simulator for an extra $20.00, but we didn't add that package.
Its a while since we have been on a jumbo, and you forget how big these aircraft are, and it is really only in very recent years that there have been commercial aircraft longer and
747 tail behind motorhome
The 747 is the tallest structure in town. We saw the tail before we saw the museum entrance. wider, yet they are still building this reliable aircraft today.
The Boeing 707 is the very first 707 that QANTAS ordered. These are referred to as Short Short aircraft. They could operate on smaller airfields, so opened opportunities like Fiji to jet travel. QANTAS had 9 of these built. When you look down from the 747 wing, you realise just how much the aircraft have grown. In one of my pics from the wing, you will see a QANTAS Link aircraft that services Longreach today in the background.
This is a world class museum. It is a must see from our bucket list, and we suggest you add it to yours. For those that cannot drive here, fly or take the train from Brisbane.
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Mum & Dad
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This is more like my me!
Now this blog gives me aircraft for a change. We have flown on a DC3 707 and 747 plus looked in a Rapide at an airshow at Wanaka. I see Margaret is in the captains seat and Rob allocated the co-pilots seat! The 747 is small in comparison to the 380 now.