Qantas Founders Outback Museum

Entrance to the main museum building

The Qantas Founders Outback Museum is a museum located in Longreach, Queensland, Australia. The Qantas Founders Museum is located 177 km. from Winton, Queensland the original home of Qantas. The museum was opened on 9 June 1996 in the heritage-listed Qantas Hangar.[1] Stage 2 of the Qantas Founders Museum was part of a 1999 A$110 million Queensland and federal government project, the heritage trails network.[2]

Display items

Qantas Boeing 707-138B and Boeing 747-238B at the Qantas Founders Outback Museum (June 2009)

The museum is home to a decommissioned Qantas Boeing 747-200, which can be observed by the general public. It also holds the airline's first jet, a Boeing 707-138B short body, originally VH-EBA. The 707 was the first of its type and specifically manufactured for Qantas.[3]

The Boeing 707-138B was restored at Southend Airport in England in mid-2006 and returned to Australia in December 2006 after 47 years since its original transfer from Boeing to the Qantas fleet.[2] During its return the 707's flight path saw it eventually landing in Sydney, however it took a flight path of over a 31500 km and an eight-day journey from Southend Airport via Ireland, the Canary Islands, Bermuda, the United States and Fiji, to get to Sydney. It was then transported to Longreach.[3] The Australian government provided $1 million as a contribution to the cost of the aircraft's restoration.[3]

The 707 held at the Qantas Founders Outback Museum was the first jet aircraft of any type owned by Qantas.[3] The aircraft is known under the registration VH-EBA and the plane name "City of Canberra." The restoration of VH-EBA lasted 15,000 hours.[3] The 707 VH-EBA was the first in its fleet and is a sister plane to the last 707 which was ordered by Qantas known previously under the registration "VH-EBM", and the plane name 'City of Launceston' now owned and piloted by Qantas Ambassador John Travolta.[3]

The Museum also has the following aircraft in its museum collection: A Catalina PBY 6A, A Replica AVRO 504K, A Replica DH 50, A Replica DH 61 and a former Qantas DC3 - VH - EAP.

In September 2014 the Museum purchased a derelict Lockheed C-121 Constellation, a former US Navy C-121J (Bu No 131623) N4247K c/n 4144 that had been impounded at Manila International Airport for more than 25 years. The aircraft was disassembled for shipment to Australia.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Qantas Museum/Former Qantas Hangar (entry 600664)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Creating rural heritage visitor attractions—the Queensland Heritage Trails project". http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com. Retrieved 20 December 2013. External link in |publisher= (help)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "First Qantas Boeing 707 Jet Arrives in Australia". http://www.qantas.com.au. Retrieved 20 December 2013. External link in |publisher= (help)
  4. ↑ "Qantas Founders Museum Saves a 'Super Constellation'". Warbirds News. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
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Coordinates: 23°26′24″S 144°16′14″E / 23.4399°S 144.2706°E / -23.4399; 144.2706


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