Historically, Longreach is known for its role with QANTAS. The Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service was founded at Winton on February 10, 1921 but was soon moved to Longreach where a hangar and the country’s first purpose built landing field were constructed.
The original QANTAS hangar is part of the Qantas Founders Museum and is heritage listed. It is a fascinating reminder that Qantas is the only airline to manufacture its own aircraft. The museum is an intriguing combination of history and multimedia displays meeting exacting museum quality requirements and also has two theatres and three art galleries for travelling exhibitions. The theatre in the original hangar continuously shows historical aviation movies. The museum also features a Model T Ford utility and the original office of Hudson Fysh, one of the founders and past chairman of Qantas.
You can tour the magnificent ex-Qantas 747 Jumbo jet, “City of Bunbury” to see everything from the undercarriage to the flight deck. Also available is the spectacular Wing Walk Tour. This is a small group tour exploring the 747 computer bays, flight systems and a chance to sit in the pilot’s seat with the highlight being able to experience the sheer size of the aircraft from out on the wing. And while the 747 is undoubtedly the biggest plane at the museum, it is of course not the only one. There’s a replica DH61, as built in 1930 by Qa
ntas and used on the Darwin sector of the London mail service. An original Qantas DC3 is sitting on the lawns at the museum now resplendent in its new livery and looking as good as it did when it was operated by Qantas Empire Airways. Also situated in the museum is an Avro 504K, commemorating the first aircraft ever used by Qantas. The latest addition to the collection is the first ever Qantas jet aircraft registered in Australia, the Boeing 707, faithfully restored over the past two-and-a-half years by the dedicated team of volunteer engineers. This magnificent aircraft, which changed the social interaction between Australia and the rest of the world by reducing the travelling time to London to 28 hours, is now open for guided tours.
At the museum, treat yourself to a delicious breakfast, lunch, morning or afternoon tea in McGinness’ Restaurant and browse through the gift shop which has souvenirs, clothing, jewellery, books and Qantas memorabilia.
