Australian National Aviation Museum, Victoria, Australia (more photos now)
This time we take a look at the Australian National Aviation Museum at the Moorabbin Airport just a bit outside Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its one of those museums you really get close to the objects, to touch and sit in, smell the leather and oil dripping from engines. However, this also means it is a bit cramped and tricky to take those oh so fantastic photos you always try to get. The staff is really friendly and allow you to sit in a few more than are actually open to public, guess they save the really precious ones from snotty fingers and too violent minds. The centre piece must be the Australian made Mk 21 Beaufighter, not too many around of these anymore. The yellow plane is a Ceres, based on the Wirraway trainer of WW 2 fame. An object outside is the Catalina that was living a life moored on a river as a house boat for some time. Nov restoration has begun to get it back into shape. The Vickers Viscount is a big aircraft with a very roomy inside. Most generous leg room I ever seen. Yours truly was invited to sit in the F-111 cockpit module on permanent loan from the RAAF. Lots of buttons... Two of the most coveted objects are a couple of genuine wings for a BE2a. Fantastic to see such old wings. Me want to have! If you´re into engines there is a fair size collection of those as well. For more information on the museum and its collection, please visit http://www.aarg.com.au/. The trip from central Melbourne includes a trip on the commuter train and a bus ride. Make sure you get off the bus at the Direct Factory Outlet on the main road (DFO Moorabbin), walk Grange road, turn off and follow Second avenue to the museum. The trip there and back takes quite a while so don´t plan too much else to do that particular day. The Moorabbin airport is a very active one and there are all sorts of aircraft to be seen in the air and on the ground. Many of the businesses around are aviation related so you may have a long and enjoyable day out there.
Nice collection of pics - thanks for sharing them with us.
Thanks, Craig. Have had some trouble uploading some photos again, might add some in a while.
Thanks for sharing Like
Thanks, PK.
Migawd! A Wirraway, and a Winjeel! Gannet! Beau! Drool!
What a great collection, and well kept up, too.
Thanks for posting, hope I hit the lottery, so I can visit.
Thought the Ag plane was a Bennet Avtruk. probably even more obscure.
Hi, Bernard, great you could stop by 🙂 According to the museum´s website the agplane is a Ceres http://www.aarg.com.au/cac-ceres-vh-wot.html, rebuilt from three different airframes. The Bennet Airtruck was a true weirdo http://www.aarg.com.au/cac-ceres-vh-wot.html, there is a PL-12 Airtruk in the collection though...not all of the collecton was open to public as many of the aircraft were in storage or being worked on. According to the catalouge there should be a bunch of Yeoman Cropmasters waiting to be assembled into one complete aircraft, if you´re into odd airplanes...