WAy out! - stretching to Longreach

[craven morehead]

OK, backing up from the previous online transit pics.

After overnight at BNE, I arrived in LRE about 1400h on Wednesday afternoon. Longreach is towards the top and slightly right of centre. It’s flat out there! The Founders Museum, my destination for the next day, is on the edge of the field.

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I collected a rental car and visited the information centre to see what to do for the rest of the day. Longreach itself doesn’t hold a lot of attraction but Ilfracombe, 27 km east is a very tidy little town with some good history and displays. Well worth a visit.

Intuitively, I would have thought of central Queensland as mainly cattle-grazing, but this area is largely sheep-grazing and was the location of Wellshot Station, the largest sheep-raising station by numbers (almost 0.5M) in the late 19th century Ilfracombe, Queensland - Wikipedia).

The Machinery Mile is literally a mile-long (and thus pretty much the full length of the town) well-done display, interspersed with some historic buildings.

I parked at the E end of town outside the Wellshot Hotel, crossed the road (Landsborough Highway, which runs closely along the Tropic of Capricorn) and walked back W along the full Machinery Mile. I then crossed back over to make my way back via the Wellshot Centre and the swimming pool which is fed by warm water from the Great Artesian Basin.

It was hot day, so a cold xx_X at the pub went down well to finish.

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The Wellshot is one of my favourite pubs

 

[jrfsp]

Lucky you got back when you did!
I also managed to get across to longreach for a quick weekend last month and also misconnected at BNE on the way back and had a night at the Ibis on QF

 

[JohnM]

Then into the tour.

First, the DC3. My first flight was in one of these back in 1960. It has what I think is an interesting AFF overtone and a spooky parallel to this trip.

My younger brother and I had been staying the summer with my grandmother at Norseman, in the WA Goldfields, and it was time to go back to Perth. I was 11, my brother 9., at the time.

MMA serviced Norseman, flying off the Lake Cowan salt lake. As I recall it, the bird had come from PER to KGI and then on to Norseman and continuing to Esperance before going directly back to PER. We get to EPR and there is a bad weather report for PER.

Change of plan. We fly to KGI to overnight. All pax get put up at the famous Palace Hotel (Palace Hotel, Kalgoorlie - Wikipedia). Somewhere around 0400h the next morning we get roused by the MMA FA to head back out to KGI and board the bird for the flight to PER.

How MMA got in contact with my parents back in those days about the fate of the two unaccompanied minors, I have no idea.

This aircraft started life as a C-47 Dakota with the RAAF and was handed over to Qantas Empire Airways in 1948 and registered as VH-EAP. It was in service with QF in New Guinea, then sold but continued flying in New Guinea. In 1981 it returned to Australia and was flown by Bush Pilot Airways (later Air Queensland) and some later owners before being retired in 1993, eventually being dismantled and trucked to the museum.

Then it was on to the B747 200. VH-EBQ ‘City of Bunbury’ was delivered in December 1979 and so named because that year marked the 150th Anniversary of WA and because it was delivered near the time Bunbury was designated a city.

It is unique in being the only surviving RR-powered B747 SP or 200 series Jumbo in the world. It landed at LRE on 16 November 2002 – QF’s 82nd birthday. Sad that it was out in the sun from then until last year.

It is set up with the extra pod for transporting a spare engine. I recall my parents back in the 1970s getting stuck in South Africa with an engine failure and having to wait for a spare to be flown in by the next B747 service.

The reverse thrust cowl is open on one engine to show how the system works. Baffles rise up radially to block the bypass air and it streams forward and out through the honeycomb vent. I found seeing the mechanism of that particularly interesting. It was a little hard to photograph inside to see how the baffle plates fold upwards.

 

[JohnM]

Then it was up into the aircraft by the rear right stairs, with Grant pointing out the apparently backward flag. Convention has it that flags are represented as if the nose of the aircraft is a flagpole.

The rear of the pressurised vessel that makes up the sealed hull. Rather Zeppelin-like. And in the unpressurised space is the black box equipment.



Inside, and Grant says, “Welcome to Economy”. My response: “No thanks.”

A door cover removed to show the escape slide raft packed. Various panels throughout the aircraft are removed to show ‘behind the scenes’ mechanisms; in this case the control surface wires and pulleys.



Down through the hatch in the floor in the front cabin to the main avionics bay. This bird finished its days configured J in the front cabin. Grant informs me that a lot of visitors bemoan the fact that they are not seeing the F config. It is a pity, I think.

The green/orange ladder is extendable for egress/entry to/from the ground.



A peek into the front cargo hold.



Up the spiral stairs to the analogue flight deck, with flight engineer’s station.

 

[JohnM]

Then down for the famed wing walk. LRE terminal in the background.



Back inside and moving forward to exit at the front stairs and move on to the Super Constellation.

 

[JohnM]

Qantas operated the Constellation on the Kangaroo Route between Sydney and London from 1947-1955 and the Super Constellation from 1954-1962. The Constellation was the first aircraft that enabled Qantas to establish and sustain long-range overseas air service in its own right and it was the longest air service in the world using the same aircraft all the way.

Constellations were the first Qantas aircraft to feature flight hostesses (female cabin crew) and be pressurised. Qantas Super Constellations operated the first ever regular round-the-world air service via both hemispheres in 1958.

The Museum’s Super Constellation was built for the US Navy in 1953 before being used as a cargo aircraft. It was acquired in 2014 and restored over five years, going on display in 2020. The aircraft has been repainted to resemble the Qantas Super Constellation ‘Southern Spray’ VH-EAM.



And could this be the origin of the RTW airfare (NOT to be confused with a OneWorld Award )?

Unlike the B747, the Connie flight deck can only be peeked at, not sat in.



History abounds. The old stair chariots are of local manufacture on a Ford Cortina chassis.

 

[tgh]

DC3's by the score , Bristol freighters by the dozen, DC6b's occasionally and occasional sight of a low flying super connie…the joys of childhood...

 

[TheRealTMA]

Qantas operated the Constellation on the Kangaroo Route between Sydney and London from 1947-1955 and the Super Constellation from 1954-1962. The Constellation was the first aircraft that enabled Qantas to establish and sustain long-range overseas air service in its own right and it was the longest air service in the world using the same aircraft all the way.

Constellations were the first Qantas aircraft to feature flight hostesses (female cabin crew) and be pressurised. Qantas Super Constellations operated the first ever regular round-the-world air service via both hemispheres in 1958.

The Museum’s Super Constellation was built for the US Navy in 1953 before being used as a cargo aircraft. It was acquired in 2014 and restored over five years, going on display in 2020. The aircraft has been repainted to resemble the Qantas Super Constellation ‘Southern Spray’ VH-EAM

And could this be the origin of the RTW airfare (NOT to be confused with a OneWorld Award )?

Unlike the B747, the Connie flight deck can only be peeked at, not sat in.


History abounds. The old stair chariots are of local manufacture on a Ford Cortina chassis.

Flew on a super constellation from Jakarta to SIN in ’73. No idea what airline, probably Singapore. With lobster Thermidor in Y. Wonderful flight and memories.

 

[drron]

I could well have flown on that DC3. Flew one in PNG in 1969.

 

[Daver6]

First, the DC3. My first flight was in one of these back in 1960. It has what I think is an interesting AFF overtone and a spooky parallel to this trip.

What was the IFE like?

 

[drron]

What was the IFE like?

When I flew one in 1969 the IFE was the 2 guys across the aisle. Big fellas with a bit of cloth around the hips, great headgear with Bird of Paradise feathers and with a long spear in one hand and a piglet under the other. Best was when a fair bit of turbulence over the Owen Stanleys. One spear stuck in the roof and a piglet on the loose in the cabin.

 

[Matt_01]

@JohnM your posts read as if you where a kid in a candy store. I am not old enough to have had my first flight in 1960 as I was not born. Somewhere around 1974/5 I flew SYD-PER-BOM-LHR on a 707.

What was the IFE like?

On the 707 at that time my dad has told me there was scheduled films, the PAX where rearranged into the smoking and non smoking sections of the plane. The screen was hung up or lowered and the main movie was screened at set times.

 

[JohnM]

@JohnM your posts read as if you where a kid in a candy store. I am not old enough to have had my first flight in 1960 as I was not born. Somewhere around 1974/5 I flew SYD-PER-BOM-LHR on a 707.

On the 707 at that time my dad has told me there was scheduled films, the PAX where rearranged into the smoking and non smoking sections of the plane. The screen was hung up or lowered and the main movie was screened at set times.

I was kid in a candy store.

Did they have choc bombs, and Jaffas to roll down the aisle? - and were the back rows allocated to the horny teenagers?

And, on that note... time for the mile high club peeps to fess up.

 

[OATEK]

DC3's by the score , Bristol freighters by the dozen, DC6b's occasionally and occasional sight of a low flying super connie…the joys of childhood...

Just need to add in a Viscount to complete the picture for me. Saw the Connies many times at SYD through the chainlink fence, and had many flights on the DC3s, Viscounts and Electras before the jet age kicked in (DC9/B727).

 

[TheRealTMA]

Just need to add in a Viscount to complete the picture for me. Saw the Connies many times at SYD through the chainlink fence, and had many flights on the DC3s, Viscounts and Electras before the jet age kicked in (DC9/B727).

In the late 60's, a Vickers Viscount crashed in Sydney (or somewhere) and on the channel 7 news, after the report they showed the add for cigarettes with the jungle"Light up a Viscount, a Viscount"

 

[Buzzard]

My first ever flight, an international flight was on a BOAC 707 back in '67.

 

[OZDUCK]

In the late 60's, a Vickers Viscount crashed in Sydney (or somewhere) and on the channel 7 news, after the report they showed the add for cigarettes with the jungle"Light up a Viscount, a Viscount"

In Western Australia on 31 December 1968. A MMA Viscount on a flight from Perth to Port Hedland lost most of a wing on approach. Apparently due to a maintenance error which caused fatigue cracks. Viscounts were effectively 'banned' from Australian operation afterwards as, if I remember correctly, inspection of other aircraft also showed fatigue crack problems.

I remember the crash as we were on holiday and the husband of one of the other families with us flew on MMA a lot and knew many of the cabin crew and was pretty upset at the time.

Remembering the 'horrific' day a Vickers Viscount dropped from the sky in WA, killing all 26 on board

It was one of the worst plane crashes in Australian aviation history. Now, 50 years on, the memories of that fateful day are still fresh for pastoralist Colin Brierly who was first on the scene.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Ekka]

Mt Isa to Longreach in September 1966. VH-RMI.
The instructors on my ATC course in Melbourne early the following year mentioned it frequently.

 

[RooFlyer]

@JohnM , I heard a very faint whisper a while back that an A380 might be heading to Longreach. Any hint of that on site?

I guess they'd need a muuuuch bigger roof!

 

[RooFlyer]

With lobster Thermidor in Y.

Wot! Flying Y? Who are you and what have you done with TheRealTMA?