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Darwin Aviation Museum
Darwin Aviation Museum, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.jpg
Darwin Aviation Museum
Former name Australian Aviation Heritage Centre
Established 1988
Location 557 Stuart Highway, Winnellie, Northern Territory
Type Aerospace museum

The Darwin Aviation Museum is a cool place to see amazing aircraft and engines. It shows planes important to the Northern Territory and to flying in Australia. You can find it in Winnellie, a suburb of Darwin.

Darwin Aviation Museum Gift Shop
Darwin Aviation Museum Gift Shop

Discovering the Museum's History

The idea for the museum started in 1976. A group of people wanted to save old plane parts. This was after a big storm called Cyclone Tracy caused a lot of damage. Later, they also started looking for World War II plane crash sites. They wanted to save items related to the defence of Darwin during the war.

The museum first opened its doors in 1988. In the late 1980s, the museum worked with the United States Air Force (USAF). They also worked with the Northern Territory Government. Their goal was to get a huge USAF Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bomber. They also wanted to build a special museum to show it off.

In June 1990, the new Darwin Aviation Museum officially opened. In 2011, there was a plan to display some Mi-24 helicopters. These helicopters had been taken by the Department of Defence in 1997. However, the plan was stopped because of a problem with the materials in the helicopters. In 2018, the museum got a P-3C aircraft. They started looking into making their hangar bigger to fit it.

What You Can See: The Collection

B52 Australian Aviation Heritage Centre
Boeing B-52G bomber on display at the Darwin Aviation Museum

A major highlight at the museum is a giant Boeing B-52G bomber. This impressive plane is on loan from the United States Air Force. It's one of only three B-52s on public display outside the US. You can also see a piece of a bomb from a WWII air raid on Darwin.

Awesome Aircraft on Display

  • Auster J/5P Autocar 3178
  • Boeing B-52G Stratofortress 59-2596 "Darwin's Pride"
  • CAC Sabre A94-914/A94-921
  • Bell AH-1G Cobra 71-21018
  • Dassault Mirage IIIO A3-36
  • de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth A17-4
  • de Havilland Dove 1B 4373
  • General Dynamics F-111C A8-113
  • Hovey Delta Bird
  • Mitsubishi MU-2B 37
  • Mitsubishi A6M2 Model 21 Zero BII-124
  • North American B-25D Mitchell 41-30222
  • Rockwell Shrike Commander 500
  • Rutan Long-EZ
  • Supermarine Spitfire VIII – A copy of the original
  • Westland Wessex HAS.31B N7-202

Powerful Aircraft Engines You Can See

  • Allison J33
  • Allison V-1710
  • Bristol Centaurus
  • Continental O-200
  • de Havilland Gipsy Major II
  • de Havilland Gipsy Six II
  • de Havilland Gipsy Queen 30
  • de Havilland Gipsy Queen 70-2
  • Franklin 6V4
  • Liberty L-12
  • Nakajima Sakae 12
  • Napier Gazelle
  • Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp
  • Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp
  • Rolls-Royce Avon RA.6
  • Rolls-Royce Derwent 8
  • Rolls-Royce Merlin XXIII
  • Wright R-2600-13 Twin Cyclone
Supermarine Spitfire Mk VIII (Replica)
Supermarine Spitfire Mk VIII (Replica)
De Havilland DH-82 Tiger Moth
de Havilland DH-82 Tiger Moth
General Dynamics F-111C
General Dynamics F-111C
The Westland Wessex helicopter (No. N7-202'812' of HC 723 Squadron) participated in 'Operation Navy Help' assisting in clean-up work following Cyclone Tracy which hit Darwin on Christmas Day 1974
The Westland Wessex helicopter helped clean up after Cyclone Tracy in 1974.

More to Explore

  • List of aviation museums
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Darwin Aviation Museum Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.