Dawson Farm Aerodrome facts for kids
The Dawson Farm aerodrome was an early airfield located near Myross Bush, New Zealand. It was northeast of the city of Invercargill. A local farming family created this airfield. It became Invercargill's first public airport in 1929.
Many people interested in aviation visited the aerodrome. Famous pilots like George Bolt also came. They brought the exciting sight of airplanes to the area. Back then, seeing an airplane was very rare!
The Dawson Farm site was quite far from Invercargill's city center. So, city officials decided to build a new airport closer to town. This new airport was built in 1939. It was on land reclaimed from the New River estuary. This new site is where Invercargill Airport is today. The goal was to help more commercial flights come to Invercargill.
Air Force Visits
The New Zealand Permanent Air Force, which later became the RNZAF, often used the Dawson Farm aerodrome. They visited regularly, even during World War Two. In 1939, they took over the field as a backup landing strip. They made the grass runway bigger.
However, the aerodrome was never a permanent air force base. It was mainly used for training flights and urgent communications. Aircraft like the Vickers Vincent light bomber flew from here. These planes did important patrols over the sea. The Airspeed Oxford was also flown from this temporary base.
Once the new Invercargill Airport was finished, larger RNZAF planes started landing there instead. After the war ended in 1945, the RNZAF stopped using the Dawson Farm aerodrome. They gave the land back to the city. The city then leased it back to local farmers.
What's Left Today?
For many years, the new Invercargill Airport often flooded. There were three big floods in just ten years. These happened in 1978, 1984 (the worst one), and 1987. These floods made the City Council think about moving the airport back to the Dawson Farm site.
The city liked the idea of moving it back. But it would have been too expensive. They would have needed to move power lines away from where planes would land. Instead, the New Zealand Government approved a big flood protection plan for the current airport. So, the idea of moving back to Dawson Farm was dropped.
Today, the flat area of the old aerodrome is used for dairy farming. But you can still find 'Aerodrome Road' (off McIvor Road). This road leads to the site of Invercargill's first airport. It's a private road with 'no exit' signs. Officially, it ends at a farmyard, which was the site of the original Dawson Farm and air terminal. However, the road actually continues to State Highway 98 between Lorneville and Dacre. There are 'no exit' signs at that end too.
