RAAF Townsville Aviation Heritage Centre facts for kids

The RAAF Townsville Aviation Heritage Centre is a cool museum in Townsville, Australia. It's all about the history of military aviation in North Queensland. The museum first opened in 1983. Its main goal was to show people amazing artifacts, photos, and special items from the past. You can see old uniforms, medical supplies, training gear, and even weapons. There are also many model airplanes!

Some unique things you might find include old study cards. These cards taught students about surviving an atomic attack. There are also "Silhouette cards" to help identify ships from the sky. You can even see unopened medical supplies from the 1940s, still with their original instructions!

The museum is located at 487 Ingham Road. Since March 2020, it has been temporarily closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

How the Museum Started

The museum officially opened its doors on June 10, 1983. A high-ranking officer, Air Vice Marshal Russell Law, was there for the special event.

The 1990s: New Beginnings

In 1991, the main gate to the RAAF base closed. This allowed for a new, better museum facility to be created. By 1992, the museum started opening every Sunday. Before that, it was only open once a month. A big attraction back then was a P-51 Mustang airplane. It was being carefully restored.

Also in 1992, Townsville celebrated a big event. It was the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea. This battle was a very important part of World War II. The museum created a special display about the battle. It showed where the fight happened in the Pacific Ocean.

In 1995, Townsville had another big celebration. It was the 50th Anniversary of Victory in the Pacific (VP50). This marked the end of World War II. The museum's volunteers worked hard to create displays. However, some visitors thought the museum looked a bit old and tired. Because of this, the museum closed temporarily from September 1997 to August 1999.

At first, it seemed like the closure might be permanent. But, thanks to new ideas and hard work from dedicated volunteers, the museum was saved! They brought in fresh displays and new ways of showing things. In 2000, there was another notice to close the museum. But again, it was stopped at the last minute, and the museum kept going.

The 2000s: Growing and Winning Awards

The early 2000s were a time of great growth for the museum. They expanded their opening hours even more. You could visit on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and Sundays.

In 2000, the museum put together a photo display about East Timor. This area was important because many local people had been involved in conflicts there. Brigadier Mark Evans opened this special display on August 18.

The museum received high praise in 2001 and 2002. They earned "high commendations" at the North Queensland Tourism Awards. Then, in 2003, the museum won the "Heritage and Cultural" category!

On December 17, 2003, the museum celebrated a huge milestone. It was the 100th Anniversary of powered flight by the Wright brothers. This was also linked to Townsville's 100th anniversary of becoming a city.

On January 1, 2005, the museum became an official organization. It was named the North Queensland Military Aviation Museum Inc. It continued to operate as the RAAF Townsville Museum.

In 2007, the museum added a new display about the Vietnam War. This was made possible with funding from the Department of Veteran Affairs. A famous person, Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, officially opened it in August.

The museum also opened the Owen 'Wheels' Wheeler Memorial Transport display. Owen Wheeler was a dedicated volunteer who loved military transport. This display features a Chevrolet Blitz C30 truck. This truck was restored with help from local businesses and volunteers. The museum even received an award from the Prime Minister in August 2007. This was presented by Peter Lindsay, who was a government official at the time.

Cool Outdoor Exhibits

Outside the museum, you can see some amazing historical items:

• A de Havilland Vampire T.35 jet (A79-656). This old jet is on permanent display.
• A Matra R530 Guided Missile System. This is a type of missile system.
• A Bofors anti-aircraft gun. This gun was used to shoot down enemy planes.
• A special display of a Bell UH-1 Iroquois (A2-382) helicopter. This type of helicopter was used by Australian forces in Vietnam. This particular helicopter crashed in 1970. It was recovered and cut in half. The other half is at the Point Cook Museum.
• Many engines and propellers from World War II. These were collected from aircraft that visited Townsville during the war.