RAAF Townsville Aviation Heritage Centre facts for kids

The RAAF Townsville Aviation Heritage Centre is a special museum in Townsville, Australia. It shows off the history of military aviation in North Queensland. The museum first opened in 1983. Its main goal was to share stories, old items, and photos about planes and pilots from the past.

You can find the Heritage Centre at 487 Ingham Road. It has many cool things like old uniforms, badges, medical supplies, training gear, weapons, and even models of airplanes. Some unique items include old study cards that taught people about surviving an atomic attack. There are also cards to help identify ships from the air. You can even see unopened medical supplies from the 1940s with their original instructions!

The Centre has been temporarily closed since March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

How the Museum Started

The museum officially opened its doors on June 10, 1983. A high-ranking officer named Air Vice Marshal Russell Law was there for the opening. When it first started, the museum was managed by the RAAF Museum Point Cook. It was only open to the public once a month.

The 1990s: Growing and Changing

In 1991, the main gate to the RAAF base closed. This allowed for a new, bigger museum area to be created. By 1992, the museum started opening every Sunday, which was great for visitors! A big attraction at that time was a North American P-51 Mustang plane that was being fixed up.

Townsville also celebrated some important anniversaries in the 1990s. In 1992, it was 50 years since the Battle of the Coral Sea during World War II. The museum created a special display about this battle and where it happened in the Pacific Ocean.

In 1995, Townsville celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Victory in the Pacific (VP50). This was an even bigger event. The amazing volunteers at the museum worked hard to put together the best displays they could. However, some visitors felt the museum looked a bit old. Because of this, the museum closed for a while, from September 1997 to August 1999.

At first, it seemed like the closure might be permanent. But thanks to new ideas, hard work, and fresh displays from the dedicated volunteers, the museum was saved! In 2000, there was another plan to close the museum, but it was stopped at the last minute, and the museum kept going.

The 2000s: New Displays and Awards

The early 2000s were a time of great growth for the museum. It started opening even more often: on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and Sundays.

In 2000, the museum created a photo display about East Timor. This display was opened by Brigadier Mark Evans on August 18. It showed people in Townsville what the conflict area looked like, as many local people had been involved there.

The museum also received special recognition! It earned high praise from the North Queensland Tourism Awards in both 2001 and 2002. Then, in 2003, the museum won the Heritage and Cultural category of the North Queensland Tourism Awards.

On December 17, 2003, the museum celebrated a huge milestone: the 100th Anniversary of powered flight by the Wright brothers. This was linked to Townsville also celebrating its 100th anniversary as a city.

In 2005, the museum became its own official organization. It was named the North Queensland Military Aviation Museum Inc., but it still operated as the RAAF Townsville Museum.

In 2007, with help from the Department of Veteran Affairs, the museum opened a new display about the Vietnam War. This display was officially opened by Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, a famous Australian actor and veteran.

The museum also opened the Owen 'Wheels' Wheeler Memorial Transport display. This display honors a dedicated volunteer who loved military transport. It features a Chevrolet Blitz C30 truck that was restored with the help of local businesses and volunteers.

Cool Outdoor Exhibits

The museum has some amazing exhibits outside that you can see:

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