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Address Sir Hudson Fysh Drive, Longreach QLD 4730, Australia Hours Closed now Monday9AM–5PMTuesday9AM–5PMWednesday9AM–5PMThursday9AM–5PMFriday9AM–5PMSaturday9AM–5PMSunday9AM–5PM Similar Australian Stockman's Hall of Fa, Thomson River, Waltzing Matilda Centre, Lark Quarry Dinosaur, Qantas Hangar - Longreach Profiles | ||
Qantas founders outback museum 4 707
The Qantas Founders Outback Museum is a museum located in Longreach, Queensland, Australia. The Qantas Founders Museum is located 177 km. from Winton, Queensland the original home of Qantas. The museum was opened on 9 June 1996 in the heritage-listed Qantas Hangar. Stage 2 of the Qantas Founders Museum was part of a 1999 A$110 million Queensland and federal government project, the heritage trails network.
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Qantas founders outback museum 3 boeing 747 200
Display items
The museum is home to a decommissioned Qantas Boeing 747-200, which can be observed by the general public. It also holds the airline's first jet, a Boeing 707-138B short body, originally VH-EBA. The 707 was the first of its type and specifically manufactured for Qantas.
The Boeing 707-138B was restored at Southend Airport in England in mid-2006 and returned to Australia in December 2006 after 47 years since its original transfer from Boeing to the Qantas fleet. During its return the 707's flight path saw it eventually landing in Sydney, however it took a flight path of over a 31500 km and an eight-day journey from Southend Airport via Ireland, the Canary Islands, Bermuda, the United States and Fiji, to get to Sydney. It was then transported to Longreach. The Australian government provided $1 million as a contribution to the cost of the aircraft's restoration.
The 707 held at the Qantas Founders Outback Museum was the first jet aircraft of any type owned by Qantas. The aircraft is known under the registration VH-EBA and the plane name "City of Canberra." The restoration of VH-EBA lasted 15,000 hours. The 707 VH-EBA was the first in its fleet and is a sister plane to the last 707 which was ordered by Qantas known previously under the registration "VH-EBM", and the plane name 'City of Launceston' now owned and piloted by Qantas Ambassador John Travolta.
The Museum also has the following aircraft in its museum collection: A Catalina PBY 6A, A Replica AVRO 504K, A Replica DH 50, A Replica DH 61 and a former Qantas DC3 - VH - EAP.
In September 2014 the Museum purchased a derelict Lockheed C-121 Constellation, a former US Navy C-121J (Bu No 131623) N4247K c/n 4144 that had been impounded at Manila International Airport for more than 25 years. The aircraft was disassembled for shipment to Australia.