We Are Going To Need Some Help Please!

[Guest aviatrix27]

G'day fellow TAA people.

 

You may have read on a recent post that I have just been on a vintage car rally with my husband, we will call him aviator30, and we won the rally. Part of the prize for winning is that we get to organise the next rally, subject to the events committee approving our ideas.

 

We have come up with an idea for a theme for the next rally "Bushrangers & Aviators" and now need a list of "must see" towns and their associated aviation history and attractions, all within about 1,000 km of Melbourne.

 

Any suggestions most welcome!!!!!

 

 

[Guest Darren Masters]

First and foremost, congrats! :)

 

 

[dazza 38]

Well done Kaye and Aviator 30.

 

 

[Guest DWB]

Yep well done Kaye & Geoff. There is a route up here called the Bushrangers Way, least there was, not sure if it still exists. Nothing showing up on Google.

 

 

[djpacro]

Here's my first contribution: http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/steiglitz-historic-park - plenty of bushrangers and I had my first ride in an aeroplane not far from there at Twin Lakes. Lethbridge, Vic, would be the closest strip.

 

 

[Powerin]

The area between Albury and Wagga Wagga, NSW, was frequented by the bushranger Mad Dan Morgan. There are a few points of interest including Morgans Lookout near the town of Walla Walla which would be a nice spot to take a car rally to. To the west of Walla is the little town of Brocklesby which is where two RAAF Avro Ansons on a training flight collided in mid air and became locked together. The aircraft, still locked together, were successfully landed in a paddock a few km out of Brocklesby. There is a marker showing where this happened.

 

The two aircraft originated from the RAAF base at Forest Hill next to Wagga Wagga airport which has a little museum you can visit.

 

Albury's main aviation claim to fame is when the town's people answered a call on the local ABC radio station to bring their cars to Albury racecourse and light up a makeshift runway for the Dutch (KLM DC-2) entrant in the 1934 London to Melbourne air race which had become lost in bad weather. The DC-2 found Albury and successfully landed on the racecourse. The City of Albury used to have a static DC-2 mounted on pylons at the airport entrance as a memorial...but it has since been taken down due to its bad condition. It now sits lonely and forlorn in a corner of the airport while debate rages as to whether it's worth the cost of restoring it to static display condition.

 

I hope that gives you a few ideas.

 

 

[skeptic36]

If you happen to be passing through Bruthen Vic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jet-Crash-Remains,-Bruthen,-Vic.jpg.

 

Sorry that's all I got.

 

Regards Bill

 

No wait! If you come to my place I could show you around my hangar and my trike ;-)

 

 

[djpacro]

My next contribution is Tocumwal. One of my favourite airfields - active and friendly aero club, ex-USAF base with interesting history. Friendly town. More sun than the sunshine coast.

 

The obligatory bushrangers eg http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/18735263

 

Tocumwal is so good that it deserves its own thread!

 

 

[red750]

Benalla and Glenrowan have museums with Ned Kelly artifacts, and Benalla is the home of the Gliding Club of Vic and has an aviation museum.

 

.

 

 

[TAA Student Pilot]

What sort of old bomb car were yoo driving K?

 

 

[Guest aviatrix27]

Aawww, Polly the Pontiac is no bomb! She's a 1928 Tourer that was cut down and made into a ute by a farmer some time back. We restored her that way, she's unique.

 

Aviator30 has sort of decided on a route (subject to permission from owners, availability etc, note all back-roads too, no freeways and where possible no major highways):

 

Starting point Lilydale Airport

 

Jamieson, Mansfield, Wangaratta (2 nights there, can explore Glenrowan and Milawa)

 

Tumut (1 night)

 

Cootamundra-Young-Cowra-Bathurst (2 nights BTH)

 

Kandos-Mudgee (2 nights)

 

Dunedoo-Dubbo/Narromine (2 nights)

 

Wellington-Orange (2 nights)

 

Temora (2 nights)

 

Yarrawonga (2 nights)

 

He's also sort of decided to play down the Aviators, he reckons lots of people aren't interested. I reckon if they are interested in old cars, they are interested in all machinery, including planes.

 

If anyone has a contact with a car or aero club at any of our stops, we would love to know about it. Our rally is a competition, we have observation runs, navigation trials, motorkhanas etc. Also a lot of dinners are hosted by local clubs (we're talking roughly 80 people). We are going to need help from locals with things like the motorkhana and any other local based competition.

 

As an aside people, be nice to me, I'm 12 hours smoke-free

 

 

[skeptic36]

As an aside people, be nice to me, I'm 12 hours smoke-free

Good work, stick with it.

 

 

[siznaudin]

A lot of blokes are - and in this respect I'm no different - "trains, planes, boats & car" nutters, so it all sounds good to me. I suspect a 1909 1 cylinder Sizaire might not cut the mustard, unfortunately.

 

As to giving up the dreaded nicotine addiction ... speaking from bitter experience, I can say that it's the first three months that are the worst.

 

Good luck Kaye - hang in there: you'll never regret having tossed it.

 

 

[skeptic36]

Aawww, Polly the Pontiac is no bomb! She's a 1928 Tourer that was cut down and made into a ute by a farmer some time back.

Any chance you could post a pic?

 

 

[Guest aviatrix27]

Let's see if this works - ours is the blue one at the front in the pic of the old mansion

 

[ATTACH]18274[/ATTACH]

 

 

 

[siznaudin]

I see the Shipping News jounalist is, um - into the ... well, how can I put it - spirit(?) of the occasion.

 

I bet Polly never looked that good when in the farmer's hands! She looks superb: a real winner.

 

And what an utterly practical touring vehicle too - plenty of room (more than a Cheetah, I'd say) to stow the gear...:)

 

 

[Guest aviatrix27]

looks can be deceiving my dear Siz, we can fit a lot more gear into the Cheetah than Polly can carry - bulk, not weight :)

 

 

[Guest Darren Masters]

Good stuff Kaye re the smoke (or lack of). You know you have a place to stay in Orange/Bathurst :)

 

 

[Guest aviatrix27]

for 80 people?

 

 

[Guest Darren Masters]

for 80 people?

Tents? Heaps of land. Could be arranged but would have to be a weekend at that point of your trip :)