iscover
A replica of a historic Qantas aircraft is the first object to arrive at the new Parramatta Powerhouse museum in Sydney.
The Avro 504K replica, modelled after the Flying Kangaroo’s first plane, is set to form part of the “Task Eternal” opening exhibit on the history of aviation, operated in partnership with Qantas. It will be suspended from the museum ceiling above a Cierva C.30A Autogiro and a Skycraft Scout Mark 1.
This content is available exclusively to Australian Aviation members.
A monthly membership is only $5.99 or save with our annual plans.
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
- Access to the Australian Aviation app
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
- Daily news updates via our email bulletin
- Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
- Access to the Australian Aviation app
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
- Daily news updates via our email bulletin
“Powerhouse is proud to partner with Qantas, an organisation that has shaped how Australia connects with the world for more than a century,” said Powerhouse chief executive Lisa Havilah.
“The installation of the Avro 504K as the first object at Powerhouse Parramatta is a defining milestone – anchoring the museum in stories of engineering, ambition and innovation that continue to shape our future.”
The replica is one of two built at Mascot in 1988 by Qantas engineers and apprentices, and measures almost nine metres long with an 11-metre wingspan. Qantas will also loan the museum more than 6,000 pieces from its Heritage Collection, to be digitised and preserved at Powerhouse Castle Hill.
According to Qantas A330 captain David Theiss, seeing the Avro on display is “a reminder of how far Australian aviation has come”.
“From the early long-range flights linking remote communities such as Longreach, Winton and Cloncurry, to the lead up to the inaugural A350 Project Sunrise services, Qantas has continued to lead the way in aviation innovation,” he said.
“The Qantas Heritage Collection brings more than a century of pioneering spirit to life, and it’s something all of us at Qantas are incredibly proud to share.
“Partnering with the Powerhouse Museum to celebrate both the innovation and the enduring legacy of Qantas is a fitting way to honour our past while looking toward the future of flight.”
According to the NSW Government, Task Eternal will be “one of the most ambitious aerospace exhibitions ever staged in the world”.
“Featured in the new museum’s largest exhibition space, Task Eternal will explore the intersection of design, innovation and technology and trace humanity’s quest to human ambition to defy gravity, take flight and journey into the sky,” the government said.
“More than 750 objects on display including 350 objects from its own collection, and more than 250 objects on loan from more than 120 domestic and international lenders, plus 12 new commissions will be presented in the new museum’s largest exhibition space.
“The exhibition reflects the scale and ambition of Powerhouse Parramatta and the NSW government’s investment in science, culture and innovation.”
The Powerhouse Parramatta is expected to open by the end of the year.
Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?
Make Australian Aviation a preferred news source on Google.
Click here to add Australian Aviation as a preferred news source.
