QANTAS - The Beginnings

It is 2009. That is 90 years since the England to Australia air race that was to prove whether it was possible to fly between the two regions.

Darwin has a significant memorial to Ross and Keith Smith who crossed the Australian coast as the first plane to make that journey, and Ross Smith Avenue in Darwin is actually the original airstrip used then and for many years afterwards.

As part of the planning around that race, two intrepid Queenslanders left western Queensland in 1919 in a new 1919 model T Ford to drive to Darwin to attempt to plan and locate and develop suitable airstrip sites for the planes to use after they left Darwin. They came up a reasonably direct route via the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria, and eventually to Darwin.

REMEMBER - no roads then across that track line. It would be a very tough trip!

Yesterday the very same vehicle returned to Darwin along the same route as part of the 90th Anniversary Celebrations around the flight events. More about that later in the year.

After reaching Darwin back in 1919, by a very awful route [ requested by the organisers it seems] without establishing any airstrips, they returned south down the same approximate line of the Cross - Continent Telegraph Line, establishing airstrips at places like Katherine, Daly Waters, Newcastle Waters close to the telegraph line [ it does sound more sensible doesn't it?] then turning east across the Barkly Tablelands into western Queensland. Daly Waters and Newcastle Waters airstrips are still used today, although Daly Waters was upgraded to a significant paved strip for commercial use some years after the initial development, and it remained a major alternate commercial airstrip for many years, as well as serving QANTAS on the early England - Australia air route.

The real outcome of the trip was the establishment in 1920 of Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services...........yes, QANTAS. These commissioned land adventurers, both who saw service as pilots in WW1, saw an opportunity to capitalise on the air race and the now small, established airstrips to develop an airline to serve the region. It has gone on to bigger things.

There was a small commemoration event on 8 September at the Qantas Hangar in Parap, on the site of the original Qantas location in the NT, adjacent to the original airstrip.

The old car apparently went well on the same journey 90 years later. No doubt there will be signifiant media coverage of this part of the whole exercise, and the air race itself.

Darwin has had a very major part in the development of aviation in Australia, even you could say communications, as it was also the prime repeater location on the England - Australia telegraph route.