Longreach cont.





We headed back to the Stockmens Hall of Fame the next day to see the Outback Show.  This featured a "cowboy" from Yackandandeh in Vic.  This show was awesome.   Informative, entertaining and downright funny.  Worth the  $$$ we paid for compared to our previous one.     Following the show we headed over to the Qantas Museum to discover how Qantas came about.   I must admit I wasnt all that keen, but it was actually interesting.   Had absolutely no idea where it had originated from.  In 1919, two WW1  airmen, Hudson Fysh and  Paul McGinness after driving a T Model Ford from Longreach to Darwin, doing survey work, realised the potential for an air service for mail, freight and passengers.   With backing from a wealthy grazier,  Fergus McMaster, they established the airline  from the hangar at Longreach  (still in existence) with two small planes in 1922.  This site has also strong links to the Royal Flying Doctor Service as The Rev. John Flynn, the founder, realised  his vision of providing a team of flying doctors to service the Outback.   In 1928,  Qantas provided the very first plane from their hangar in Longreach.   This museum was excellent and I actually learnt a great deal about the airline and the tenacity of the men involved.   Another very enjoyable day in Longreach.

The Suzi next to the qantas plane.  You can do a tour of the jet and a wing walk   (extra $$$$)  but we werent interested.  Ros & Tony were lucky enough to have a guide offer them not only a tour, but a wing walk for free, as he had to go over the plane, closing & locking up.    They said it was fantastic.   They were in the right place at the right time.