Old Qantas Hangar



Off the beaten track but well worth a visit is the old heritage listed Qantas hangar at Parap. It stands on the site of Darwin's first civil aerodrome at Parap. Ross Smith Avenue is in fact the the original runway on which Ross and Keith Smith landed in December 1919 when they won the first England to Australia air contest and a $10,000 prize.

The history of Qantas Australia is closely tied to Darwin, which was a critical link for air travel between Europe and Australia in the early days of commercial aviation before the advent of modern aircraft which could fly long distances non-stop. The Darwin Civil Aerodrome was the first stop in Australia for all flights and played an important role in Australian Aviation history. The hangar was built in time for the 1934 Centenary Air race, sponsored by Sir MacPherson Robertson. Constructed over 4 months, it was not built to plan - it was erected 22 metres too far west, in error, and discovered too late to rectify. The hangar was built by Qantas for their D.H.86 service, the first Australia-Europe air service, but was later used by the first Adelaide-Darwin service (operated by Guinea Airways)after Qantas changed over to flying boat operations for the international service in late 1938.

Planning for a new Darwin airport had started in 1937 and by 1946 all aircraft were using the new airfield and The Dept. of Civil Aviation began using this hangar as a mechanical workshop. Later it was used by DCA for off site storage. The hangar was nearly destroyed by Japanese bombers in 1942 when it came under attack during the first Japanese air raid on Darwin on 19th February 1942. The scars of this are still visible as bullet holes in the steel beams of the hangar. The Hangar is now listed on the Register of the National Estate and the NT Heritage Register and owned by the Dept. of Arts and Museums.



These days it is the home of the Darwin Motor Vehicle Enthusiasts Club and is used by members to display and restore their vehicles. The collection of old cars and aviation memorabilia housed here is fascinating. Club members are happy to share their experiences with fellow enthusiasts and visitors who are always welcome. On permanent display within the hangar are: Steam traction engine "Margaret Rose"; 1918 AEC truck; 1927 Thornycroft truck; 1989 B Model Mack truck; Dennis Fire engines; 1885 Steam Engine "Sandfly"; a display of the history of the hangar plus many vehicles owned by club members and one of the largest collections of stationary engines in Australia, the Izod Collection.

Contact: (08) 8942 0758.

Location: 22 Macdonald St, Parap, NT.

How to get there: by car, proceed out of Darwin via Smith St, right into Gilruth Ave., follow the street signs on East Point Rd, Fannie Bay.



Darwin Civilian airfield at Parap, looking roughly northwards. The main runway in the middle-distance running left-right, is now a main road called Ross Smith Avenue (two lanes in each direction with a wide median strip).

Parap Airfield
Parap Airfield was the civilian aerodrome of Darwin between 1919 and 1946. Located in the coastal suburb of Parap, it was also known as Darwin Aerodrome and Ross Smith Aerodrome. The airfield was established in the suburb of Parap to act as the Australian Terminal as part of the 1919 England to Australia air race. It operated as a combined civilian and military airfield.

The site was selected by Hudson Fysh in 1919 as the first Australian arrival place for the 1919 England-Australia Air Race, eventually won by the Smith brothers. Fysh went on to found QANTAS in 1920. Qantas Empire Airways used the aerodrome as their Australian departure point and landfall for the long Timor Sea crossing. Additionally, connecting services to Perth by MacRoberton-Miller Airways and later to Adelaide by Guinea Airways also used the aerodrome.

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) deployed its No. 12 Squadron to the aerodrome in September 1939 after the declaration of war against Germany and amidst increasing suspicion regarding Japanese imperialism. Two hangars and a large number of huts were erected by the RAAF in the area immediately south of the existing domestic buildings, pending the opening of a new military aerodrome at Marrara, commonly known as '4-mile'. At this time, Parap became known as '2 1/2 mile' to distinguish it from the RAAF aerodrome. Following the opening of the new aerodrome in 1940, these huts and hangars were removed and relocated to the RAAF aerodrome. By early 1942, the aerodrome was mainly used by the RAAF, although Guinea Airways retained a civilian presence. No. 34 Squadron RAAF was formed on 23 February 1942 at the aerodrome. The Japanese bombed the aerodrome in a number of raids on Darwin during 1942, resulting in extensive damage to the town and hangar. The hangar was extensively damaged after suffering a direct hit and the damage can still be seen in the north-east corner of the original steel frame.

No. 6 Communications Flight RAAF was based at the aerodrome from August 1942 and delivered mail and food supplies to army and RAAF outposts, as far afield as the Wessel Islands. In 1945 the Department of Aviation made RAAF Darwin available for shared civil aviation purposes and as a result, the civilian airport at Parap was closed down by the end of 1946.


Qantas De-Havilland DH.86 Express aircraft, April 1935.

The four-engined DH.86 was designed and built by De Havilland Aircraft Co Ltd in just four months to a specification issued by the Imperial Airways-Qantas Empire Airways partnership for the proposed England-Australia Air Mail service. It was to be a high performance aircraft able to carry 10 passengers. The Qantas order was for five new aircraft. Tasmanian-based Holyman's Airways also ordered two DH.86s to replace DH.84 Dragons on their Tasmania-Melbourne services. De Havilland were to build a total of 62 DH.86s at the Hatfield Aerodrome factory at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England, between 1933-1937.